Artificial intelligence and first contact with an alien species are two popular science fiction topics. They are popular because they deal with something humanity might very well experience in the future. That raises an important philosophical question; How will humanity react when faced with a completely alien intelligence either man-made or extra-terrestrial? Iris Murdoch essay, “The Idea of Perfection” explains how humanity interacts with the unknown, or the sublime, by masking the sublime with knowledge and experiences already obtained previously instead of approaching it as completely unknown. This theory is presented in the film “Ex Machina” and Mary Doria Russell’s novel “The Sparrow”. In both of these works the characters meet mysterious and completely foreign life forms which forces them to adapt by …show more content…
They were unable to separate the world around them from themselves. It takes total discipline to approach the sublime with the caution and respect it deserves. To Murdoch this is the struggle we all humans face when advancing the sublime. The moral activity of attention is a process that never stops. As soon as this slips and fantasies are created to mask the unknown then the ability of moral action degrades. What may seem right in this fantasy may turn out devastating in reality. If Caleb had kept his attention focused he could have detected the attempted manipulations. If the crew in “The Sparrow” did not draw incomplete conclusions about the new world and its people they all might have survived and created a mutual relationships between two worlds. As rational beings they failed when they believed they found answers. So how will humanity react when faced with a completely alien intelligence either man-made or extra-terrestrial? The answer remains to be seen. However, these works of science-fiction highlight the struggle of overcoming ourselves to successfully navigate this