RoboCop

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RoboCop is the name of two films (an original and a reboot) that are set in the late 2020s put two films have mostly complete different genres in mind (cyberpunk in original and postcyberpunk (which possibly unintentional) in reboot, respectively).

Transhumanist content

In 2028, multinational conglomerate OmniCorp revolutionizes warfare with the introduction of robotic peacekeepers capable of maintaining law and order in hot spots such as Iran. Aware that most Americans oppose the use of military systems in their communities a research team is there to create an alternative. The result is a proposal for a cyborg police officer.

A Detroit police detective, Alex Murphy, is chosen after he is critically injured in a car bomb explosion arrange by a crime boss in revenge for Murphy's investigation into his activities. When he wakes up the research team reveals to him that the only remnants of his human body are most of his head (excluding parts of the brain), his respiratory organs and a hand.

Murphy proves unable to compete with the standard OmniCorp drones in efficiency. The research team alters his programming to make him more efficient, but also less empathetic. Shortly before he is to be publicly unveiled, Murphy has an emotional breakdown, forcing the research team to remove his emotions, lowering his dopamine levels. The result is an effective cyborg but almost not human.

Clara(his wife) nevertheless manages to confront RoboCop (desperate for her husband absence and little empathy) telling him of their son David's nightmares and sadness. The experience leads Murphy to override his programming and access the previously sealed files on his attempted murder. Guided by something inside him (the movie make you understand is the 'soul') he manages to take revenge of the crime boss and other corrupted officers revealing a complot and finishing it and the Omnicorp personnel involved, becoming 'more human' again in the process.

Technical credibility

A head that could be transplanted to an entire robotic body doesn't seem possible, not in the next decades at least. Human body is the most complex system on the planet, and the brain has an incredible amount of neurons (more than the number of stars in the Milky Way). Making a 'robocop' would take millions of terabytes of data, because of the complexity of the human body and brain. And the IA so advanced mixed with his conscience seems far away from 2028.

The "less human" RoboCop part has little credibility too, as the only thing they do to him is lower his dopamine levels. Neuroscience is still in its infancy,brain connections are more important because the brain could generate lots of dopamine if he wanted,there is not a limited capacity,and there could be lots of other neurochemicals that could alter his personality and mood too.

Moral evaluation

Here the movie makes an interesting approach. When he is altered, becoming almost complete artificial intelligence, seeing his son depression and sadness makes him override his programming and he tries to become "human" again cheating his integrated AI. The research team doesn't know what is happening, because is not logical, they think it could be something unknown of the human nature, maybe his soul, or maybe his human will, bigger than all the AI processes. The original Robocop started all, is he human or is he robot? Is it good to be both? Will humanity accept 'RoboCops' in a near future? Will humanity accept robotic parts on their bodies if possible? Nobody knows.