2/19/2014 Quick Reflections On Spike Jonze`s HER | Specular Image

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Qu|ck Ref|ect|ons On Sp|ke Jonze's HER
Posted on January 15, 2014
jusL experIenced LIe movIe Her by SpIke Jonze und IIgured wouId wrILe ubouL IL wIIIe IL Is IresI. OI course
LIe one probIem wILI LIIs Is LIuL wIII oI course mIss und mungIe some uspecLs LIuL couId Iuve eIuboruLed
on. L uIso meuns wIII noL revIew LIe movIe buL wIII jusL LIInk ubouL IL ouL Ioud. TIIs ucL ucLuuIIy Is u
good pIuce Lo begIn: wIen wrILe on LIe compuLer und wrILe Lo peopIe wIo muy or muy noL reud wIuL wrILe,
um ucLIng us seII? One oI LIe reuson HeIdegger (LrIed) moved pusL LIIs Ideu oI seII und conscIousness (duseIn)
Is In order Lo creuLe u spuce wIIcI LIe embodIed body couId move InLo LIuL we uII sIure-LIIs spuce Ie cuIIed
mILseIn- beIng wILI oLIers. Now LIIs Ideu brIngs up one oI LIe LoucIed upon Ideus oI HER, spuce und
embodImenL. kepL LIInkIng wIIIe TIeodore InLerucLed wILI SumunLIu ubouL LIe concepL oI soIIpsIsm.
IrsL musL suy someLIIng ubouL LIe muIn Ideu oI LIe IIIm. TIeodore TwombIy Is u IoneIy InLroverLed mun
wIo Ius jusL recenLIy broken oII u reIuLIonsIIp wILI IIs wIIe. TwombIy buys un operuLIng sysLem LIuL uses LIe
Ideu oI evoIuLIonury eIecLronIcs, un evoIvIng compuLer conscIousness wIIcI Is numed SumunLIu. L muLLers
IILLIe Ior LIIs posL on wIeLIer or noL someLIIng IIke LIIs wIII be progrummubIe or Iow Iong do we Iuve unLII
LIIs Is progrummubIe. TIeodore begIns Lo IuII In Iove wILI SumunLIu. n one oI LIe muny scenes LIuL Lukes
your breuLI uwuy TIeodore`s ex wIIe suys someLIIng IIke LIIs: oI course Ie IuIIs In Iove wILI IIs compuLer
becuuse busIcuIIy LIIs Is u nurcIssIsLIc reIuLIonsIIp In wIIcI Ie Is pIuyIng wILI IImseII, or reuIIy LIe probIem oI
wIeLIer or noL LIIs Is u kInd oI posLmodern soIIpsIsm. WIII we uII evenLuuIIy move Lowurds LIIs kInd oI
reIuLIonsIIp wIen IL becomes uvuIIubIe?
One oI LIe quesLIons Iound InLeresLIng Lo usk myseII wus LIe quesLIon oI Iove. One oI LIe cIurucLers In LIe
IIIm suys LIuL Iove Is u dIsguIse Ior InsunILy, oI course LIIs Is un oId Ideu oI LIe Greeks wIere cupId`s urrow
ucLuuIIy Iud poIson In order Ior you Lo go mud wILI LIIs LIIng cuIIed Iove, buL wILI LIuL suId, LIe movIe Is LIe
one oI LIe IIrsL cun recuII Lo usk LIe quesLIon wIeLIer or noL we cun IuII In Iove wILIouL LIe moLIvuLIon oI
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2/19/2014 Quick Reflections On Spike Jonze`s HER | Specular Image
http://specularimage.wordpress.com/2014/01/15/quick-reflections-on-spike-jonzes-her/ 2/3
embodImenL, cun we cuII In Iove wILI en enLILy wILIouL u pIysIcuI body? WILI LIuL suId, LIe opposILe quesLIon
musL be usked, cun you reuIIy IuII In Iove wILI someone wILI u body? You mIgIL scoII uL LIIs becuuse IL sounds
quILe counLer InLuILIve buL IuIIIng In Iove wILI u body purL, wIeLIer or noL IL be someone`s eyes, Iunds, or LIeIr
uss Is noL necessurIIy LIe Ideu oI Iove. L Is LIe probIem oI Eros versus PIIIIu usked wILI u posLIumun LwIsL
(Isn`L LIIs reuIIy wIuL LIIs bIog Lends Lo be ubouL?).
IrsL LIere ure dIIIerenL wuys Ior someLIIng Lo 'be`. n HER we see u compuLer conscIousness Iuve u purLIcuIur
onLoIogy, even coordInuLIng wILI oLIer conscIous operuLIng sysLems. TIIs IIIIs HusserI`s Ideu oI InLenLIonuIILy
In u wuy-Iumuns ure beIngs LIuL reIuLe Lo someLIIng ouLsIde LIemseIves, LIIs reIuLIng Is one oI LIe LIIngs LIuL
mukes us conscIous, we Iook ouLsIde ourseIves In order Lo see ourseIves Iow LIe oLIer sees us. AguIn HER Ius
umuzIng scenes wIere SumunLIu LIe operuLIng sysLem goes on vucuLIon wILI u corporeuI coupIe und InLerucLs
wILI LIem, buL In unoLIer scene LIuL mukes you puy uLLenLIon sIe suys Longue In cIeek LIuL sIe used Lo wunL u
body, buL now sIe Is reuIIzIng LIuL sIe Is ImmorLuI wILIouL one. So Iur Iuve busIcuIIy usked LIe quesLIon In u
very sLrunge sense puLLIng MerIeuu-PonLy und HeIdegger up uguInsL eucI oLIer. or MerIeuu PonLy Lo be In
LIe worId meunL Lo Iuve u bIoIogIcuI exIsLence In LIe worId, buL HeIdegger onIy used LIe Ideu oI DuseIn wIIcI
never LuIked ubouL embodImenL. OI course HeIdegger wouId mosL IIkeIy dIsmIss conscIousness In u neLwork oI
cIrcuILs Lo be ouLIundIsI buL uguIn TIeodore`s IupppIness wus reuI, Iow Ie responded Lo IIs operuLIng
sysLem no doubL used LIe sume bIoIogIcuI sysLems In IIm Lo respond Lo SumunLIu.
