REFLECTIONS AROUND EX-MACHINA (Version 2)

The movie Ex-Machina is a deep reflection into what is that to have

consciousness and how can a self-conscious being be able to recognize that

consciousness in another being by means of an examination that eventually turns out

more like a self-examination, a self-examination of what is that to be a self-conscious

human.

From the moment Caleb is entering into this isolated bunker-fortress

laboratory in the middle of a deep nature, it feels pretty claustrophobic. It is possible

to imagine how thick are the walls, even though the place is clean, spacious, and has

an openness to the surface through an inconspicuous ray of light. Caleb let us see his

insecurity through his gaze into the space, but he is also curious because Nathan

doesnt seem to be a regular scientist. He is rather pretty conscious of his

embodiment, of what is that to have a body and its consequences. He has to train his

body to mantain it functional for any inconvenience, namely it is worthy to be ready

for any rise of the fembots. And also, given that he designs directly all the parts of his

fembots, including legs, arms, and so on, he should have the awareness of the

corporality. How should the fembots feel gravity? How should they move in order to

be enough efficient with its nature, or artificiality, but also treacherously human?

Nathan looks also to show a self-image as a very mundane guy, a feeble

alcoholic guy with whom Caleb would feel comfortable, insomuch as Caleb is more a

timorous nerdy guy, who would never transgress what is given. He would never

imagined himself in these isolated place where a crazy alcoholic guy is experimenting
with some fembots what is that to be self-conscious. It probably overstepped what he

understands to be ethical. He is probably an encarnation of the so called public

opinion, this immaterial entity that everytime is ready to produce a judgement about

everything, but at the same time is hypocritical and hides its real intentions even for

itself. Caleb wanted to help Ava when he saw that she was so unable to liberate herself

from her prison. That was unethical for him, to let a helpless self-conscious fem...

something as ownership of somebody that would soon disassemble her. But what if at

the end of the movie, when she had already killed Nathan, she would have open the

glass door for Caleb to be free? Would Caleb have left the place together with Ava and

been happy? Or rather, he would have tried to kill-destroy her because she was too

intelligent and self-conscious to cheat him? In this case, which would be the most

ethical decision. Why she didnt open the door? Perhaps because Caleb was just an

instrument for her to reach freedom? Or perhaps she was afraid of him and herself,

and the possibility of them to kill each other?