Abstract: The current analysis centers on the concept of “pragmatic love” and its three core characteristics – compassion, courage, commitment – as encompassed in Blade Runner (1982, director Ridley Scott). The analytical protocol pursues a two-step procedure: the definition of each of the three dimensions and its subsequent integration within the mediatic phenomenological experience. The investigative discourse outlines further potentialities of the concept of “pragmatic love” in everyday encounters as well as its ideological extensions into “awe” as both a necessity to action and a state of mind.
The fundamentals of pragmatic love
Throughout history, love has been perhaps the most observed and praised phenomenon, in its various appearances, experiences, delusions. From an emotion to a mental state, love as “pure love” seems to have positioned itself at the center of humanity’s preoccupations with itself. In contrast to that, the current analysis encompasses the three core characteristics of “pragmatic love” – compassion, courage and commitment – identified for this article as displayed in an iconic cinematic production: Blade Runner (1982, director Ridley Scott). The live-action cinema at the intersection of Japanese and US-American visions of life, AI and humanness conveys overwhelming messages of past reluctance to see beyond a static identity model with the simultaneous subliminal push towards understanding one’s own impact on the world and towards a dialectic dynamization of identificatory mechanisms. In doing so, they reveal the individual’s propensity to become a self-stylizing architect capable to grasp freedom in the name of radical responsibility, so that he/she turns from a “victim of history” to whom “life happens” into an active agent in the creation – or co-creation – process of the future and of reality. Accordingly, the current analysis takes into account three levels of the debate on the relationship between humans and robots, respectively bio-engineered “replicants”, while reflecting on the dimensions circumscribing historical phenomena: socio-cultural, economic-political and technologic-educational. The central paradigm of “pragmatic love” is defined both as a state of mind comprising emotions, thoughts, ideals, and as the necessity to action in the realm of quotidian events and challenges. In order to analyze the internal architecture of “pragmatic love” as creatively explored by the three cinema releases and in light of its core features, compassion, courage and commitment, I follow the protocol of defining each of the concepts and subsequently critically observing their integration within the cinematic conglomerate on multiple levels. At the end, I wrap up major ideas and suggest further research objectives in relation to similar mass-media projects detailing the not-so-visible extensions of “pragmatic love” as an individually internal affair seeking externalization.
Loosely based on the science-fiction novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968) by Philip K. Dick, Blade Runner was focused on the disturbingly hypocritical representation of robots by humans and their co-existence, on the background of a dystopian future set in 2019-Los Angeles. The story unfolds as former police officer and “blade runner” Rick Deckard (embodied by Harrison Ford in one of his most iconic roles) is detained by Officer Gaff, who has a hobby of origami folding, and is brought to his former supervisor, Bryant: Bryant appoints him to track down four fugitive synthetic humans known as “replicants”, bioengineered by the powerful Tyrell Corporation to work on space colonies, and to terminally eliminate (“retire”) them, as they are on Earth illegally. Deckard agrees reluctantly, and during the subsequent development, he is confronted with circumstances and choices which test his ability to fulfill his task successfully particularly because they compel him to question and to a certain degree to rethink his own humanity, both in relation to the humans around him and to the humanoid “replicants” he is supposed to kill. Released in 1982 under the direction of Ridley Scott, Blade Runner massively underperformed during its initial running and acutely polarized critics and viewers, with some praising its thematic complexity and visuals, and with others criticizing its slow pacing and lack of action – which was a necessary ingredient in the overall logic of the movie meant to allow for the profoundly philosophical and ethical dimensions to emerge from within the depths of the dramaturgic architecture. Nonetheless, it turned throughout the decades into a cult movie to be regarded as one of the all-time best science fiction productions. With its daunting and highly acclaimed soundtrack composed by Vangelis, Blade Runner’s production design depicting a high-tech but decaying future inspired by Tokyo’s realities of the early 1980s appears in historical perspective as a leading example of neo-noir cinema and as a foundational work of the cyberpunk genre. Moreover, it has been influencing various and numerous science fiction movies, video games, anime (Japanese animation) productions, television series, while simultaneously bringing the work of Philip K. Dick to the attention of Hollywood executives: several of his works were later adapted for cinema in impressive blockbusters, such as Total Recall (1990, director Paul Verhoeven, based on Dick’s 1966 short-story We Can Remember It for You Wholesale) and Minority Report (2002, director Steven Spielberg, based on Dick’s eponymous short-story from 1956).
