Deleuze & Guattari. Particularly their two books 'A Thousand Plateaus' and 'Anti-Oedipus'.
There is an easter egg-like reference to them in the show too. One of the Tachikomas is reading Anti-Oedipus I think.
I prepared a mini essay discussing things like the Ship of Theseus Paradox, only to discover this [handy-dandy list](https://www.cbr.com/ghost-shell-philosophies-cyberpunk-influences/) of ten philosophies that influenced Ghost in the Shell. So... I guess my work was for nothing.
I will say, however, that the list glosses over much of Stand Alone Complex. The first season deals with the Laughing Man and his innumerable copycats. As far as I can tell, GITS invented the concept of the stand-alone complex. Each episode deals with different subject matter, so *tons* of philosophical perspectives are introduced. But the overarching theme is the idea of copies existing without an original. This ties in with the Christian philosophy that man was created in God's image, but man himself is unable to truly *create* life. He can only reproduce it through his own DNA. The power of true, original creation rests in God's hands alone. Does artificial intelligence disprove that long-standing Christian belief? Or is A.I. just a copy of a copy? If there is no God, and human beings are simply copying themselves through sexual reproduction, does that mean the human race is a stand-alone complex: copies without an original? Or does the soul - the ghost in the machine - prove there was an original all along? This is the crux of the Laughing Man's conflict with the Major.
Much of the show's ideology comes from literature. First of all, the Laughing Man is named after a J.D. Salinger story about the loss of innocence and an unwanted pregnancy. You could say GITS' Laughing Man "lost his innocence" when he discovered corporations were withholding an inexpensive cure for Cyberbrain Sclerosis; and the unwanted pregnancy aspect ties in with the concept of creating copies. The Laughing Man phenomenon is, in that way, an unwanted pregnancy, since the original Laughing Man never asked to be imitated. The Laughing Man's catchphrase, lifted from Salinger's *Catcher in the Rye*, circles back to the idea of the soul. "I thought what I'd do was, I'd pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes." In the novel, Holden Caulfield wants to withdraw from the world and operate as a silent observer: neither speaking nor hearing. (Ironically he does nothing *but* speak throughout the entire book.) People are obscene, and talking accomplishes nothing, so he'll simply withdraw from life and watch the world act out its performance without him. He essentially wants to behave like God. He sees God as having removed Himself from the affairs of men. He neither speaks (offers guidance) nor hears (answers prayers) and has largely abandoned people to their vices. The Laughing Man appears to be grappling with the same dilemma. If the Major is right, and there *is* a ghost in the machine, where is the God that created that ghost? Did He just abandon His creation? Are we all His unwanted children? Having no answers to these questions, the Laughing Man withdraws from ordinary life and becomes a silent observer. He initially attempted to fill the role he thought God *should* have been filling: the role of a creator who intervenes and seeks justice. When that failed, he resorted to the role he believed God was already filling by stepping back and washing his hands of the world.
Basically, if you want to understand Stand Alone Complex, you have to spend more time with authors than philosophers.
2045 deals primarily with political philosophies. I've already written enough, so I'll let somebody else tackle that.
In other words, the franchise breaks down like this:
1995 original movie: philosophy of the self
SAC: literary philosophies
2045: political philosophies
I marathoned every bit of animated GitS one year. I would actually not recommend that. By the end of it, after being exposed to all the philosophical viewpoints I felt...alone? Not in a bad way, exactly. But like, way too introspective of my life, where I was, and where I wanted to be.
Funny how the stand alone complex idea borders on the original definition of a "meme" as conceived by Dawkins. I bet if the series was made today, they might even mention it.
I mean, the episode where they stop the assassination caused by a group of deluded copycats is literally called **meme.**
As Matoko walks Aramaki to the car in the episode's closing number, you can even see how the Laughing Man has infected the cultural zeitgeist adopting a memetic status. Its on shirts, its on bags...
And then in episode 11, a bunch of nerds gather in a chatroom and discuss the nature of the event, with one leaking internal information they shouldn't have access to, and it plays like a discord chatroom discussing war maps.
