In Jane Bennett's book, The Enchantment of Modern Life: Attachments, Crossings, and Ethics, the author describes "enchantment" in terms of a person needing not just to love himself, but to love life "before you can care about anything." A person must be "enamored with existence and occasionally even enchanted in the face of it" before he is able to donate "scarce mortal resources to the service of others" (Bennett, 2001, Chapter 1)
But in these two films, technophobia relates more to the bad things that technology has created -- and the detestable results of technologies -- not the fear of technology per se. Blade Runner -- Technophobia and Technophilia Technology has run amuck in Blade Runner, and as author Will Brooker explains in his book The Blade Runner Experience: The Legacy of a Science Fiction Classic, the city of Los Angeles is "nightmarishly futuristic" with acid rain pouring down in buckets and the sun just a vague, mostly missing due to heavy pollution in the air (Brooker, 2013)
It is scary to realize that some of what was seen in Blade Runner is a reality today. Writer Mary Jenkins quotes the original scriptwriter for the film, Hampton Fancher: "…a simple walk through any downtown neighborhood should convince viewers that the trash-strewn, poverty-ridden, overpopulated streets of Blade Runner are already with us today" (Jenkins, 1997)
It would be utopian in context if out of Wall-E could come a stronger commitment to conservation. As Robin Murray and Joseph Heumann write: "We must protect the earth and its resources because leaving it behind cannot effectively preserve humankind…[albeit] humans -- with the help of the robot left to clean up the mess -- can and should restore it to its more natural previous state" (Murray, et al
Technology is not necessarily to blame for the barren, trash-filled landscape; humans abused their interactions with technology and a wasteland is all that's left. But Wall-E certainly challenges the concept of technophobia because the protagonists are machines, and "…humans rely on machines to restore life on Earth and prepare for humanity's return" (Weakland, 2012)
These words will be used to help "subjugate the unknown beings on other planets, who may still be living in the primitive condition of freedom, to the beneficent yoke of reason." (Zamyatin, p
Wells wrote about time travel before The Time Machine, and was intrigued by the concept based largely on his socialist views. He found that society was not as evolved or positive as it should be, and dared to imagine what was ahead for humanity if something was not done to encourage optimism and equality (Batchelor, 9-13)
Deckard is at a loss, and travels to Oregon to meditate, finding a toad that he thinks is original. Returning home to resume his duties, Deckard finds that the toad is artifical; something that makes him ponder the banality of life even more (Dick)
It carries a number of Dick's themes, though: religion, the morality of genetic engineering, the Frankenstein theme, and the impact of technology on choices and wisdom. Ridley Scott described the film as "extremely dark, both literally and metaphorically, with an oddly masochistic feel" (Ebert)
Wells believed in improving society, so much so that he was a supporter of the theory of eugenics. In fact, some see the Morlock race to be his commentary on allowing genetic inferiorities to thrive (Levy and Peart)
The actual word comes from the Greek 'ou -- not' and 'topos -- place,' and was coined in the modern sense by the title of a 1516 book written by Sir Thomas Moore. More's Utopia describes a fictional island possessing a seemingly perfect society in which social, legal, political and cultural systems act in harmony and are ideal for humans (Manuel)
In this, there must be a reason that we are so attracted to the utopian/dystopian potential; why we are defined by this idea and use it to validate our own culture. "Disobedience to the… law stands out not only as an aspect of negative conduct in general but… as leading to death: the first human couple missed the chance to attain immortality… it was the act of disobedience that barred the way to the tree of life and brought about the expulsion from Eden" (Mettinger 71)
Indeed, what is ideal for some is less than ideal for others. Interestingly, prior to 1900 more than 400 utopian works were published, after 1900 literally thousands have been published, while a good many have made the jump from the page to film (Sargent)
2 years because of a heart defect, but dreams of being an astronaut He impersonates a "Valid," Jerome, who botched his own suicide and became paralyzed. By "purchasing" blood and urine from Jerome, Vincent's gifts allow him to rise to the top of his class in aerospace school, ending up next in line for a space mission, thus defeating the utopian society (Schellenberg)
Returning to the house the next day, the reader finds The Time Traveller preparing for yet another journey. While he promises to return in 30 minutes, three years later there is no sign of him (Wells)
Wells wrote about time travel before The Time Machine, and was intrigued by the concept based largely on his socialist views. He found that society was not as evolved or positive as it should be, and dared to imagine what was ahead for humanity if something was not done to encourage optimism and equality (Batchelor, 9-13)
Deckard is at a loss, and travels to Oregon to meditate, finding a toad that he thinks is original. Returning home to resume his duties, Deckard finds that the toad is artifical; something that makes him ponder the banality of life even more (Dick)
It carries a number of Dick's themes, though: religion, the morality of genetic engineering, the Frankenstein theme, and the impact of technology on choices and wisdom. Ridley Scott described the film as "extremely dark, both literally and metaphorically, with an oddly masochistic feel" (Ebert)
Wells believed in improving society, so much so that he was a supporter of the theory of eugenics. In fact, some see the Morlock race to be his commentary on allowing genetic inferiorities to thrive (Levy and Peart)
The actual word comes from the Greek 'ou -- not' and 'topos -- place,' and was coined in the modern sense by the title of a 1516 book written by Sir Thomas Moore. More's Utopia describes a fictional island possessing a seemingly perfect society in which social, legal, political and cultural systems act in harmony and are ideal for humans (Manuel)