Compassion: self-love as acceptance of the other’s “radical otherness”
Compassion is one of the three elements contained in the structure of pragmatic love as an existential attitude, defined as the ability to feel, to identify with and to integrate the emotions of someone else. Two parameters are fundamental in the equation of compassion: empathy and integrity. Empathy means precisely the skill to immerse into someone else’s emotions, to feel them at the same level as the other person does. Generally, there are two categories of empathy: the cognitive one, referring to a type of empathy in which someone else’s emotions are rationally known without any real involvement of feelings, and the emotional one, which is central piece of the current argument. Integrity, on the other hand, implies the ability of the empathizing subject to keep his/her own individual boundaries and not to get dragged by and into the emotional flows and ebbs of someone else, regardless of how strongly connected they might be. While empathy is the foundation of interhuman interactions, it is integrity which allows compassion to become a functional skill.
Blade Runner explores in depth the various dimensions of what it means to be human and of what exactly defines ‘humanity’ as a state of being within the larger cosmic circuit. The major element is empathy, which is employed in order to test the presumable humanity of those being chased and captured – and more specifically, in order to determine whether the person being tested is human or a “replicant”. In the latter case, they are supposed to be eliminated as they are deemed to be dangerous. A number of questions included in the test are focused on the treatment of animals, because “replicants” seem to respond differently than humans, without any signs of concern. Against the dystopian, dark background of the movie, with its quasi-omnipresent corporate power, apparently omniscient, omnipotent police, the simultaneous exploration of the consequences of huge biomedical powers over the individual, in particular in relation with the “replicants”’ implanted memories, occurs: the sense of oppressiveness is amplified by the humans’ almighty control over the environment, going hand in hand with the absence of any natural life, so that artificial animals stand in for their extinct predecessors within the all-encompassing nocturnal atmosphere. While empathy is touted as humans’ defining characteristic, it is eventually within the so-called “tears in rain” 42-word monologue towards the end of the movie that the value of compassion as the ability to withstand rage and revenge is revealed. It consists of the last words of the character Roy Batty (dauntingly portrayed in the movie by Rutger Hauer) and has been regarded as “perhaps the most moving death soliloquy in cinematic history” (Rowlands, 2003, 235), as it suggests that being human transcends death and nothingness, but cannot escape sharing one’s common joy and suffering: “I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe… Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion… I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain… Time to die.” (Blade Runner, 1:47:06) Roy’s final gesture to save his nemesis from a sure obliteration shows the main character, Rick Deckard, that despite his technological structure, he is potentially more human than real humans.
In Blade Runner, compassion is a tool to defeat death and unravel deeper-than-in-humans humanity in bio-engineered “replicants”. As such, compassion mediates the advancement towards the discovery of a courageous vision, attitude and behavior, which then allows for selflessness in otherness.
Courage: living wholeheartedly
The word courage has developed from the Latin word cor which means “heart”. Traditionally, it refers to the quality of mind which enables one to meet danger and trouble without fear, because the heart is the seat of emotions and hence keeps one’s spirit, temperament, way of being. Boldness as a choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, intimidation, compounded by the moral fortitude and physical strength to act in accordance with higher values in order to protect those in need, are essential parts of courage as it has been transmitted throughout the centuries. Recently, though, the understanding of “courage” has shifted from its initial meaning of direct confrontation with adversity towards a softer approach: the ability to live in the present, to enjoy one’s life and to immerse oneself in the authenticity and vulnerability of being one’s true self. Therefore, living authentically and in tune with one’s vulnerable identity have slowly turned into the crucial components of the late modern conceptualization of courage: the inner urge to be faithful to one’s nature and propensities rather than to adapt to social pressures and the enthusiasm to open up towards others and to share one’s innermost thoughts, emotions, expectations are essential features of a life lived courageously, wholeheartedly.