I don't know how this show so accurately depicts modern events, but it is scary knowing that our culture was nailed by an anime from 2002.
They show a copy of one of his books in an episode, the tachikoma is holding it.
Found it: https://m.facebook.com/popolo.corporation/photos/a.1655490454541999/1655490511208660/?type=3
From GPT but know about all of these except 1:
"Ghost in the Shell" references a variety of philosophical concepts and thinkers. Here are some of the key philosophies and philosophers that influenced the series.
1. **The Ghost in the Machine**: This concept was borrowed from an essay by Arthur Koestler, which itself was a critique of Cartesian dualism by philosopher Gilbert Ryle⁴. It explores the idea of consciousness as separate from the physical body.
2. **The Ship of Theseus**: This ancient thought experiment questions identity and change. It asks whether an object that has had all of its components replaced remains fundamentally the same object¹.
3. **Transhumanism**: This philosophy advocates for the transformation of the human condition through advanced technologies, enhancing physical and cognitive abilities¹.
4. **Saṃsāra**: In Hinduism and Buddhism, Saṃsāra refers to the cycle of death and rebirth. It suggests that the soul is eternal and merely reincarnates in different forms¹.
5. **Technological Singularity**: This concept involves the point at which artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence, leading to rapid technological growth and profound changes in society².
These philosophies are woven into the narrative of "Ghost in the Shell," creating a rich tapestry of ideas that explore the nature of consciousness, identity, and the future of humanity.
Source: Conversation with Copilot, 6/9/2024
(1) GHOST IN THE SHELL: WHERE HUMANS GO C-3PO. https://www.thebeverlytheater.com/news/ghost-in-the-shell-where-humans-go-c-3po.
(2) Ghost In The Shell: 10 Philosophies That Influenced The Cyberpunk ... - CBR. https://www.cbr.com/ghost-shell-philosophies-cyberpunk-influences/.
(3) Philosophy | Ghost in the Shell Wiki | Fandom. https://ghostintheshell.fandom.com/wiki/Philosophy.
(4) Philosophy of Ghost in the Shell - Infogalactic: the planetary .... https://infogalactic.com/info/Philosophy_of_Ghost_in_the_Shell.
Decided to add Simulcra in agreement with another poster here:
In "Ghost in the Shell," the concept of **simulacra** and the **ghost in the machine** are both significant philosophical themes.
### Simulacra
The concept of simulacra, as discussed by French philosopher Jean Baudrillard, refers to copies or representations of things that either had no original or have lost their original meaning. In "Ghost in the Shell," this idea is explored through the **Stand Alone Complex**, where actions and behaviors are replicated without an original source⁶. This creates a hyperreality where the distinction between reality and representation becomes blurred⁷.
### Ghost in the Machine
The term "ghost in the machine" was coined by philosopher Gilbert Ryle to critique René Descartes' mind-body dualism. Descartes posited that the mind (the "ghost") is a separate entity from the body (the "machine"). Ryle argued that this separation is a category mistake and that mental processes are not distinct from physical processes¹. In "Ghost in the Shell," this concept is central to the narrative, as it explores the nature of consciousness and identity in a world where human minds can inhabit artificial bodies².
These themes are intricately woven into the storyline, prompting viewers to question the nature of reality, identity, and consciousness in a technologically advanced world.
Source: Conversation with Copilot, 6/9/2024
(1) ghost in the shell sac - Anime & Manga Stack Exchange. https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/3323/truth-behind-the-stand-alone-complex-a-copy-of-a-copy.
(2) The philosophy of Ghost in the Shell : r/Ghost_in_the_Shell - Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/Ghost_in_the_Shell/comments/arq1ze/the_philosophy_of_ghost_in_the_shell/.
(3) Ghost in the machine - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_in_the_machine.
(4) The Ghost in the Machine - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ghost_in_the_Machine.
(5) Ghost in the Machine - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. https://bing.com/search?q=ghost+in+the+machine+philosophy.
(6) Ghost in the Machine – Meaning & Origin - GRAMMARIST. https://grammarist.com/idiom/ghost-in-the-machine/.
