Terminator and Philosophy: I'll Be Back, Therefore I Am (13 page)
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Authors: Richard Brown,William Irwin,Kevin S. Decker
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8
Kant deals with this problem specifically in his essay “On a Supposed Right to Lie for Philanthropic Concerns,” in
Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals
, trans. J. W. Ellington (Indianapolis: Hackett, 1993). Kant may also reject my example from the film, because his views on lying apply to humans, not machines. But the example suggests the problem that Kant knew people had with ignoring consequences in situations like the chase in the mall.
Kant deals with this problem specifically in his essay “On a Supposed Right to Lie for Philanthropic Concerns,” in
Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals
, trans. J. W. Ellington (Indianapolis: Hackett, 1993). Kant may also reject my example from the film, because his views on lying apply to humans, not machines. But the example suggests the problem that Kant knew people had with ignoring consequences in situations like the chase in the mall.
9
Kant,
Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals
, 95, 96.
Kant,
Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals
, 95, 96.
10
We should be wary of making Kant more egalitarian than he was. He believed that different races had different capacities, with the white race being the most rational race; that women were inferior to men; that democracy gave too much power to the great unwashed; and that only those with rationality possessed real dignity.
We should be wary of making Kant more egalitarian than he was. He believed that different races had different capacities, with the white race being the most rational race; that women were inferior to men; that democracy gave too much power to the great unwashed; and that only those with rationality possessed real dignity.
11
Utilitarians attempt to address some of their weaknesses by distinguishing
act
utilitarianism (judging each act based on its consequences) from
rule
utilitarianism (making decisions based on a rule that would produce the best consequences). Adopting rule utilitarianism can mitigate some of the criticisms that Kantians make of utilitarianism. For example, a rule utilitarian could argue against Sarah Connor by finding it indefensible to kill an innocent man to save many lives, because the greatest happiness is created when we follow the rule of not killing innocent people. For a good discussion of these and other issues, see J. J. C. Smart and Bernard Williams, eds.,
Utilitarianism: For and Against
(New York: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1973).
Utilitarians attempt to address some of their weaknesses by distinguishing
act
utilitarianism (judging each act based on its consequences) from
rule
utilitarianism (making decisions based on a rule that would produce the best consequences). Adopting rule utilitarianism can mitigate some of the criticisms that Kantians make of utilitarianism. For example, a rule utilitarian could argue against Sarah Connor by finding it indefensible to kill an innocent man to save many lives, because the greatest happiness is created when we follow the rule of not killing innocent people. For a good discussion of these and other issues, see J. J. C. Smart and Bernard Williams, eds.,
Utilitarianism: For and Against
(New York: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1973).
12
Arnold Schwarzenegger had said that he wanted
Terminator 2
to be less violent than the first
Terminator
film. That is one reason why James Cameron had John Connor insist that the Terminator promise not to kill anyone, and he never does. And only about sixteen people die in the entire film, none by the Terminator’s hand. Unlike her son and the Terminator, Sarah Connor has no problem with the idea of killing people.
Arnold Schwarzenegger had said that he wanted
Terminator 2
to be less violent than the first
Terminator
film. That is one reason why James Cameron had John Connor insist that the Terminator promise not to kill anyone, and he never does. And only about sixteen people die in the entire film, none by the Terminator’s hand. Unlike her son and the Terminator, Sarah Connor has no problem with the idea of killing people.
13
Lawrence Kohlberg,
Essays on Moral Development
, vol. 1 (New York: Harper & Row, 1981), 409-412.
Lawrence Kohlberg,
Essays on Moral Development
, vol. 1 (New York: Harper & Row, 1981), 409-412.
14
Kohlberg,
Essays on Moral Development
, 12.
Kohlberg,
Essays on Moral Development
, 12.
15
Carol Gilligan,
In a Different Voice
(Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Press, 1982).
Carol Gilligan,
In a Different Voice
(Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Press, 1982).
16
For a rich discussion of these issues, see Lawrence Blum, “Gilligan and Kohlberg: Implications for Moral Theory,”
Ethics
98 (1988): 472-491.
For a rich discussion of these issues, see Lawrence Blum, “Gilligan and Kohlberg: Implications for Moral Theory,”
Ethics
98 (1988): 472-491.
17
I would like to thank Richard Brown and Bill Irwin for invaluable comments on style and substance. I’d especially like to thank Kevin Decker for patience and perseverance as well as insight and gentle but firm prodding to improve this in every way possible. And above all, thanks to Patty Blum for being the best possible editor and wife.
