Machine Worship: Difference between revisions

[[File:machine-worship1 3242.png|link=Futurama|frame|Our motherboard who art in native mode, hallowed be thy circuits...]]

 

 

[[Cybernetics Eat Your Soul]], but for some, it sounds like a good trade. These characters admire the sleek lines and shining chrome of machinery, and idolize the purity of purpose and cold logic of artificial intelligences. Compared with the frailties of mortal flesh and the frivolities of human emotions, robots and AIs can come across as superior beings - after all, they are effectively immortal, and certainly don't seem to war amongst each other as much as humans.

 

== Film ==

* ''[[Return of the Jedi]]'': Protocol droid C-3PO ends up in the Ewok village, where at first the villagers worship him as if he was some sort of god.

 

== Literature ==

* The Construct Council in [[China Mieville]]'a ''[[Perdido Street Station]]''. A massive AI in a scrapyard with worshipers. However it still has to communicate through a dead body hooked up to it. {{spoiler|As they leave Isaac notes that for the spokesperson to work, they must have ''been alive'' when they were hooked up.}} Also in the gap between this and the sequels ''[[The Scar]]'' and ''[[Iron Council]]'', there is a [[Robot War|purging of all constructs]] from the city for fear of what they could become.

** The implication in the early books was that enslavement by machines was a bit more metaphoric: by delegating basic and complex tasks to machines, humanity was weakened rather than enlightened. The target of the Jihad "was a machine-attitude as much as the machines". With the abolition of computers, man was forced to develop his own potential, leading to the rise of the [[Charles Atlas Superpower|specialised skill-sets]] of [[Awesomeness By Analysis|Mentats]] and the [[Compelling Voice|Bene]] [[Muscles Are Meaningless|Gesserit]].

* [[Greg Egan]]'s novels often make the whole thing sound very attractive indeed, most particularly ''Schild's Ladder''.

* The Rix, of [[Scott Westerfeld]]'s ''[[The Risen Empire]]'', worship artificial intelligences, and slowly upgrade themselves, replacing organs, limbs and connective tissues.

* Doctor Trintignant from [[Alastair Reynolds]]'s novella ''Diamond Dogs'', set in his ''Revelation Space'' verse.

** The Conjoiners from the same verse might be seen this way too, though they're more interested in intellectual rather than physical [[Transhumanism]].

* ''[[Star Trek: Ex Machina]]'', a book in the [[Star Trek Novel Verse]], posits a faction like this in the post-colonization society of [[Cargo Cult|Yonada]], which makes a fair amount of sense. This faction regards Kirk as a "god-killer" for his frequent destruction of artificial intelligences, and interprets V'Ger as having escaped him, not understanding that V'Ger was only able to [[Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence]] by incorporating humanoid emotion.

* In [[Ian McDonald]]'s ''Desolation Road'' there is a cybernetic cult. They get pretty disturbing...

* The ''[[Berserker (Literature)|Berserker]]'' is a series of space opera science fiction short stories by American author [[Fred Saberhagen]] in which robotic self-replicating machines intend to destroy all organic life. The machines are known as Berserkers. Most are giant spaceships the size of Manhattan Island. There are a very few people who actually worship them.

* In the novel of ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey]]'', the Builders of the Monolith went through a phase where they uploaded their consciousness to starships, before evolving into pure energy.

* The future society in Aldous Huxley's ''[[Brave New World (novel)|Brave New World]]'' elevates Henry Ford into a god-like figure.

 

** And still he just whines about it, instead of actually trying to augment himself, despite of all the technology at his disposal...

*** [[Word of God]] says Cavil probably wouldn't be happy as a full machine either. His resentment is directed at his creators themselves rather than having the form of a human (though it is certainly a factor). The "machine" business is mainly his way of justifying his hatred to himself.