A.I., Cyborgs, shamans and transcendence: Configuring the ISO and the mythopoeic sacred in Tron: Legacy

Efthimiou, O. (2013) A.I., Cyborgs, shamans and transcendence: Configuring the ISO and the mythopoeic sacred in Tron: Legacy. Journal of Concious Evolution, 9 .

Abstract

This essay explores the role of cyberspace in the 2010 film Tron: Legacy as an expression of the enduring relevance of religious symbolism and humanity's innate search for transcendence in modern technologies. Cyberspace is investigated as a sacred space of infinite possibilities in which humanity is redefined at the intersection of the digital, fantasy and consciousness. In the examination of the film's religious symbolism as a modern - day creation myth and its roots in shamanic cosmology, artificial intelligences in the movie depicted as highly complex humanoid information systems are proposed as a blueprint for an advanced mode of consciousness which integrates the worlds of science, spirituality and the fantastic. The "imaginative consciousness" will be proposed as the key means by which this may occur - the archetype of the 'woman - child' in the cybernetic figure of the 'ISO' in the movie is argued to represent a blueprint for the cellular and cognitive advancement of the human species, to a unique state of spiritual purity.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Murdoch Affiliation(s):	School of Arts
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/14077

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