In Blade Runner, the acute awareness of the fragility of human life arises from the characters’ interactions. The narrative loop circumscribing the possible humanity of the “replicants” – which is never really confirmed nor denied – metamorphoses gradually into an existential inquiry into the meaning of life: live life plenarily, grasp every moment and engage profoundly with life’s realities, as nobody knows when it might end, is the subliminal message. Vangelis’ daunting music, an eerie combination of human voices processed electronically and unidentifiable instruments, subliminally creates an inescapable tension between the dark, overwhelming tones of the movie and the hopeful finale, simultaneously questioning the very foundation of being human: is it a choice, a chance, or a crime? Interestingly enough, in this interpretation of the word ‘courage’, the “replicants” rather than the humans display the ability to live life at its outmost, to grab any opportunity at savoring it and to delve into the adventures it offers. The “replicants” were created to support humans and to fulfill the tasks humans were too weak to pursue efficiently, but, ironically, they somehow appear both inclined to cling to life and to enjoy it without doubting its value, meaning, duration. In opposition to them, those deemed as human are entangled in everyday struggles and ambitions, too confused to realize their own fragility and too busy to stop and ask themselves the hard questions which might lead to the revelation of their own vulnerable core – and therefore, to the real self, hidden beneath thick strata of conventions. In Rachael Tyrell’s ambivalent character (exquisitely embodied by Sean Young), Rick Deckard finds first insinuations of love as romantic attachment and gradually discovers within himself the resources to transcend his mission in the name of a greater goal: to love and be loved. In the narrative development of their interaction, various issues are addressed, such as the protective force of memories, or of the lack thereof, the importance of allowing secrets to be just that: secrets, the necessity to stand up for oneself and in doing so to shelter what – or who – truly matters from the evils of impersonal politico-economic decisions. This dramaturgic pursuit slowly leads to the fusion of the two layers of significance of courage into one conglomerate: living authentically in the name of one’s true self means, eventually, safeguarding those who matter to us from life-threatening dangers.
In Blade Runner, courage is the way to view and approach others while carefully wondering about one’s position in the world in an attempt to overcome loneliness and meaninglessness. Consequently, commitment creates the transition towards strength and warmth which then turns pragmatic love from an abstract concept into a concrete skill.
Commitment: perseverance in gratitude and respect
The third and probably the most important characteristic of pragmatic love is commitment: it binds compassion and courage into the flexible, unpredictable network of life and allows them to essentially contribute to the functionality of individuals. The three elements constituting commitment are perseverance – the ability to keep on going even when the perspectives seem bleak and the energy is low, or particularly in those moments –, gratitude – the capacity to see events, humans, things, as parts of a greater whole instead of internalizing them as insurmountable obstacles –, and respect – the skill to allow everyone and everything to exist in their own radical truth irrespective of our expectations. Commitment goes far beyond the obligation to keep one’s promise: commitment is an existential attitude which serves, simultaneously, as a moral compass in times of confusion, so that difficulties are not only observed and defeated, but crucial lessons are drawn from them, as well.
Rick Deckard is one of the most symbolic cinema characters: this status results from the metamorphose occurring during his journey of initiation which is the narrative pretext in Blade Runner. Like Andrew Harlan in another time and in another space (and in another genre: Isaac Asimov’s science-fiction novel The End of Eternity from 1955), Rick Deckard evolves throughout the plot from a resolute member of the institution to which he had been assigned and which he serves faithfully to the best of his abilities, into a symbol of love. In his encounters with Rachael, he learns the various layers of his identity and the increasingly deeper vaults of his own loneliness and meaninglessness – until he transforms them into his existential mission. Unlike Andrew Harlan, though, Rick does not turn from an agent of the mechanisms he had previously attended to into their very nemesis; instead, he dissolves into the anonymity provided by dystopian futures. Moreover, his symbolical power as a cinema character resides in the universality of his gestures and in the memorability of his commitment to the tasks he has to fulfill as a policeman, which subsequently short-circuit his decisions and choices: in Rick’s interactions with the secondary characters – his supervisors, the “replicants” – he is supposed to terminally eliminate the manufacturers of the bioengineered synthetic humans, the street vendors, the passers-by –, a nauseous sense of purposelessness creeps in, which is gently dissolved during his encounters with Rachael. Like Andrew Harlan and Noÿs Lambent in Asimov’s novel, Rick and Rachael undergo a subtle transformation from an illicit love affair into the very cornerstone of the intrigue leading to an unexpectedly emotional denouement. Likewise, on the background of the intransigent reality they face every day, the feminine presence confers both male characters a ray of light and hope to hold on to, something to protect and to believe in. Beneath the conservatism of the gender roles displayed, Rick’s (like Andres’s) individuality gathers clear contours precisely due to Rachael’s (respectively Noÿs’) love and influence.