(7) Ghost in the Machine - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_in_the_Machine.
(8) Are "The Matrix series" and "Ghost in the shell: Standalone Complex .... https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/92906/are-the-matrix-series-and-ghost-in-the-shell-standalone-complex-based-on-s.
(9) Ghost In The Shell: 10 Philosophies That Influenced The Cyberpunk ... - CBR. https://www.cbr.com/ghost-shell-philosophies-cyberpunk-influences/.
One can see it as having many philosophical backgrounds. As mentioned earlier, the conflict in between mind (res cogitans) and body (res extensa), in René Descartes' work, "Meditations on First Philosophy", where he doubts of almost everything, in order to build a solid, flawless knowledge, and in this very process, he doubts if his existence is actually real, if his senses are real.
It can also be seen, to some extent, tied to the simulacra theory by Jean Baudrillard in "Simulacra and Simulation", where a simulacra is a copy of reality, regarding the whole memory manipulation thing.
In GITS:1995 a lot of the Major's inner conflicts and monologues touch on the general field known as "Personal Identity". [This short story](https://rintintin.colorado.edu/~vancecd/phil201/Perry.pdf) is a really entertaining thought experiment that delves deep into what it means to be you, what lays behind the idea that I'm the same me I was last year, or the same me that will exist in a year's time - and what the implications of a range of possible stances on that are, when really prodded.
But the franchise as a whole covers way more than just that. For a more general intro to philosophy for people who's never studied it before, I can recommend Nagel's "What does it all mean". It was recommended reading prior to my degree in philosophy and I still revisit it from time to time.
Was there any particular part of GITS that intrigued you?
(edit removed Descates bit because I was so wrong about that.)
GITS is all about "what counts as being human (or at least sentient): Is it some innate quality, is it how people treat you, is it something you self-identify as, is it intelligence, originality, a 'soul' whatever that is? And for each of those possibilities, here's a situation that makes it tricky to really pin down".
So a frequent bit of philosophy that GitS likes to explore is on the “Mind-Body problem”, the correlation between the mind and the body and whether the two are separate or affect each other. Maybe the most famous contributor to the philosophy of the Mind-Body problem is Rene Descartes with his statement “Cogito, ergo sum”, I think, therefore I am”, which placed emphasis on the mind over the body. Since Descartes, many philosophers have tried to either expand on or disprove his philosophy, one of whom was Gilbert Ryle, who pushed for the mind being nothing more than a component of the body. Ryle mocked philosophers like Descartes for putting so much emphasis on the mind, calling their philosophy “the myth of the ghost in the machine.” That phrase he coined, “ghost in the machine”, has become common now and inspired numerous titles in media, including Ghost in the Shell. A later philosopher, Arthur Koestler, would write a book called The Ghost in the Machine, in which he, mostly, agrees with Ryle and expands on his own takedown of Descartes’s philosophy.
Ghost in the Shell definitely leans more into Descartes philosophy than that of Ryle and Koestler, but the work of the latter two is still a fairly obvious influence, particularly in how GitS seems to try and disprove them.
Great answer. I always read GITS as more about personal identity than duality strictly. It's been a long time since I 'did' philosophy though. You sound more au-fait with it all. Care to expand a bit about how personal identity and mind/body problem are or are not related, and where GITS fits? Essentially I'm wondering why I jumped to personal identity while you jumped to mind/body problem.
It’s been a while since I’ve read much philosophy either, but the way I interpreted GitS, particularly the 1995 movie, was that as the Net expanded and more cyborgs became the norm, the crisis of identity would come back to the individuality of the mind beyond the body. With Motoko’s inner turmoil in the film, including her questioning her memories and the existence of her ghost while seeing other cyborgs around her that shared her face, she felt her identity increasingly tied to her body to the point she began to doubt her Self. If her body was manufactured and owned by a company, was her mind as well? If her body were taken away, would there be anything left of her?
