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News & ArtsFriday, June 1, 2012
At Large Rural America: Watching the Wildlife
Posted by Charles Mudede on Fri, Jun 1, 2012 at 9:49 AM
We saw some wild animals running around...
- Somewhere in Rural America
I'm thinking about the moment Darth Vader is unmasked as he dies in his son's arms. He wants to see his son with his biological eyes. The thing inside the armor and mask turns out to be as frail as a wounded animal. Is this the essence of Vader? Is he finally being honest to us? Absolutely not. Vader is a human, and a human is always a humanmachine. Technology is our species being. We have no weapons in our mouths, we are hairless, we have small guts, we are incomplete. If you remove our tools, we are nothing, we are ghosts. It is our machines that make us human. Vader should have kept his mask on when died in his son's arms. This was truly him, a human being.
1
Not entirely true, our brains have more advanced planning and memory systems than other animals.
It's not taking away the tools themselves that would make us incomplete; rather, taking away the ability to make tools. Taking away our advanced brains.
It's not taking away the tools themselves that would make us incomplete; rather, taking away the ability to make tools. Taking away our advanced brains.
2
It occurred to me some time ago that a person driving a car meets the definition of a cyborg. The car becomes an extension of the person. When you are behind the wheel, you worry about moving yourself, i.e. the car, faster and away from danger, etc. Your instincts trigger muscle impulses that are not those of your human form, but of your car form. You don't instinctively dodge your body to avoid obstacles, you instinctively dodge your car. The car has become part of you, not just physically but mentally as well.
No doubt flying a small plane, etc. has the same sensation.
No doubt flying a small plane, etc. has the same sensation.
3
The helmet doesn't represent technology per se - its the manifestation of his corruption. So its removal is symbolic of redemption.
Its a cheesey scene and I always though it implausible that after all that murder, he gets squeamish over this one boy. Impulsive sentimentality doesn't befit a monster.
Its a cheesey scene and I always though it implausible that after all that murder, he gets squeamish over this one boy. Impulsive sentimentality doesn't befit a monster.
4
I agree with the premise that our bodies are tools no different than a prosthetic arm would be. However, Vader took his mask off to see his son with his own eyes. Eyes are biological tools, yes, but there is no doubt that the deepest human communication happens using our innate five senses. An artificial machine cannot be substituted at this level.
5
Hard to tell from the poor quality of that photo, but it looks like you just took a picture of a nature show you and your daughter happened to be watching. That... doesn't really count.
6
@1: Following Charles' line of reasoning, the definition of "human brain" should be extended to include all of our prosthetic brains (computers, smart phones, etc) that do so much of our thinking and remembering for us.
7
@6,
Hmmm... I don't remember if he believes that or not. I'll google it on my smart phone and get back to you.
Hmmm... I don't remember if he believes that or not. I'll google it on my smart phone and get back to you.
8
@5, entirely possible. Charles is incapable, through his fog of pseudo-intellectual philosophical bullshit, of recognizing that people in rural areas are actual human people. He may be struggling to realize that rural areas are, in fact, a real place, distinct from that which he has created in his mind and sees on TV.
9
@2 Heidegger calls this "thrownness", which starts with the example of the hammer that integrates with the self while being used smoothly. In any case yes there's a good current of academic thought on this (phenomenology), and good science fiction keeps this truth in mind.
Charles is, as usual, saying something almost more damaging than silly.
Charles is, as usual, saying something almost more damaging than silly.
10
@5/8 Clearly, he's talking about seeing nature through the screen of a movie, when just outside there's actual nature. He's in Montana.
Remove the mask, Charles. Even HD can't match the fidelity of reality.
Remove the mask, Charles. Even HD can't match the fidelity of reality.
11
Vader's mask was a symbol of the hate and lust for power (dark side) that forced him to become more machine than man (twisted and evil). Its removal signified his long overdue redemption, and his final denouncement of the dark side, hence his becoming one with the force after his death.
If you want to get real nerdy, you should know that Vader was always using his biological eyes.
You can't remove symbols from literature and use them out of context to support tangential and unrelated musings. Bad scholarship, bad!
If you want to get real nerdy, you should know that Vader was always using his biological eyes.
You can't remove symbols from literature and use them out of context to support tangential and unrelated musings. Bad scholarship, bad!
13
@3 I feel the same way about Luke when he says that he can't kill his father. He never knew his father - unless you count that 'force' thing. All he knows is that daddy has killed a few million lives including several of Luke's friends and family.
...but...but...but ... I *can't* kill my father.
Man, if it were me, it'd be way easy.
...but...but...but ... I *can't* kill my father.
Man, if it were me, it'd be way easy.
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