Worldview Wednesday: Only Machine or Human?
Worldview Wednesday: Only Machine or Human?
In my Worldview II class this
semester, I was asked to write five short essays on the worldview contained in
five separate works of the media. The first work I chose was Christina Perri's
song, "Human." I chose to discuss the worldview of this song because
it provides an enlightening glimpse into our society’s understanding of what it
means to be human. Christina Perri sings, “I can turn it on / Be a good machine
/ I can hold the weight of worlds / If that’s what you need / Be your
everything / I can do it / I’ll get through it / But I’m only human.” In just
one verse, Perri hints at one of the major controversies of our age: are humans
more than mere machines?
Christina Perri separates her actions and feelings into two categories throughout the song: what she can do
and what humans in general do or feel. The Perri’s actions are actions
that could be performed by a machine or a robot, a mere object. She mentions
feigning emotions, and acting in whatever way suits the desires of the other individual
to whom she sings. These are all things she can do, for a time, and these are
all things that machines are capable of. Between these descriptions of what
humans and machines can both do, she highlights the main difference between
humans and machines. This difference is not merely physical frailty of humans,
but their possession of emotions that can be hurt: “‘Cause I’m only human / And
I bleed when I fall down /I’m only human / And I crash and I break down /Your
words in my head, knives in my heart / You build me up and then I fall apart /
‘Cause I’m only human.” There is an obvious inconsistency between what Perri will do and what she feels; however, I think that, perhaps, is Perri’s point. Humans often treat other humans or allow other humans to treat them like mere machines or objects, but Perri hints that this these actions are inconsistent with the way humans were meant to live. Perri points out that living in this way is harmful and destructive, “I’m only human / Just a little human / I can take so much / Until I’ve had enough.”
The implications of accepting the point of view regarding the nature of humanity in Christina Perri’s “Human” are beneficial if considered in light of other truths. One does not find, and should not expect to find, a complete and full explanation of human nature in such a brief lyrical work; however, one can learn that there are some fundamental differences between machines and humans, namely a capacity for real emotions. The origins of these emotions are not identified in this song, but it is clear that these emotions could not be originating from a mere mechanic process because they refer to more than the physical expression of joy or sadness that can be expressed by a robot; rather they refer to an inner state of the soul. Taken alone, this song at least provokes appropriate concern for the current corrupted state of human interaction, though the song neglects to provide a remedy.[1]
[1]. lovemspenny, “Christina Perri - Human [Official Video],” YouTube video,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5yaoMjaAmE (accessed April 29, 2014).
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