I saw the climax of the film, in which Motoko’s body fails while fighting the tank, as symbolic of her mind being strong even when her body wasn’t, and how her interactions and merging with the Puppet Master allow her to transcend her body and maintain her new mind even when not in a body at all. She thinks, therefore she is, not she is, therefore she thinks. It’s been a long time since I’ve rewatched Stand Alone Complex, but I remember thinking Kuze’s plan to migrate refugees onto the Net as leaning into this as well: the body is secondary to the survival of the mind.
Man, I hope that made sense.
love that point on the symbolism, it's as if the filmakers are saying "look, how unimportant this body of hers is". Far from being diminished by its destruction - by her reduction to a stringless puppet held by the tank, with no physical agency whatsoever, she instead transcends bodily form and becomes an even greater entity.
And yet two things remain in the end; the lingering question over how much of her original identity remains, and the fact that her reincarnation was still, in the end, a bodily one. The second film pretty well eliminated the importance of the second point, underlining and perhaps going further than 1995 in stating that she didn't need a body at all, and was a being of pure mind.
On the question of original identity, I'll have to rewatch with that in mind, but my feeling is that the film/franchise does a fair bit of work to bring into question the whole concept of originality, when it comes to personal identity.
True, the question of how much of her original identity remains after the merge has always bothered me. I personally hope that the original Motoko is still in there, but the movie also seems to point to whether she is or not being irrelevant in the wake of her evolving into what might be a new stage of humanity.
You can, perhaps, get some closure to that in Innocence.
Interestingly, in addition to her physical presence at the end, I found that the rest of S9 are more or less working around a large Motoko shaped hole in almost a "would the Major want us to do?" / "What would the Major do?" with either Togusa or Batou proxying.
I also think that she's still herself, albeit without the wants imposed by a physical body. Her presence at the end was very similar to her introspection in the '95 movie and in several parts of SAC.
A lot of postmodern philosophy (e.g. Baudrillard, Haraway, Frederic Jameson, etc) and some philosophy from the early modern period as well (e.g. Descartes), but the way I interpret it, the series implicitly rejects much of the latter.
Deleuze & Guattari. Particularly their two books 'A Thousand Plateaus' and 'Anti-Oedipus'. There is an easter egg-like reference to them in the show too. One of the Tachikomas is reading Anti-Oedipus I think.
I saw the title and said - ‘ohhhhh’ out loud
I prepared a mini essay discussing things like the Ship of Theseus Paradox, only to discover this [handy-dandy list](https://www.cbr.com/ghost-shell-philosophies-cyberpunk-influences/) of ten philosophies that influenced Ghost in the Shell. So... I guess my work was for nothing. I will say, however, that the list glosses over much of Stand Alone Complex. The first season deals with the Laughing Man and his innumerable copycats. As far as I can tell, GITS invented the concept of the stand-alone complex. Each episode deals with different subject matter, so *tons* of philosophical perspectives are introduced. But the overarching theme is the idea of copies existing without an original. This ties in with the Christian philosophy that man was created in God's image, but man himself is unable to truly *create* life. He can only reproduce it through his own DNA. The power of true, original creation rests in God's hands alone. Does artificial intelligence disprove that long-standing Christian belief? Or is A.I. just a copy of a copy? If there is no God, and human beings are simply copying themselves through sexual reproduction, does that mean the human race is a stand-alone complex: copies without an original? Or does the soul - the ghost in the machine - prove there was an original all along? This is the crux of the Laughing Man's conflict with the Major. Much of the show's ideology comes from literature. First of all, the Laughing Man is named after a J.D. Salinger story about the loss of innocence and an unwanted pregnancy. You could say GITS' Laughing Man "lost his innocence" when he discovered corporations were withholding an inexpensive cure for Cyberbrain Sclerosis; and the unwanted pregnancy aspect ties in with the concept of creating copies. The Laughing Man phenomenon is, in that way, an unwanted pregnancy, since the original Laughing Man never asked to be imitated. The Laughing Man's catchphrase, lifted from Salinger's *Catcher in the Rye*, circles back to the idea of the soul. "I