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Newton Cheng

Raechel Lee

PWR 2RL

April 8, 2016

Research Proposal

Technology vs. Nature: False Dichotomies in Blade Runner and Bioshock

Introduction

It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.

Albert Einstein

One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one

extraordinary man.

- Elbert Hubbard

The real danger is not that computers will begin to think like men, but that men will begin to

think like computers.

- Sydney Harris

A quick Google search of technology and humans returns over 245 million hits, with

a not insignificant number of those hits taking stances similar to those expounded by the quotes

listed above. Technology and humans, these perspectives argue, are intrinsically opposed;

humans must be careful, lest technology come to dominate and tear down our humanity.

Indeed, there exists an entire genre of literature devoted to the destructive nature of technology

on society: technological dystopia. Though the total collapse of society, as is suggested by the

word dystopia, might be over-dramatic in describing the state of technology in contemporary

society, technology has come to play an undeniably large role in our lives. One need only look

to the numerous articles and books that warn of screen-addicted zombies, of the laziness
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promoted by having machines do our work, of the increasing disconnect between individuals,

to see similar ideas regarding the detrimental effects of technology. There is, however,

relatively little research done on how these dystopian texts relate to contemporary societys

relationship to technology; this comes as no big surprise given that the technology and

environments considered in the texts tend to be radically different from the current situation.

The technological dystopia feeds such ideas, positing a world in which technology has

managed to surpass our collective humanity, leading to the destruction of anything natural

and society controlled by such technology. In one of the defining examples of the genre, the

world of Ridley Scotts 1982 Blade Runner frames the conflict at the heart of the technological

dystopia: what does it mean to be human? The protagonist, Rick Deckard, hunts to eliminate

replicants, artificial human beings, because the replicants are fundamentally not human; they

have come to Earth in an effort to extend their four-year lifespans, and in doing so, encroach

on the realm that belongs to humans. As artificial constructions, they are denied the right to

enter such a place.

The 2007 video game Bioshock takes similar cues from the dystopian fiction which

inspired the game. Set in the underwater city of Rapture, the player character must navigate the

remains of a society that, though created as a utopia for science to flourish, has now fallen into

a state of disrepair. Central to the game is the protagonists constant battle with splicers,

individuals driven insane due to technological augmentation of their bodies, requiring the

protagonist to augment himself similarly, while attempting to maintain a sense of humanity.

The key connection that drove me to pursue this topic is the revelation at the end of

both Blade Runner and Bioshock that the protagonist, himself, is not necessarily human.

Deckard may be a replicant, and the unnamed protagonist of Bioshock was born in a tube, and

has been controlled by subliminal suggestions. The character that the audience (player, in the
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case of the game) has latched on to as a human figure turns out to be as non-human as the

world they navigate. Does this, however, change anything about the feelings of humanity

ascribed to the character leading up to that point?

The answer, I believe, is no, and I look to support this answer by examining how

Bioshock essentially mirrors Blade Runner by subverting the canonical technology vs. nature

conflict of traditional technological dystopias, suggesting that such a dichotomy does not truly

exist. Following the journey taken by both protagonists, I will explore how both mediums

foreground the standard dystopian idea of technology, in being the fundamental of nature,

destroys nature and harms the human, before turning the idea on its head. Bioshock then takes

the ideas further by intimately involving the audience, as a player, in the experience of the text

itself. The video game medium is one that has only recently been brought to light as a potential

vehicle for constructing and navigating powerful narratives. Though extensive research has

been done in understanding the medium in vacuum, very little work has gone into analyzing

how the medium stands in relation to other media. In particular, understanding how this

medium can build upon already extant ideas is significant for the consideration of literary texts,

as a whole, as it becomes a more prominent mode of storytelling. I am ultimately interested in

examining the philosophical implications of both works, with respect to how they treat the

question of what it truly means to be human. Technology, they argue, is not the destructive

factor in these societies, it is the actions of humans that make them less human. In doing so, I

hope to more closely examine humanitys relationship with technology in contemporary

society, a relationship in which we are, willingly or not, all participants.

Research Methods and Sources

I will look to answer the question by first deconstructing both texts as examples of

dystopian fiction, drawing on a wealth of books and literature that have analyzed the
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technological dystopia genre. This will allow me to more specifically identify the connections

between the two texts, as I look for similarities in the journey of the protagonists. In particular,

I will be using a philosophical lens to examine the specific issues and questions raised, then

employing existing literature on the two texts as a supporting framework for my analysis of the

perspectives put forward in each text. I would then analyze how Bioshock, as a video game,

approaches these perspectives in a unique way by virtue of its medium.

For the purpose of locating the texts within the sea of technological dystopian texts, I

will primarily be relying on print sources, such as the collection of essays, Dystopia (2013) and

Dystopia, Science Fiction, Post-Apocalypse: Classics New Tendencies Model

Interpretations (2015). A brief skimming of these leads to me believe that these will be very

useful in providing a contextual framework of the dystopian text, within which I would then

undertake more specific analysis.

As I am looking to utilize a philosophical lens, I have also identified several print

sources that specifically examine the intersection of science fiction and dystopian texts with

philosophies. In particular, I believe that Millers Exploring the Limits of the Human through

Science Fiction (2012) and Clarks How to Live Forever: Science Fiction and Philosophy

(1995) will be particularly useful, as they specifically deal with philosophical analyses of the

texts with which I am concerned. Even if they dont provide specific information, their

framework of analysis will be extremely useful for my purposes.

