Science Fiction, the Spirit, and the Mechanical Flesh: Major Kusanagi and Ghost in the Shell

It seems that the idea of an encased human (brain, in this case) within another form is an obsession - it dates through the ages, from human souls trapped in animals, to empty armor, and now, in mechanical form.

Lately, the more interesting (for me) versions of these are Robotman from DC's Doom Patrol team, and Major Motoko Kusanagi from the manga/anime franchise Ghost in the Shell.

It is, I think, a major philosophical and spiritual concern. And as the time comes nearer when we may be able to transfer our consciousnesses to virtual storage without a break in the stream of thought, it seems that we all will need to ask ourselves: can we survive as ghosts in the machines?

And will this lead to questions of who is really human?

Anime can be so right at times.

While researching for fun on the Internet, I just realized that my skill in finding information is limited by the same idea that was expounded on in Ghost in the Shell's "Stand Alone Complex" story arc: Information not committed to the public archive is beyond my grasp. How very true. Even if it is obvious, it also gives one an idea of how powerful - and limited - the Internet really is.

No matter how good anyone is, there will always be something that is beyond our control. It's not just about information, but about life itself. It's the intangible - or the unreachable - that we always strive for, look for or do things for, apparently.