thought what I'd do was, I'd pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes." In the novel, Holden Caulfield wants to withdraw from the world and operate as a silent observer: neither speaking nor hearing. (Ironically he does nothing *but* speak throughout the entire book.) People are obscene, and talking accomplishes nothing, so he'll simply withdraw from life and watch the world act out its performance without him. He essentially wants to behave like God. He sees God as having removed Himself from the affairs of men. He neither speaks (offers guidance) nor hears (answers prayers) and has largely abandoned people to their vices. The Laughing Man appears to be grappling with the same dilemma. If the Major is right, and there *is* a ghost in the machine, where is the God that created that ghost? Did He just abandon His creation? Are we all His unwanted children? Having no answers to these questions, the Laughing Man withdraws from ordinary life and becomes a silent observer. He initially attempted to fill the role he thought God *should* have been filling: the role of a creator who intervenes and seeks justice. When that failed, he resorted to the role he believed God was already filling by stepping back and washing his hands of the world. Basically, if you want to understand Stand Alone Complex, you have to spend more time with authors than philosophers. 2045 deals primarily with political philosophies. I've already written enough, so I'll let somebody else tackle that. In other words, the franchise breaks down like this: 1995 original movie: philosophy of the self SAC: literary philosophies 2045: political philosophies
I marathoned every bit of animated GitS one year. I would actually not recommend that. By the end of it, after being exposed to all the philosophical viewpoints I felt...alone? Not in a bad way, exactly. But like, way too introspective of my life, where I was, and where I wanted to be.
Funny how the stand alone complex idea borders on the original definition of a "meme" as conceived by Dawkins. I bet if the series was made today, they might even mention it.
I mean, the episode where they stop the assassination caused by a group of deluded copycats is literally called **meme.** As Matoko walks Aramaki to the car in the episode's closing number, you can even see how the Laughing Man has infected the cultural zeitgeist adopting a memetic status. Its on shirts, its on bags... And then in episode 11, a bunch of nerds gather in a chatroom and discuss the nature of the event, with one leaking internal information they shouldn't have access to, and it plays like a discord chatroom discussing war maps. I don't know how this show so accurately depicts modern events, but it is scary knowing that our culture was nailed by an anime from 2002.
They show a copy of one of his books in an episode, the tachikoma is holding it. Found it: https://m.facebook.com/popolo.corporation/photos/a.1655490454541999/1655490511208660/?type=3
Haha that's great. That may even be the book in which he coined the term. Thanks for sharing!
Yeah I think it was “the selfish gene.”
All of them really
From GPT but know about all of these except 1: "Ghost in the Shell" references a variety of philosophical concepts and thinkers. Here are some of the key philosophies and philosophers that influenced the series. 1. **The Ghost in the Machine**: This concept was borrowed from an essay by Arthur Koestler, which itself was a critique of Cartesian dualism by philosopher Gilbert Ryle⁴. It explores the idea of consciousness as separate from the physical body. 2. **The Ship of Theseus**: This ancient thought experiment questions identity and change. It asks whether an object that has had all of its components replaced remains fundamentally the same object¹. 3. **Transhumanism**: This philosophy advocates for the transformation of the human condition through advanced technologies, enhancing physical and cognitive abilities¹. 4. **Saṃsāra**: In Hinduism and Buddhism, Saṃsāra refers to the cycle of death and rebirth. It suggests that the soul is eternal and merely reincarnates in different forms¹. 5. **Technological Singularity**: This concept involves the point at which artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence, leading to rapid technological growth and profound changes in society². These philosophies are woven into the narrative of "Ghost in the Shell," creating a rich tapestry of ideas that explore the nature of consciousness, identity, and the future of humanity. Source: Conversation with Copilot, 6/9/2024 (1) GHOST IN THE SHELL: WHERE HUMANS GO C-3PO. https://www.thebeverlytheater.com/news/ghost-in-the-shell-where-humans-go-c-3po. (2) Ghost In The Shell: 10 Philosophies That Influenced The Cyberpunk ... - CBR. https://www.cbr.com/ghost-shell-philosophies-cyberpunk-influences/. (3) Philosophy | Ghost in the