Rewriting the Human: Posthuman Encounters in Blade Runner and Klara and the Sun A Comparative Study of AI, Identity, and Emotional Consciousness

Authors

  • Shamna T Student, 2nd Year MA English, Ideal College for Advanced Studies, Kadakasssery, INDIA.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55544/ijrah.5.3.3

Keywords:

Posthumanism, artificial intelligence, identity, emotions, Blade Runner, Klara and the Sun

Abstract

This paper looks at how Blade Runner and Klara and the Sun explore what it means to be human through their AI (artificial intelligence) characters. It compares how both stories show robots and machines that think, feel, and question their place in the world. The study focuses on identity, emotions, and the way these AI characters relate to people. Using ideas from posthumanism, the paper shows how these stories blur the line between humans and machines, making us rethink human nature, relationships, and the meaning of consciousness.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Ajeesh, A. K., and S. Rukmini. “Posthuman Perception of Artificial Intelligence in Science Fiction: An Exploration of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun.” AI & Society, vol. 38, no. 2, July 2022, pp. 853–60. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-022-01533-9.

Atske, Sara, and Sara Atske. “Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humans.” Pew Research Center, 26 July 2024, www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/12/10/artificial-intelligence-and-the-future-of-humans. Accessed Jan 20. 2025.

Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. 4th ed., Manchester University Press, 2017.

Bennett, Michael. “The Future of AI: What to Expect in the Next 5 Years.” Search Enterprise AI, 8 Oct. 2024, www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/tip/The-future-of-AI-What-to-expect-in-the-next-5-years. Accessed Feb 14. 2025.

Battaglia, Ian J. “The Difficult Balance of Text and Subtext in ‘Klara and the Sun.’” Chicago Review of Books, 8 Mar. 2021, chireviewofbooks.com/2021/03/08/the-difficult-balance-of-text-and-subtext-in-klara-and-the-sun.

“Blade Runner Analysis — Steemit.” Steemit, steemit.com/writing/@jessicasornelas/blade-runner-analysis.

Bruno, Giuliana. “Ramble City: Postmodernism and ‘Blade Runner.’” October, vol. 41, Jan. 1987, p. 61. https://doi.org/10.2307/778330.

Blade Runner. Directed by Ridley Scott, performances by Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Warner Bros., 1982.

Bifo Franco Berardi + EE + AB www.generation-online.org. The Post-Futurist Manifesto. www.generation-online.org/p/fp_bifo5.htm.

Bostrom, Nick. Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies. Oxford University Press, 2014.

Badmington, Neil. Posthumanism. Palgrave Macmillan, 2000.

Enright, Anne. “Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro Review – What It Is to Be Human.” The Guardian, 25 Feb. 2021, www.theguardian.com/books/2021/feb/25/klara-and-the-sun-by-kazuo-ishiguro-review-what-it-is-to-be-human.

“Klara and the Sun Themes | LitCharts.” LitCharts, www.litcharts.com/lit/klara-and-the-sun/themes.

Ishiguro, Kazuo. Klara and the Sun. Alfred A. Knopf, 2021.

Hayles, N. Katherine. How We Became Posthuman: Virtual Bodies in Cybernetics, Literature, and Informatics. University of Chicago Press, 1999.

Haraway, Donna J. “A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century.” Simians, Cyborgs and Women: The Reinvention of Nature, Routledge, 1991, pp. 149–181.

Gunkel, David J. The Machine Question: Critical Perspectives on AI, Robots, and Ethics. MIT Press, 2012.

Dinello, Daniel. Technophobia!: Science Fiction Visions of Posthuman Technology. University of Texas Press, 2005.

Nayar K Pramod. Posthumanism. Polity Press, 2013.

Pepperell, Robert. The Posthuman Condition: Consciousness Beyond the Brain. Intellect Books, 2003.

Sahu, Om Prakash, and Manali Karmakar. “Disposable Culture, Posthuman Affect, and Artificial Human in Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun (2021).” AI & Society, vol. 39, no. 3, Nov. 2022, pp. 1349–57. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-022-01600-1.

Vint, Sherryl. Science Fiction and Cultural Theory: A Reader. Routledge, 2010.

Downloads

Published

2025-05-03

How to Cite

Shamna T. (2025). Rewriting the Human: Posthuman Encounters in Blade Runner and Klara and the Sun A Comparative Study of AI, Identity, and Emotional Consciousness. Integrated Journal for Research in Arts and Humanities, 5(3), 10–13. https://doi.org/10.55544/ijrah.5.3.3

Issue

Section

Articles