In Blade Runner, commitment becomes the life force which enables the main character to overcome his condition. More than an ideological artefact or an aesthetic construction, commitment confers solidity and identificatory cohesion to narrative lines which would otherwise fall into the banality of epic overcompensation. Eventually, in grasping the depth of love as a pragmatic endeavor and not as an ideatic state of mind and soul, humans and robots learn the value of togetherness in a world – present as well as future – of uncertainty, evil and cruelty.
Towards a phenomenology of (pragmatic) love as awe
This article has been focusing on the core characteristics of pragmatic love as a means to conceptualize and develop a sense of urgency towards the necessity to embrace – rather than reject, as traditionally taught – one’s budding uniqueness. In discussing Blade Runner which centers on the relationships between humans and robots or bio-engineered “replicants”, the theoretical elements shifted gradually from the phenomenological experience to the quotidian participation and made possible the slow emergence of a state of “awe” in relation to both the mental-emotional perception and its subsequent processing of love as a pragmatic endeavor. “Awe” is understood, therefore, as an existential attitude which allows the consistent exploration of one’s individual embedding into the socioeconomic system, be it external or internal, in a lighthearted, non-judgmental manner; this puts “awe” in direct correlation to the “sublime” as described by Robert Greene in his writings: a combination of Sigmund Freud’s “oceanic feeling” and of the Stoics’ understanding of one’s mortality as expressed in “memento mori” (Jung, Carl G. [19702]: The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche: Collected Works of C. G. Jung, Volume 8, translated by R. F. C. Hull, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, pp. 129; Greene, Robert [1998]: The 48 Laws of Power, New York: Penguin Books, pp. 143). Furthermore, Blade Runner transcended both at the time of its release and in the decades and years ever since prevailing stereotypes on science fiction productions, so that in its central journey of initiation, the fears and confusions of late-modern young men and teenagers, notably male ones, are realistically and emotionally depicted. Simultaneously, while paying honest tribute to its aesthetic-ideological sources, surpassing its model and developing its own universe, with clear messages and profiles Blade Runner decisively moves away from the classic plot of giving in to one’s negative emotions, while pursuing narrative policies of overcoming sadness, loss and the wish to retaliate. Finally, while being a futurist cinema work, re-creating avant-la-lettre the world of tomorrow, a dystopian space dominated by bleak oppression and hopelessness, as well as violence and resentment, Blade Runner contains the very seeds of a beautiful resurrection, fresh and convincingly attractive in its colorful plurality.
The three dimensions of pragmatic love outlined in Blade Runner on the background of a dark, dystopian future in which humans are increasingly controlled by over-individual systems, highlight the necessity of robots or so-called “replicants” in the stress ratio of grasping and comprehending the humanity of humans as a counterforce. It is pointedly during the interaction with the fugitive “replicants” whom he is tasked to eliminate that the main character is confronted with his own skewed sense of self and is ultimately compelled to acknowledge the relativity of rules in the name of love. Moreover, in Rachael’s questionings about her own nature – she has been implemented with memories of a little girl, but at some point, she starts inquiring into the veridicality of her thoughts, emotions, states –, Rick is able to find his own enjoyment of life and to start to dare thinking about pursuing a pathway of more authentic – perhaps even more sustainable – goals. One might go as far as to argue that Blade Runner avoids the dispiritedness of punk-noir by tuning in to the emotionality of the narrative line and in doing so, by symbolically addressing the issues of existential meaningfulness and loving togetherness rather than the bleak chase of runaway fugitives. In this reading, Blade Runner’s display of love – pragmatic or otherwise – circumscribes the main character’s quotidian endeavors and pushes them in the direction of a benevolent, warmhearted humanity rediscovered. Eventually, the compelling ambiguity and semi-obscure atmosphere of the movie serve the purpose of recovering an individual sense of self from the unknown of over-controlling institutions and to set it free into universalism.
It might be argued that self-awareness of one’s own humanity begins with the reflection on the transience of human existence in relation to the potential endlessness of artificial intelligence and bio-engineered entities created to simplify life. At the same time, what has been conceptualized as “pragmatic love” permeates the sordid numbness of the quotidian flow of events and allows for a sense of awe to raise within ourselves: this is perhaps the goal of arts, to awaken the sleeping warriors inside the viewers and to send them on irresistible journeys of self-discovery. It is the objective of further scientific endeavors to delve more deeply into the dynamics and mechanics of those journeys, outlining with acuity the joys and perils of wholeheartedly exploring adventures, experimenting unchartered dimensions and rewriting individual and collective stories.
