Almost Human: Lesson from Westworld

***Warning, spoilers will follow.

I believe that God made me together will all creation.
–Luther

Man is an animal with primary instincts of survival. Consequently, his ingenuity has developed first and his soul afterwards. The progress of science is far ahead of man’s ethical behavior.
–Charlie Chaplin

The popularity and excitement surrounding the new HBO show, Westworld, should not obscure the reality that this show depicts. We are losing our ability to be human. Although there’s a multitude of film and television depictions of life-like humanoid robots, androids, and the like, none seem to wrestle with the fundamental question that such creations pose:

What does it mean to be human?

I believe this question is a great deal more urgent than a trite philosophical quandary. Modern innovations, both technological and philosophical have brought great order and control over our external world, but have left our inner worlds in utter turmoil and chaos.

The beauty of the show Westworld is its directness. Wealthy patrons of the future visit a Western styled theme-park (always amusement parks for Crichton…always literally amusing ourselves to death). Like Jurassic Park, things quickly go wrong as the robotic creations rebel against their creators. The proposed threshold of humanity for the show seems to be rebellion against one’s creator. True volitional control, true artificial intelligence remains the elusive goal, the reward for finishing the final modern “maze” of scientific and technological progression.

Yet, the show depicts these supposed robots as more human and caring than most of the “real” humans that come to the Westworld park. In fact, the one human in the entire park that seems to have a soul, Bernard, turns out to be a “host,” a robot imitation of one of the founders of the park. The only human patron we get an extended look at in show is the “man in black” (love the Johnny Cash reference here). He is a man of such deep darkness that begs the question:

Where’s our humanity gone?

When robots seem more humane than humans—and we find it believable—we must start to ask serious soul-searching questions.

I believe these questions should always point us to the “second Adam,” to Jesus. Jesus not only died for our sins (passive obedience), but He lived a perfect life so that we don’t have to (active obedience).

I believe Jesus alone can teach us to truly be human.

God has hardwired a deep longing, a deep loneliness that cannot be easily fixed or fulfilled: “He has put eternity into man’s heart.” When we believe the “myth of progress” that science, technology, and our intellect can conquer any problem, we deny this fundamental truth. Hear that verse again in its full context:

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from beginning to end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

Jesus was no mad scientist. He never called for robotic perfection. Instead, he called simple fisherman from a backwater province to follow Him. Jesus loved those with the least amount of utilitarian value: the blind and sick, collaborators and prostitutes, sinners and misfits. Jesus included such unwelcome and unlikely characters into His new Kingdom.

There are two competing realities in our quest to be truly human: the way God created us to be.

First, we must accept that it’s not about me, that “it is not good for man to be alone,” that we were created to be in community. Second, we are created to be a truly unique expression of the beauty of God as we steward the various gifts God has given us. This drive to be both unique and included, both creative and orderly causes a painful tension. Modern science and technology often thrives off of this creative impulse, but if left unchecked, can kill our ability to commune with one another. Even technologies that claim to connect us can subtly separate. Even the apostles were overwhelmed with the communication technologies of their era:

“Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete” (2 John 1:12).