I would like to thank Richard Brown and Bill Irwin for invaluable comments on style and substance. I’d especially like to thank Kevin Decker for patience and perseverance as well as insight and gentle but firm prodding to improve this in every way possible. And above all, thanks to Patty Blum for being the best possible editor and wife.
6
SARAH CONNOR’S STAIN
Jennifer Culver
Come on, me? The mother of the future? Am
I tough? Organized? I can’t even balance my
checkbook. I cry when I see a cat that’s been run over
. . . and I don’t even like cats.
—Sarah Connor,
The Terminator
The Terminator
As the storyline of
The Terminator
grows, I continue to be drawn to Sarah Connor. To me, Sarah Connor represents Everywoman, a woman minding her own business, living as an average person until unavoidably confronted with an extraordinary situation. Just consider her amazing transformation from ordinary waitress to determined warrior between
The Terminator
and
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
, a personality she maintains in
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
(
SCC
). From the moment in the first film when Sarah watches the report of the first death of a woman named Sarah Connor on television, hearing her coworker say, “You’re dead, honey,” to
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
, in which her final resting place is used to store weapons, Sarah must reconcile the world she lives in and the future world she fights to avoid.
The Terminator
grows, I continue to be drawn to Sarah Connor. To me, Sarah Connor represents Everywoman, a woman minding her own business, living as an average person until unavoidably confronted with an extraordinary situation. Just consider her amazing transformation from ordinary waitress to determined warrior between
The Terminator
and
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
, a personality she maintains in
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
(
SCC
). From the moment in the first film when Sarah watches the report of the first death of a woman named Sarah Connor on television, hearing her coworker say, “You’re dead, honey,” to
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
, in which her final resting place is used to store weapons, Sarah must reconcile the world she lives in and the future world she fights to avoid.
I want to understand her struggle. Why did Sarah change so drastically? And while Sarah wouldn’t nominate herself for “Mother of the Year,” can some of her mothering decisions be explained by her circumstances?
My father slept with a gun under the pillow. No pill would help . . . he didn’t talk of his war but stayed silent . . . and stayed vigilant . . . I never thought I’d follow in his footsteps.
—Sarah Connor,
SCC
, “The Tower Is Tall but the Fall Is Short”
SCC
, “The Tower Is Tall but the Fall Is Short”
Sarah’s words here connect her own “war” with the war her father fought. The difference between these wars, of course, is that her father’s war involved whole countries and clear battles, as opposed to the often solitary struggle Sarah Connor wages to change the fate of her son. Throughout the
Terminator
series, the battle to change the future is referred to as “a war in the present.” In fact, in the beginning of
The Terminator
, we learn that there has been a war to exterminate humankind and that the “final battle would not be fought in the future. It would be fought here, in our present.” At times, the battle for the future spills over noticeably into the present. For example, police officers responding to a call at Cyberdyne in
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
refer to the building as a “war zone.”
Terminator
series, the battle to change the future is referred to as “a war in the present.” In fact, in the beginning of
The Terminator
, we learn that there has been a war to exterminate humankind and that the “final battle would not be fought in the future. It would be fought here, in our present.” At times, the battle for the future spills over noticeably into the present. For example, police officers responding to a call at Cyberdyne in
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
refer to the building as a “war zone.”
There is no question that the changes in Sarah Connor’s personality stem from her experiences and fears for the future. The question, then, is why? Many psychological explanations for the effects of war have been presented over the years, including shell shock and posttraumatic stress disorder. Contemporary philosopher René Girard (1923- ) explains as follows: “Two men come to blows; blood is spilt; both men are thus rendered impure. Their impurity is contagious, and anyone who remains in their presence risks becoming a party to their quarrel.”
1
According to Girard, this contagion is like an infection or
stain
, usually caused by the sight of spilt blood, which must be cleansed before reentering society. Whether the stained person caused the violence, responded to the violence with violence, or merely saw the act of violence does not matter to Girard. Experiencing a violent act in any way means the person is “contaminated” by the violence. In other words, Sarah Connor’s experiences have contaminated her, turning her into a person infected by the violence and the vision of the future presented to her.
1
According to Girard, this contagion is like an infection or
stain
, usually caused by the sight of spilt blood, which must be cleansed before reentering society. Whether the stained person caused the violence, responded to the violence with violence, or merely saw the act of violence does not matter to Girard. Experiencing a violent act in any way means the person is “contaminated” by the violence. In other words, Sarah Connor’s experiences have contaminated her, turning her into a person infected by the violence and the vision of the future presented to her.