As I move into more detailed and specific analyses of the two texts, I would look to use

literature that is also specific to each text. In particular, I would hope to use these texts to both

supplement my personal analyses of the texts, as well as offer different perspectives of the same

issues. I am hoping to use a mixture of print and online, academic paper sources, including:

the collection of essays, Bioshock and Philosophy: Irrational Game, Rational Book (2015);
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Shanahans Philosophy and Blade Runner (2014); and Kermans Technology and Politics in

the Blade Runner Dystopia (1991).

Finally, as I look to move into medium-specific analysis of the video game medium, I

would use literature that looks at methods of analysis of games. Drawing on my past experience

writing about video games, I already have a couple good resources in mind, such as The Play

versus Story Divide in Game Studies Critical Essays (2016) and Boulters Parables of the

Posthuman: Digital Realities, Gaming, and the Player Experience (2015). These sources look

to be particularly useful by providing a framework to analyze the player experience. I would

ideally be able to combine this framework with the science fiction-philosophy analytical

framework to examine how the player experience affects the narrative.

Conclusion

Literature is a contextual product; the literature of a time period reflects the ideas,

fears, and dreams of the society from which it was produced. As our world become

increasingly reliant on technology, are we realizing the dystopian fears of the 20th century that

surround technology? Rather than treat technology as an object to which we, as humans, are

naturally opposed, technology might be treated as a product of a human society, i.e. an object

to be integrated into everyday life as a support network, rather than a constant balancing act of

natural vs. artificial. It is not the intrinsic qualities of technology that make pose the risk, but

rather, our potential lack of ability to work with such technology. Its advance and spread is

unlikely to end any time soon, so shouldnt we be prepared?

About the Author

Newton Cheng is a sophomore at Stanford University, where he is pursuing a double

degree in Medical Physics and Japanese. His fascination with the dystopic began with Huxleys

Brave New World, and has since grown into the powerful academic interest that motivates him
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to research the dystopic worlds of other works and media. He is excited to have the

opportunity to revisit some of the works that have created the foundation of modern dystopic

literature.

Timeline subject to change with respect to conferences and Hume appointments

April 8 Due: Research Proposal Draft

April 9-11 Plan and outline presentation
Prepare presentation materials
April 12 Due: Presentation Materials
Check in with Raechel
April 13 Rehearse presentation
Final adjustments/preparations
April 14 Proposal Presentation
Conference with Raechel
April 15-20 Begin revisions to proposal based on
presentation and draft feedback
April 16-17 Watch Blade Runner and annotate
Go through narrative of Bioshock and
annotate
April 18-22 Go through material on dystopian
literature focus on placing texts in
context and identifying characteristic
elements
April 21 Complete revisions to research proposal
April 22 Due: Revised Research Proposal
April 23-25 Go through material on philosophy and
science-fiction
April 25-26 Begin going through material specific to
the texts
April 26-27 Compose annotated bibliography
April 28 Due: Annotated Bibliography
April 29-30 Go through material about video game
analysis
May 1-2 Start drafting outline
May 3 Due: RBA Outline
May 4 Start drafting RBA
May 5 Due: RBA Draft 1
May 6-9 Revise RBA draft 1
May 6-9 Begin drafting presentation outline/content
May 10 OPTIONAL RBA Draft 2
May 10-11 Work on presentation materials
May 12 Presentation Rehearsal
May 13-16 Revise presentation based on feedback
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May 13-19 Revise RBA draft 2

May 17 Due: Research Presentation Materials
May 17-18 Final revisions to presentation and
rehearsal
May 19 Due: RBA Draft 2/3
May 19-26 Research Presentations
May 20-June 1 Revisions to RBA draft 3
June 2 Due: RBA

Preliminary Bibliography

Aldridge, Alexandra. The Scientific World View in Dystopia. Ann Arbor, Mich: UMI Research

Press, 1984. Print.

Bioshock. Irrational Games. 2007. Video Game.

Blade Runner. Dir. Ridley Scott. Warner Bros., 1982. DVD.

Boller, Alessandra, and Eckart Voigts-Virchow. Dystopia, Science Fiction, Post-Apocalypse:

Classics - New Tendencies - Model Interpretations. Trier : WVT Wissenschaftlicher

Verlag Trier, 2015. Print.

Booker, M K. Dystopia. Ipswich, Mass: Salem Press, 2013. Print.

Boulter, Jonathan. Parables of the Posthuman: Digital Realities, Gaming, and the Player

Experience. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2015. Print.

Clark, Stephen R. L. How to Live Forever: Science Fiction and Philosophy. London: Routledge,

1995. Print.

Coplan, Amy, and David Davies. Blade Runner. New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group,

2015. Print.

Cuddy, Luke. Bioshock and Philosophy: Irrational Game, Rational Book. Malden: Wiley

Blackwell, 2015. Print.

Dinello, Daniel. Technophobia!: Science Fiction Visions of Posthuman Technology. Austin:

University of Texas Press, 2005. Print.

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Kapell, Matthew. The Play Versus Story Divide in Game Studies: Critical Essays. Jefferson:

MacFarland & Company. Inc, 2016. Print.

Kerman, Judith. Retrofitting Blade Runner: Issues in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner and Philip K.

Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Bowling Green: Bowling Green State

University Popular Press, 1991. Print.

Miller, Gerald A. Exploring the Limits of the Human Through Science Fiction. New York:

Palgrave MacMillan, 2012. Print.

Myers, Robert E. The Intersection of Science Fiction and Philosophy: Critical Studies. Westport,

Conn: Greenwood Press, 1983. Print.

Shanahan, Timothy. Philosophy and Blade Runner. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. Print.