WALL*E and Sustainability

By Ryan C. DeNardis on January 9, 2009 10:22 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
On my way to State College, I was watching WALL*E on my Zune (which I don't entirely recommend for numerous reasons.  I'm only starting to enjoy my Zune...  More on that later...) when I started thinking about the ending.  Here are the credits, the first few minutes of which is a great representation of what I'm getting at:



In a way, this is the issue predicted by Heidegger in "The Question Regarding Technology."  The end of the movie presents us with two possible scenerios: humans failing and dying off from lack of knowledge, experience, etc.; or humans repopulating the Earth with immense reliance upon robots and preexisting technology.  Now, in the former, we simply die.  And in the words of the captain, which has become one of my favorite lines in any film I've seen, "But I don't want to survive!  I want to live!"  (Personally, I lean toward this consequence.  Where did those fish come from? Seriously! And that shot at about 2:08 reminds me of those 'environmentally conscious' Hummer commercials.  Yech.)

But what of the latter consequence?  Throughout the movie, we see robots creating and solidifying their own personalities.  While much of this may seem stylistically Pixar, such as the way each robot interacts and looks, there is an obvious other side seen when the cleaning bot jumps off the line, deciding that cleaning one specific contaniment is more important than the previously programmed itinerary; or the altered functions of the infirmiry bots; or, and especially, when EVE finally decides that her main objective was no longer rescuing the plant, but saving WALL*E.

Meanwhile, humans have been seemingly living their lives completely absorbed by their technology, into an endless vacation.  They seem to be more drone-like than many of the robots.  The robots seem to carry more elements of human culture than many of the humans.

So in order to survive after the course of the movie, this new colony of humans would have to:
1) learn to grow food
2) learn to build and dwell
3) redevelop and redefine written language
4) rediscover art
5) define society, economy, and government, and its place and structure
6) adapt to new changes in atmosphere, gravity, etc.
7) develop industry

And that's a broad overview.  We're talking a gargantuan enlightenment here.  How do they achieve this?  Through preexisting technology.  How was this technology created?  Through preexisting technology.  There is no longer any 'creator,' just the results of robots building robots.  So the actual make of these technologies is almost non-existant.

And are these technologies actually as resilient and immortal as they seem?  Humans want to return to life as it was, but they have to do so by relying on preexisting technologies.  What happens when their batteries stop charging?  What if the humans haven't mastered that level of technical craft and ability yet?  The chances for survival could turn slim.

And what other effects would these technologies have on the humans?  Would the President of Buy N Large turn it to some sort of Creator?  The original robots will doubtless become known in a form of legend and, eventually, mythology.

I think thinking through this makes the message(s) of the movie even more bleak.  I love happy endings (usually), but reality may not be so merciful.

Bottom line:  We really have to be careful how dependent we are on our technologies.
(And I write this sipping a Pepsi can, listen to the Flaming Lips on an MP3 Player will writing a Blog on a Laptop.)

Let me redefine that: Embrace technology, but don't squeeze too tight.


By the way, the art for these credits is incredible!  I love how the develop and enlightenment of the new human colony is displayed through the development of art forms.  And then the digital icons of the WALL*E storyline at the end is brilliant.

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This page contains a single entry by Ryan C. DeNardis published on January 9, 2009 10:22 PM.

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