The symptoms from the infection of violence manifest themselves in several ways, according to Girard. Those infected by violence acquire the urge for more violence, which, while helpful on the battlefield, is not productive within society’s enclosure. From the psychologist’s perspective, symptoms might include social withdrawal, aggressive attitudes, fatigue, anxiety, anger, and depression.
2
Given these symptoms, evidence of this “infection” is found throughout the
Terminator
stories. For instance, our first view of Sarah Connor in
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
does not focus on her face. Instead, we see her in a psychiatric hospital doing chin-ups in her cell, with her body transformed into a more muscular frame. When she turns to face the camera (and the doctor doing rounds), she asks the doctor about his knee, a reference to a violent act
she
committed in stabbing him.
2
Given these symptoms, evidence of this “infection” is found throughout the
Terminator
stories. For instance, our first view of Sarah Connor in
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
does not focus on her face. Instead, we see her in a psychiatric hospital doing chin-ups in her cell, with her body transformed into a more muscular frame. When she turns to face the camera (and the doctor doing rounds), she asks the doctor about his knee, a reference to a violent act
she
committed in stabbing him.
Sarah identified herself as a warrior early on. John tells us in
T2
that she ran guns in Nicaragua and attached herself to anyone who could help her learn how to raise John as the world leader he is fated to be. Her mantra, “No one is ever safe,” kept Sarah and John Connor alive. Her “rules,” established sometime between
T2
and
SCC
, reflect the rules of a warrior still in battle: keep your head down; keep your eyes up; resist the urge to be noticed or seen as special; know the exits; and stay away from computers (
SCC
, “Pilot”). Later, we learn that since first becoming aware of the future fated for her son, Sarah has had nine aliases, twenty-three jobs, learned four languages, and spent three years in a mental hospital.
T2
that she ran guns in Nicaragua and attached herself to anyone who could help her learn how to raise John as the world leader he is fated to be. Her mantra, “No one is ever safe,” kept Sarah and John Connor alive. Her “rules,” established sometime between
T2
and
SCC
, reflect the rules of a warrior still in battle: keep your head down; keep your eyes up; resist the urge to be noticed or seen as special; know the exits; and stay away from computers (
SCC
, “Pilot”). Later, we learn that since first becoming aware of the future fated for her son, Sarah has had nine aliases, twenty-three jobs, learned four languages, and spent three years in a mental hospital.
In fact, the only time she feels “like me” is between aliases, a time when she has no name (
SCC
, “Gnothi Seauton”), showing us that the old Sarah Connor, the pre-Terminator Sarah Connor, really
did
die when another unlucky woman with the same name was murdered by the T-101. The name “Sarah Connor” places her in a constant war with fate, her only hope found in attempting to change the fate of her son. She later tells Andy Goode that she originally wanted to be something other than a waitress, but can no longer remember what that was (
SCC
, “The Turk”). Sarah’s world does not allow her to entertain the notion of being anything other than a warrior.
SCC
, “Gnothi Seauton”), showing us that the old Sarah Connor, the pre-Terminator Sarah Connor, really
did
die when another unlucky woman with the same name was murdered by the T-101. The name “Sarah Connor” places her in a constant war with fate, her only hope found in attempting to change the fate of her son. She later tells Andy Goode that she originally wanted to be something other than a waitress, but can no longer remember what that was (
SCC
, “The Turk”). Sarah’s world does not allow her to entertain the notion of being anything other than a warrior.
As if we could hear her thoughts, Sarah’s words in a concluding voice-over for the
SCC
episode “Queen’s Gambit” explain to us that in her opinion, the goal of war is total annihilation, but that in battle there is always the chance that “someone saner will stop you,” because rules can be changed, truces can be called, and enemies can become friends. Throughout the series she repeatedly stresses the importance of hope. The hope she expresses, however, is hope for her son, not for herself. From Sarah’s perspective, her stains will be with her forever. In a concluding voice-over for the episode “The Tower Is Tall but the Fall Is Short,” Sarah muses that there is no return to innocence after war, that “what is lost is lost forever,” and that her “wounds bled me dry.” Given the hard and calculated façade that Sarah Connor presents to the world, the viewer may be tempted to think that she has lost all humanity and compassion, but this is not the case.
