BISCENTENNIAL MAN

A MOVIE ANALYSIS

I. PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTIONS ADAPTED FROM THE MOVIE:

1. What makes man truly human?

2. Does life have a reason?

3. Does free will exist, or is every action predetermined?

4. What is human consciousness?

5. How does one find purpose in life?

II. REFLECTION:

In both the film and the movie, consciousness is the thing that defines what it really
means to be truly human. Consciousness is the line that divides humanity from machines, plants,
and even animals. Being aware of our feelings and understanding them for what they really are is
something unique to us humans.
Take Andrew for example. Andrew was born very similar to other household robots. He
was born with a humanoid body, a human-like face, and an intelligence that was well beyond
human. Those robots seemed to have all the physical capabilities to be considered as human
beings. What made Andrew more human than any of them, however, was the fact that he was
conscious.
Andrew, unlike any robots, knew how to feel, albeit not physically. Andrew, however,
can feel emotions. He had feelings and affections for other people. He had the capacity to
discover and learn. Moreover, he can communicate these thoughts to others, making his
relationships more personal. His consciousness allowed Andrew do something no other robot
can: to form human relationships with other people and feel their emotions.
This rings a bell in our society today. When we find someone doing something with the
lack of either empathy or consideration to the other person’s feelings, we consider him as
“inhumane.” The capability to feel and understand the joys and sufferings of others is what
makes us and Andrew human beings.

Consciousness is the marking trait of a human being. The capability to feel and react to different
experiences shows us what humanity really means. Without consciousness, we would be just
biological robots, capable of learning new things but without awareness of what we can do with
it to benefit others. Without consciousness, we would be nothing more than highly evolved apes.
We would follow our instincts and desires, without thinking about the feelings and emotions of
others.
Moreover, consciousness is what keeps us humanity on moving forward. Our ability to be
aware of our thoughts allows us to develop it even further. Through this, we were able to
innovate and invent ideas and things which is now needed in our daily lives. Our consciousness
played a key role in our development as a species, and without it we could have never had the
lives we have today.