Transcending Human Boundaries in Frankenstein and Automata: A Posthumanist Critique

Abstract

This study examines two movies Frankenstein (2004), an adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein and Automata (2014) from posthumanist perspective. This research specifically attempts to trace the boundaries that are transcended by machines. For this purpose, Donna Haraway's concerto of cyborg and Cary Wolfe's Posthumanism are utilized as theoretical paradigms that aim at blurring the lines between humans and machines. Viewing these movies from these perspectives reveals that the different ways of incorporating technology into human identity makes people less human. Posthumanism challenges the idea of a fixed, essentialized human subject by asking about agency, autonomy, and the moral issues when humans and technology come together. While technological progress may help people learn and do more, there is a growing fear that the coming together of humans and machines could cause us to lose our humanity, which brings up important questions about identity, moral responsibility, and what it means to be human. The research explores the transcendence of human boundaries in Frankenstein and Automata and the consequences faced by the creators. This study helps us identifying the critical juncture where humans and technology meet in the changing world of posthumanism. In so doing it poses the questions about the difficulties of this transitional phase. The stories in these movies bring up the moral problems and deadly risks that could come as a result of trying to be God and making things that are smarter than humans. AI is allowing robots to accomplish things humans used to do, like making judgments, being creative, and having emotional intelligence. This challenges the prevalent concept, anthropocentrism, and foregrounds the exponential encroachment of machines in the life of human beings. The study concludes that going beyond the ethical limitations and giving free reins to the robotic progress can cause irreparable loss both humanity and human beings. be detrimental to humans.