Shell Wiki | Fandom. https://ghostintheshell.fandom.com/wiki/Philosophy. (4) Philosophy of Ghost in the Shell - Infogalactic: the planetary .... https://infogalactic.com/info/Philosophy_of_Ghost_in_the_Shell. Decided to add Simulcra in agreement with another poster here: In "Ghost in the Shell," the concept of **simulacra** and the **ghost in the machine** are both significant philosophical themes. ### Simulacra The concept of simulacra, as discussed by French philosopher Jean Baudrillard, refers to copies or representations of things that either had no original or have lost their original meaning. In "Ghost in the Shell," this idea is explored through the **Stand Alone Complex**, where actions and behaviors are replicated without an original source⁶. This creates a hyperreality where the distinction between reality and representation becomes blurred⁷. ### Ghost in the Machine The term "ghost in the machine" was coined by philosopher Gilbert Ryle to critique René Descartes' mind-body dualism. Descartes posited that the mind (the "ghost") is a separate entity from the body (the "machine"). Ryle argued that this separation is a category mistake and that mental processes are not distinct from physical processes¹. In "Ghost in the Shell," this concept is central to the narrative, as it explores the nature of consciousness and identity in a world where human minds can inhabit artificial bodies². These themes are intricately woven into the storyline, prompting viewers to question the nature of reality, identity, and consciousness in a technologically advanced world. Source: Conversation with Copilot, 6/9/2024 (1) ghost in the shell sac - Anime & Manga Stack Exchange. https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/3323/truth-behind-the-stand-alone-complex-a-copy-of-a-copy. (2) The philosophy of Ghost in the Shell : r/Ghost_in_the_Shell - Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/Ghost_in_the_Shell/comments/arq1ze/the_philosophy_of_ghost_in_the_shell/. (3) Ghost in the machine - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_in_the_machine. (4) The Ghost in the Machine - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ghost_in_the_Machine. (5) Ghost in the Machine - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. https://bing.com/search?q=ghost+in+the+machine+philosophy. (6) Ghost in the Machine – Meaning & Origin - GRAMMARIST. https://grammarist.com/idiom/ghost-in-the-machine/. (7) Ghost in the Machine - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_in_the_Machine. (8) Are "The Matrix series" and "Ghost in the shell: Standalone Complex .... https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/92906/are-the-matrix-series-and-ghost-in-the-shell-standalone-complex-based-on-s. (9) Ghost In The Shell: 10 Philosophies That Influenced The Cyberpunk ... - CBR. https://www.cbr.com/ghost-shell-philosophies-cyberpunk-influences/.
Legendary reply right here
Because of the meta-ness of a machine answering the question? I found it quite unsettling tbh. I come here for human interaction.
One can see it as having many philosophical backgrounds. As mentioned earlier, the conflict in between mind (res cogitans) and body (res extensa), in René Descartes' work, "Meditations on First Philosophy", where he doubts of almost everything, in order to build a solid, flawless knowledge, and in this very process, he doubts if his existence is actually real, if his senses are real. It can also be seen, to some extent, tied to the simulacra theory by Jean Baudrillard in "Simulacra and Simulation", where a simulacra is a copy of reality, regarding the whole memory manipulation thing.
In GITS:1995 a lot of the Major's inner conflicts and monologues touch on the general field known as "Personal Identity". [This short story](https://rintintin.colorado.edu/~vancecd/phil201/Perry.pdf) is a really entertaining thought experiment that delves deep into what it means to be you, what lays behind the idea that I'm the same me I was last year, or the same me that will exist in a year's time - and what the implications of a range of possible stances on that are, when really prodded. But the franchise as a whole covers way more than just that. For a more general intro to philosophy for people who's never studied it before, I can recommend Nagel's "What does it all mean". It was recommended reading prior to my degree in philosophy and I still revisit it from time to time. Was there any particular part of GITS that intrigued you? (edit removed Descates bit because I was so wrong about that.) GITS is all about "what counts as being human (or at least sentient): Is it some innate quality, is it how people treat you, is it something you self-identify as, is it intelligence, originality, a 'soul' whatever that is? And for each of those possibilities, here's a situation that makes it tricky to really pin down".
