Science and Technology- I Am Legend (2007)

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With modern day advances in technology and humanity’s ever increasing ability to affect nature, for better or worse, anxiety about science and technology is at an all time high. Plato and Aristotle both believed that techne was a way of knowing about the world and the basis for the philosopher’s role in a city. They believed that this advancement in knowledge was still used to understand a world designed, created, and maintained by God (Duske, 2006). More modern views of technology, involve a departure from the supernatural (Falzon 2002). Marx or Grant are examples of these modern views that place emphasis on mankind and its control and responsibility (or lack thereof) towards nature (Duske, 2006). With this great new power and responsibility, comes great consequence to any who misuse the new powers of technology and science.

The film I am Legend looks at a hypothetical consequence where mankind develops a cancer vaccine from a genetically manipulated measles virus. The vaccine is administered to a majority of the world, and it then mutates into a lethal virus that very quickly kills 5.4 billion. Of the 600 million survivors, 12 million are naturally immune to it. The rest of the survivor population turn into zombie-like creatures called Dark Seekers that are mostly devoid of human behavior. These monsters have increased speed, strength, and metabolism, which cause them to turn into cannibals. The unaffected survivors are mostly wiped out, and Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Robert Neville (Will Smith) becomes the last unaffected human in Manhattan, New York City. Neville is a virologist that keeps up his daily campaign in finding a cure for the virus (named Krippen Virus, KV for short) despite complete desolation, save his one and only companion Samantha, a German Sheppard dog. Neville is eventually successful at finding a cure and sacrifices his own life to protect it and give humanity a chance for survival.

The film is interesting because it explores both sides of the issue when it comes to the possibilities of mans’ impending doom. On one hand, the terrible situation Neville finds himself in was caused by mankind trying to eradicate the disease of cancer. On the other hand, Neville eventually finds the cure and gives humanity hope for a future through his scientific approach as a virologist. So in the story we have an irresponsible scientist, Dr. Alice Krippin, and we have a responsible scientist: Dr. Robert Neville. The message of the film seems to be that in the end; we are ultimately responsible for the use of science and technology and should always ere on the side of caution.

In the words of Neville, “God didn’t do this. We did!” This statement is an obvious departure from the idea of God or any other higher power, but other events in the movie hint that some supernatural fate or destiny brought Anna (another survivor) to Southstreet seaport to save Neville when he attempts to kill himself. Neville sees a reoccurring image of a butterfly from the time early in the movie where his wife and child are killed that acts as a message from a higher power. In the end, the viewer is left to decide if the message is detracting from Aristotle and Plato, that we use science and technology to understand God’s kingdom, or that science and technology are advancements departing from the supernatural and humans should not be trusted with.

References:

Dusek, V. (2006). Philosophy of technology: an introduction. Wiley-Blackwell. Oxford, United Kingdom.

Falzon, C. (2002). Philosophy Goes to the Movies: An Introduction to Philosophy. London New York:

Photo Credit: http://lifeoffred.blogspot.com/2008/09/fred.html

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