Are Non-Humans Capable of Feeling Empathy?
In its most basic terms, consciousness is “to be aware—to know—to be situated in an experiential field of revelation of existence” states futurist scholar Tom Lombardo (3). Consciousness does not necessarily indicate a capacity for empathy. So we must ask ourselves, do non-human beings, like WALL-E and noocytes even feel empathy, a fundamental emotion that humans define as necessary for connection?
The humans in Blood Music anthropomorphize the noocytes’ complex existence. For example, when Bernard asks the noocytes within himself if he can speak to an individual noocyte, they reply saying “We have studied INDIVIDUAL in your conception. We do not fit the word”; indicating that one, they are not individual entities, and they had to take the time to learn what it meant (Bear 184). Furthermore, in Bernard’s final log before his “soul” is absorbed by the noocytes, Bernard shares that the noocytes “love. They cooperate. They have discipline, yet are free ... They now know me, thru and thru. All my thoughts and motives” (Bear 254). The noocytes feel a kind of absolute “connection” with one another that it transcends our conventional definition of empathy, and by the end of the novel, they have extended their reach to the majority of humanity.
The humans in Blood Music anthropomorphize the noocytes’ complex existence. For example, when Bernard asks the noocytes within himself if he can speak to an individual noocyte, they reply saying “We have studied INDIVIDUAL in your conception. We do not fit the word”; indicating that one, they are not individual entities, and they had to take the time to learn what it meant (Bear 184). Furthermore, in Bernard’s final log before his “soul” is absorbed by the noocytes, Bernard shares that the noocytes “love. They cooperate. They have discipline, yet are free ... They now know me, thru and thru. All my thoughts and motives” (Bear 254). The noocytes feel a kind of absolute “connection” with one another that it transcends our conventional definition of empathy, and by the end of the novel, they have extended their reach to the majority of humanity.
In the context of the movie, there is no reason for WALL-E to even have the capacity for empathy, let alone consciousness, since his primary purpose is to compact trash. Therefore, some would question whether WALL-E and EVA actually capable of experiencing emotion or empathy. However, WALL-E exhibits many of incredible acts kindness and self-sacrifice as well as a desire for connection. For example, when EVE goes into hibernation mode, WALL-E goes to great lengths, putting himself in harm’s way, to protect and comfort her. He wraps her in Christmas lights, which he himself loves and finds comforting, and even gets zapped with lightning when protecting her from the rain. Additionally, WALL-E makes the ultimate sacrifice by being crushed when he tries to help the humans return home. WALL-E’s self-sacrificing actions are irrational and see no immediate gain, indicating he does feel compassion and empathy for his fellow being, even if he is made of metal. However, that is not to say all AI in WALL-E are portrayed in this light.
The Axiom’s autopilot AI robot, AUTO, is an exception to this WALL-E’s train of friendly AI. He does not sympathize with the captain's desire for the Axiom to return to Earth, focusing only on his original directive, and must be put in manual mode for the ship to move forward towards the Earth. AUTO prioritizes maintaining objective over compromise. In portraying AUTO as “bad” and WALL-E “good,” WALL-E frames its characters in an incredibly simplistic way. It is important to keep in mind WALL-E’s target audience is primarily young children, arguably even before speaking age, since most of the film is without dialogue. In order to make its premise easy for children to digest, WALL-E has a very black and white view of any moral issues that arise from the technological Singularity when it comes to connection and empathy. EVE starts out similar to AUTO in that she is focused only on her “directive,” but she changes over the course of the movie after she experiences WALL-E’s selflessness and connects with him because of it. AUTO is isolated in the captain’s cabin and seems to have very little interact outside of it, which does not rule out the possibility that AUTO could have been capable of empathy, but never had the chance to do it.
The Axiom’s autopilot AI robot, AUTO, is an exception to this WALL-E’s train of friendly AI. He does not sympathize with the captain's desire for the Axiom to return to Earth, focusing only on his original directive, and must be put in manual mode for the ship to move forward towards the Earth. AUTO prioritizes maintaining objective over compromise. In portraying AUTO as “bad” and WALL-E “good,” WALL-E frames its characters in an incredibly simplistic way. It is important to keep in mind WALL-E’s target audience is primarily young children, arguably even before speaking age, since most of the film is without dialogue. In order to make its premise easy for children to digest, WALL-E has a very black and white view of any moral issues that arise from the technological Singularity when it comes to connection and empathy. EVE starts out similar to AUTO in that she is focused only on her “directive,” but she changes over the course of the movie after she experiences WALL-E’s selflessness and connects with him because of it. AUTO is isolated in the captain’s cabin and seems to have very little interact outside of it, which does not rule out the possibility that AUTO could have been capable of empathy, but never had the chance to do it.