Quest for Immortality in the Age of Transhumanism: An Analysis through Western Cinema

Authors : Gülsen Çankal, Said Topal, Selahattin Çankal

Pages : 1-16

Doi:10.31123/akil.1629845

View : 95 | Download : 58

Publication Date : 2025-04-28

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Transhumanism is an intellectual movement that aims to transcend the biological and cognitive limits of humanity through technological innovations. Science fiction movies offer a comprehensive insight into social aspirations and fears over future technologies, generating much debate on the potential impacts and repercussions of transhumanism. The research intends to explore the human relationship with death and immortality in the context of transhumanism, utilizing the movie Zardoz (1974), Mr. Nobody (2009), Transcendence (2014), and Self/Less (2015) as case studies. Indeed, one of the perennial concerns that individuals ponder and try to make sense throughout their lives is death and the uncertainty about it serves as the basis for ontological questioning. Cinema, being as a reflection of human life, reveals existential concerns, fears and desires to the audience while facilitating understanding. In Western cinema, immortality is gets examined from multiple angles and treated through diverse themes. In the science fiction genre, immortality constructed by reliance on tangible things differs from other genres. This study employs thematic analysis, a qualitative method for identifying, analyzing and reporting patterns or themes in the data. The research reveals that immortality correlates with scientific and technological advancements, an idealized lifestyle highlights youth, and the moral and the ethical quandaries and existential concerns associated with immortality may significantly threaten the potential to impact human nature profoundly.
Keywords : Ölümsüzlük, Transhümanizm, Posthumanizm, Batı Sineması, Bilim Kurgu Filmleri