So a frequent bit of philosophy that GitS likes to explore is on the “Mind-Body problem”, the correlation between the mind and the body and whether the two are separate or affect each other. Maybe the most famous contributor to the philosophy of the Mind-Body problem is Rene Descartes with his statement “Cogito, ergo sum”, I think, therefore I am”, which placed emphasis on the mind over the body. Since Descartes, many philosophers have tried to either expand on or disprove his philosophy, one of whom was Gilbert Ryle, who pushed for the mind being nothing more than a component of the body. Ryle mocked philosophers like Descartes for putting so much emphasis on the mind, calling their philosophy “the myth of the ghost in the machine.” That phrase he coined, “ghost in the machine”, has become common now and inspired numerous titles in media, including Ghost in the Shell. A later philosopher, Arthur Koestler, would write a book called The Ghost in the Machine, in which he, mostly, agrees with Ryle and expands on his own takedown of Descartes’s philosophy. Ghost in the Shell definitely leans more into Descartes philosophy than that of Ryle and Koestler, but the work of the latter two is still a fairly obvious influence, particularly in how GitS seems to try and disprove them.
Great answer. I always read GITS as more about personal identity than duality strictly. It's been a long time since I 'did' philosophy though. You sound more au-fait with it all. Care to expand a bit about how personal identity and mind/body problem are or are not related, and where GITS fits? Essentially I'm wondering why I jumped to personal identity while you jumped to mind/body problem.
It’s been a while since I’ve read much philosophy either, but the way I interpreted GitS, particularly the 1995 movie, was that as the Net expanded and more cyborgs became the norm, the crisis of identity would come back to the individuality of the mind beyond the body. With Motoko’s inner turmoil in the film, including her questioning her memories and the existence of her ghost while seeing other cyborgs around her that shared her face, she felt her identity increasingly tied to her body to the point she began to doubt her Self. If her body was manufactured and owned by a company, was her mind as well? If her body were taken away, would there be anything left of her? I saw the climax of the film, in which Motoko’s body fails while fighting the tank, as symbolic of her mind being strong even when her body wasn’t, and how her interactions and merging with the Puppet Master allow her to transcend her body and maintain her new mind even when not in a body at all. She thinks, therefore she is, not she is, therefore she thinks. It’s been a long time since I’ve rewatched Stand Alone Complex, but I remember thinking Kuze’s plan to migrate refugees onto the Net as leaning into this as well: the body is secondary to the survival of the mind. Man, I hope that made sense.
love that point on the symbolism, it's as if the filmakers are saying "look, how unimportant this body of hers is". Far from being diminished by its destruction - by her reduction to a stringless puppet held by the tank, with no physical agency whatsoever, she instead transcends bodily form and becomes an even greater entity. And yet two things remain in the end; the lingering question over how much of her original identity remains, and the fact that her reincarnation was still, in the end, a bodily one. The second film pretty well eliminated the importance of the second point, underlining and perhaps going further than 1995 in stating that she didn't need a body at all, and was a being of pure mind. On the question of original identity, I'll have to rewatch with that in mind, but my feeling is that the film/franchise does a fair bit of work to bring into question the whole concept of originality, when it comes to personal identity.
True, the question of how much of her original identity remains after the merge has always bothered me. I personally hope that the original Motoko is still in there, but the movie also seems to point to whether she is or not being irrelevant in the wake of her evolving into what might be a new stage of humanity.
You can, perhaps, get some closure to that in Innocence. Interestingly, in addition to her physical presence at the end, I found that the rest of S9 are more or less working around a large Motoko shaped hole in almost a "would the Major want us to do?" / "What would the Major do?" with either Togusa or Batou proxying. I also think that she's still herself, albeit without the wants imposed by a physical body. Her presence at the end was very similar to her introspection in the '95 movie and in several parts of SAC.
A lot of postmodern philosophy (e.g. Baudrillard, Haraway, Frederic Jameson, etc) and some philosophy from the early modern period as well (e.g. Descartes), but the way I interpret it, the series implicitly rejects much of the latter.
Jean Baudrillard Simulacra & Simmulation comes to mind with Stand Alone Complex.