As we lose our humanity amidst the convenience of technology, how far should we accept a life fused with machines?

The 1995 movie Johnny Mnemonic is set in a mechanized future where even the human brain has been replaced by machines. The movie warns of the danger of losing our humanity in the face of technological advancement, and makes us think about how to maintain our humanity in a life fused with machines.

 

Johnny Mnemonic was released in 1995. “Starring Keanu Reeves, Johnny Mnemonic is a movie about a cyborg in the future. It’s set in 2021, and almost everything in the world is mechanized. In particular, machines targeted at people have been developed, and even people have been mechanized. Some people have turned their bodies into machines to improve their physical abilities, while others have turned their entire bodies into machines and become complete cyborgs. Johnny, the protagonist of the movie, has replaced his brain’s storage device with a machine, and his job is to store and transmit various memories.
The movie depicts a future where modern society is becoming increasingly dependent on technology and living a life increasingly fused with machines. Given the current trend of technological advancement, it’s likely that this future is not just a movie. We already rely on smart devices and AI technology in our daily lives to make our lives easier. However, we shouldn’t overlook the dangers behind this convenience. As technology advances, it makes our lives easier, but it also increases the risk of ethical problems and loss of humanity.
What happens when the mechanization of the body, which is a growing trend in modern times, extends to the brain? Let’s talk about the brain for a moment: it’s still a very unexplored field, even with modern technology. Many scientists are diving into the field, but we still have a long way to go before we know the full structure of the brain. We still don’t know all the functions of the human brain, and we don’t have an accurate analysis of how the brain governs the entire human body. Modern medicine also has little to offer in the way of treatment for brain disorders, and we don’t even know what causes brain death.
However, research on the brain has continued, and in recent years, various results have been obtained using brain waves. In fact, brain experiments have been conducted on monkeys for a long time. A needle is inserted into the brain of a monkey whose arms are forcefully restrained, and food is placed in front of it. The needle measures the monkey’s brain waves, which are then transmitted to a robotic arm that can serve the food and eventually allow the monkey to eat. It’s not yet ready for humans, and there are still many open questions, but this is how brain research continues to progress.
The movie’s access to this part of the brain inspires a lot of imagination. The first thing to think about is replacing the part of the brain responsible for remembering simple information with a machine. In this way, you wouldn’t have to try to remember anything, and you could make any knowledge your own by simply typing it into a computer. Eventually, everyone will have an encyclopedia in their head, and everyone will be an expert in their field based on the capacity of their memory. Also, all exams will disappear, and all selection will be based on the size of the capacity embedded in the brain. The size of the storage capacity would determine the person’s abilities.
Secondly, we need to think in terms of memories and experiences. Our memories contain not only information, but also memories and past experiences. In the movie, people buy and sell memories. Johnny, the main character of the movie, deletes all his memories in order to increase his memory capacity. The memories that are perceived to be unique to one’s self are bought, sold, and destroyed so easily. If this were to happen in real life, it wouldn’t be much different from the world in the movie. People would want to keep all the good memories and erase the bad ones. Good memories would be copyrighted, bought, sold, and shared, and while many people would have experienced failure, none would remember it.
But I question whether this is the right world. First of all, creativity would be stifled because everyone would think the same way, and people would only do things according to their predetermined abilities. Secondly, people would be able to store things in their minds that they haven’t actually experienced, and they would lose the desire for new things that they haven’t done. In the end, the world will become a stagnant place, and it will be hard to expect progress. Also, good experiences will be copyrighted and shared by everyone. When people communicate with each other, their unique experiences are often the main source of material. However, since there is no distinction between your experience and mine, people will not ask about each other’s experiences, and communication will gradually decrease. In the end, human society will become increasingly mechanized and robotic, creating a society of poverty in the midst of abundance.
If such a world becomes a reality, we may no longer exist as human beings. Our identity is shaped by our experiences and memories, and these are what make us unique. If memories and experiences are replaced by machines, what is the essence of being human? Would we still be able to call ourselves human? This philosophical question is perhaps one of the most important issues we will face at the end of technological progress. As our lives become merged with machines, we need to think about how to preserve our dignity and individuality as human beings.
I’m sure the director had similar thoughts, and it happens a lot in movies. People who have replaced all their bodies with machines and are gradually dominated by robots and computers, and the protagonist who feels skeptical about such a life and tries to regain lost memories. As a side effect of mechanization, new diseases arise, putting the world’s population at risk. The electromagnetic waves generated by the countless machines embedded in our bodies, and the electromagnetic waves do not fit our bodies, causing diseases. In this way, the movie is also wary of the increasingly advanced scientific world.
We spend our entire lives using our brains. The potential of the human brain is enormous. We are born with enormous potential, and perhaps we were designed from the beginning to be capable of unlimited abilities without the help of other devices. I think it would be foolish to ignore this great potential and rely solely on computers. Even nowadays, many organs, such as artificial hearts and kidneys, are being replaced by high-tech products. These are valuable technologies that have saved many lives. However, I think we need to be cautious when using these technologies. Over-reliance on technology will come back to haunt us one day.
We also need to take a serious look at what we’re losing in this process of merging with machines. Technology makes our lives easier, but in the process, we may be losing our unique experiences, emotions, and essential humanity. While the benefits of merging with machines are clear, the debate about whether the sacrifices are worth it will continue to be an ongoing one.