SCC
episode “Queen’s Gambit” explain to us that in her opinion, the goal of war is total annihilation, but that in battle there is always the chance that “someone saner will stop you,” because rules can be changed, truces can be called, and enemies can become friends. Throughout the series she repeatedly stresses the importance of hope. The hope she expresses, however, is hope for her son, not for herself. From Sarah’s perspective, her stains will be with her forever. In a concluding voice-over for the episode “The Tower Is Tall but the Fall Is Short,” Sarah muses that there is no return to innocence after war, that “what is lost is lost forever,” and that her “wounds bled me dry.” Given the hard and calculated façade that Sarah Connor presents to the world, the viewer may be tempted to think that she has lost all humanity and compassion, but this is not the case.
Viewers of
The Sarah Connor Chronicles
can compare Sarah to the coldness of a true machine, “Cameron,” the cyborg sent back to protect John Connor. In the presence of Cameron, Sarah’s stain appears starkly, yet she seems more human at the same time. For example, she leaves a man in a minefield instead of killing him, a decision Cameron felt was “inefficient.” Sarah responds that she is not something for the machine to “understand” (
SCC
, “Heavy Metal”). Cameron’s cold, calculated decisions (it compares a chess game to war, for example) bring out more of Sarah’s humanity. Sarah refuses, for example, to kill Andy Goode, and she pushes Charlie Dixon away, despite her feelings for him. In fact, despite all that she has done, Sarah has yet to actually kill a human, which prompts Derek Reese to say that she has “murder in her eyes but her heart’s pure” (
SCC
, “What He Beheld”). Despite all Sarah Connor is capable of, she remains unable to value life lightly.
The Sarah Connor Chronicles
can compare Sarah to the coldness of a true machine, “Cameron,” the cyborg sent back to protect John Connor. In the presence of Cameron, Sarah’s stain appears starkly, yet she seems more human at the same time. For example, she leaves a man in a minefield instead of killing him, a decision Cameron felt was “inefficient.” Sarah responds that she is not something for the machine to “understand” (
SCC
, “Heavy Metal”). Cameron’s cold, calculated decisions (it compares a chess game to war, for example) bring out more of Sarah’s humanity. Sarah refuses, for example, to kill Andy Goode, and she pushes Charlie Dixon away, despite her feelings for him. In fact, despite all that she has done, Sarah has yet to actually kill a human, which prompts Derek Reese to say that she has “murder in her eyes but her heart’s pure” (
SCC
, “What He Beheld”). Despite all Sarah Connor is capable of, she remains unable to value life lightly.
But returning to Girard, the warrior need not wrestle with the stain of battle forever. There are rituals to purify warriors before they reenter society, acts established to preserve the warriors and to protect society at large. These rituals keep the warriors from “carrying the seed of violence into the very heart of the city.”
3
Inside society’s walls are kept all the ideals the warriors fight for, but the actions of men in battle are actions that “men who live in society may not do.”
4
The “survival mode” of combat does not affect the mundane actions within a society. Purification rites for the returning warrior can be found across time and place, even if their style and format changes. In today’s secular society, this type of ritual takes the form of debriefings that soldiers and police officers must go through before reentering society after any traumatic incident.
3
Inside society’s walls are kept all the ideals the warriors fight for, but the actions of men in battle are actions that “men who live in society may not do.”
4
The “survival mode” of combat does not affect the mundane actions within a society. Purification rites for the returning warrior can be found across time and place, even if their style and format changes. In today’s secular society, this type of ritual takes the form of debriefings that soldiers and police officers must go through before reentering society after any traumatic incident.
Sarah’s problem is not that she lives in a world with no vehicle to “purify” or “cleanse” her contamination. Instead, Sarah’s problem stems from the fact that her society does not recognize her as a warrior who has experienced trauma. This refusal on the part of society results in Sarah’s repeated stays in psychiatric hospitals and eventually in her fugitive status.
Sarah’s knowledge of the future makes it impossible for her to fit into normal society. So to understand her battle more fully, we turn now to the concept of
simulation
.
simulation
.
The delusional architecture is interesting. She believes a machine called a “Terminator,” which looks human of course, was sent back through time to kill her. And also that the father of her child was a soldier, sent to protect her . . . he was from the future too.
—Dr. Silberman,
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Part of the drama in the Terminator story is that most of society functions normally, oblivious to the future threat of the machines. Not only is humanity mostly oblivious, but some humans are actually hurrying the “moment of singularity,” the moment when artificial intelligence exceeds human capability or, as John Connor puts it, the time we “kiss our asses goodbye” (SCC, “Gnothi Seauton”).
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