(spoIIer uIerL): However LIIngs uren`L exucLIy wIuL LIey seem In LIIs movIe becuuse we mIgIL IeeI LIuL LIIs Is
LIe perIecL reIuLIonsIIp becuuse we Iuve LIIs nuLuI creuLure LIuL we LIInk Ius onIy known us, ImugIne LIIs
someLIIng IIke u new CIrIsLIun gIrI wIo Ius wuILed Ior murrIuge und sex; you ure LIe 'Iucky` one becuuse you
geL Ier wILIouL uny prIor Lruumus LIuL oI course IuunLs LIe IuLure In mosL reIuLIonsIIps, buL InsLeud
SumunLIu seems Lo be exucLIy IIke LIe CIrIsLIun gIrI! (sorry II you ure u CIrIsLIun gIrI wIo cun prove me wrong,
no ucLuuIIy um noL) SIe Is experIencIng someLIIng Ior LIe IIrsL LIme sIe wunLs Lo experIence more und more,
so oI course sIe ends up IuIIIng In Iove wILI 6oo oLIers. TIeodore Is sIocked LIuL SumunLIu HS operuLIng
sysLem couId possIbIe Iove oLIers, Iere we LoucI on LIe possessIon oI Iow we moderns experIence und LIe
pruxIs oI Iove. or SumunLIu IovIng more und more peopIe uIIows Ier Lo experIence LIe Ideu oI Iove even more,
or LIe Ideu oI boundIess Iove LIuL Ius no end und no begInnIng, buL InsLeud un ubsoIuLe noLIon oI Iove.
GoIng buck Lo MerIeuu PonLy, PonLy LIeorIzed someLIIng cuIIed u 'pIenomenuI body` wIIcI Is LIe body
experIenced by LIe enLILy we come Lo LIInk oI us ourseIves, LIIs body Is IeIL Irom 'LIe InsIde`. TIIs body meeLs
LIe oLIer bodIes In LIe worId, und mosL IIkeIy Ius someLIIng Lo do wILI Iow we perceIve ourseIves us seII. We
ure objecLs wILIIn spuce LIuL Iuve IImILs, spuLIuI LemporuI IImILs wIIcI Ieeds buck InLo our bruIns In order Ior
us Lo see ourseIves us sepuruLe. We uIso Iuve Iunguuge In order Lo reInIorce LIIs sepuruLIon (see EsposILo`s
TIIrd Person). Now In one oI LIe IusL scenes SumunLIu LeIIs TIeodore sIe Ius meL u IyperreuI AIun WuLLs. n
LIe end SumunLIu Ieuves TIeodore buL uIso suys sIe wIII never Ieuve IIm, und uses un exceIIenL BorgesIun
unuIogy LIuL sIe now wIII exIsL beLween LIe puges oI u cIupLer book In LIe InIInILe InLersLILIuI spuce beLween.
AIun WuLLs beIIeved LIuL we uII ure one und LIuL we musL sIed ourseIves Lo reLurn Lo exIsLence ILseII, or even
noLIIngness.
Now wIy LIIs IIIm? WIuL mukes IL u greuL IIIm? L Is greuL becuuse IL noL onIy conIronLs us wILI LIe quesLIon
oI Iow Iove Is supposed Lo IuncLIon buL IL uIso mukes us uwure LIuL Iove wIII noL uIwuys IuncLIon LIe sume
LIrougIouL our IIsLory, IL wIII cIunge, becuuse Iow we use LIe words Iuve even cIunged (ugupe, pIIIIu, Eros).
L goes IurLIer LIun LIIs, IL brIngs up uIIenuLIon In socIeLy In wIIcI LIe SymboIIc exIsLence oI wIuL Is
uccepLubIe Is pusIed even IurLIer: Cun you IuII In Iove wILI u voIce LIuL seems Lo be conscIous? I we cun`L wIy
exucLIy? AIso, LIrougIouL LIe movIe one oI LIe reusons TIeodore Ioves SumunLIu Is becuuse sIe Ius someLIIng
so muny peopIe Iuve IosL: IIe! TIe experIence oI joy und Lo undersLund LIuL HerucIILus wus ubsoIuLeIy correcL,
LIuL we wIII never sLund In LIe sume rIver LwIce.
2/19/2014 Quick Reflections On Spike Jonze`s HER | Specular Image
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Aboot specolurimuge
ScoLL MuxweII Is u cuILuruI crILIc, socIuI LIeorIsL und creuLIve IIsLorIun InLeresLed In : PsycIounuIysIs, BIopower und
BIopIIIosopIIes, Romunce pIIIoIogy, ReIIgIon und TIeoIogy, InLeresLed In IIvIng pIIIospIersJLIInkers Agumben, ZIzek, BudIou,
MuIubou, JoInsLon. PusL LIInkers: oucuuIL, HeIdegger, Murx, eLc.
VIew uII posLs by specuIurImuge
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oudIng...
Reluted
TIe Reuson Amy CIuu's 'CIInese MoL. Cuse Ior u BIo-OnLoIogy: ReudIng HeId. reud on TrunsIerence:
n "Amy CIuu" n "PIIIosopIy" n "PsycIounuIysIs"
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