When thinking about robots, most people instantly resort to a machine with a humanoid shape. However, not all robots are shaped like humans, thus, not all robots challenge what it means to be a human, but, a robot can still be reflective of many other things. With these ideas in mind, the robot I choose to write on is Mechagodzilla.
First of all, I think we can all agree that Mechagodzilla is not based off of a humanoid form. Rather, he is designed after Godzilla, as the name would suggest. Mechagodzilla is a response to the technology of the current time (1974 in this case), a time in which we are racing the destructive power of our weapons to a non-existent finish line. The robot itself is programmed for only two purposes:
1. Kill Godzilla
2. Destroy all humans and their civilization
In other words, Mechagodzilla itself is just a walking weapon. The fears and anxieties connected to the machine are clear, as most people at this time were afraid of an all out nuclear war wiping out their civilization as well as them. Mechagodzilla exemplifies this through his multiple weapon systems, including eye-lazers, missiles, and several other lazer and projectile systems. Also, the fact that it is a machine furthers my fear-of-weapons theory, as the robot is made out of an indestructible metal (space titanium to be exact), making it difficult for a living organism to handle. Basically, it is the equivalent of a human fighting a battleship.
As I stated at the beginning, I do not believe that Mechagodzilla is meant to challenge our perception of robot vs. human. However, Mechagodzilla is able to make us reconsider the difference between what is a living organism and what is a machine, and I can support this claim with a comparison to the original Godzilla.
As I've said many times before, Godzilla himself is a symbol of nuclear destruction, very similar to his mechanical counterpart. The thing that separates the two, however, is that Godzilla has the will to stop destroying cities whenever he feels like it. Godzilla's purpose is to warn humankind of the dangers of nuclear power. In contrast, Mechagodzilla's only purpose is to make everything explode, and, as a robot, it is unable to alter this programming, so even though it can still think for itself and identify targets to destroy, it is unable to differ from this course, and it is this lack of truly free will that separates the life from mechanical life.
~Ryan Lantz
First of all, I think we can all agree that Mechagodzilla is not based off of a humanoid form. Rather, he is designed after Godzilla, as the name would suggest. Mechagodzilla is a response to the technology of the current time (1974 in this case), a time in which we are racing the destructive power of our weapons to a non-existent finish line. The robot itself is programmed for only two purposes:
1. Kill Godzilla
2. Destroy all humans and their civilization
In other words, Mechagodzilla itself is just a walking weapon. The fears and anxieties connected to the machine are clear, as most people at this time were afraid of an all out nuclear war wiping out their civilization as well as them. Mechagodzilla exemplifies this through his multiple weapon systems, including eye-lazers, missiles, and several other lazer and projectile systems. Also, the fact that it is a machine furthers my fear-of-weapons theory, as the robot is made out of an indestructible metal (space titanium to be exact), making it difficult for a living organism to handle. Basically, it is the equivalent of a human fighting a battleship.
As I stated at the beginning, I do not believe that Mechagodzilla is meant to challenge our perception of robot vs. human. However, Mechagodzilla is able to make us reconsider the difference between what is a living organism and what is a machine, and I can support this claim with a comparison to the original Godzilla.
As I've said many times before, Godzilla himself is a symbol of nuclear destruction, very similar to his mechanical counterpart. The thing that separates the two, however, is that Godzilla has the will to stop destroying cities whenever he feels like it. Godzilla's purpose is to warn humankind of the dangers of nuclear power. In contrast, Mechagodzilla's only purpose is to make everything explode, and, as a robot, it is unable to alter this programming, so even though it can still think for itself and identify targets to destroy, it is unable to differ from this course, and it is this lack of truly free will that separates the life from mechanical life.
~Ryan Lantz
So i have only seen like one Godzilla movie, and I am not the Godzilla expert like you are, but I know a little bit about it. And I think your post does a really great job at showing and proving your point, even for someone who may not know a lot about the subject. And i really like how you change it from robot vs. human to living organism vs. machine, it makes the comparison just broad enough that the idea is very well supported by your last example. Lastly, just wanted to say this was a really good post, enjoyed the read.
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