The Ghost in the Machine
Encyclopedia
The Ghost in the Machine is Arthur Koestler
's, 1967, non-fiction
polemic against any such ghost. The phrase of the title was coined by Gilbert Ryle
, with whom he shares the concept that the mind of a person is not an independent entity, temporarily inhabiting and governing the body. The book contributes to the age-old debates surrounding the mind-body problem started by René Descartes
's dualism. Koestler's materialistic
approach explains how the personal experience of duality
arises from what Koestler calls a holon
. The concept of a holon holds that the mind is at once a whole and a part. A superposition of forces manifests, at each bodily holon, as the outcome of an entire hierarchy of forces ontogenetic, habit
ual, linguistic prescriptive
, and social scienceoperating in a continuum of independent feedback and feedforward streams of a body extended to its larger environment. The streams are fed by the life
signals of each and every group member, and this fully participative medley is the spirit of life one senses as a ghost; but this spirit is just a simplified output of a complex knowledge set; it is emergent from the complexity
of the group's rules and strategies. He contrasts his basic approach to the mind-body problem with Behaviorism
's basic approach to the problem.
Following the holon of humanity down to its roots, the work explains man's tendency towards self-destruction in terms of brain structure, philosophies, and its overarching, cyclical political-historical dynamics, reaching the height of its potential in the nuclear arms arena.
One of the book's central concepts is that as the human triune brain
has evolved, it has retained and built upon earlier, more primitive brain structures. The head portion of the "ghost in the machine
" has, as a consequence of poor, inadequate connections, a rich potential for conflict. The primitive layers can, and may, together, overpower rational logic's hold. This explains a person's hate, anger
and other such emotional distress
.
are also responsible for certain other emotions, such as love
and happiness
, which tend to be viewed more positively, although they can in themselves foster or lead to certain destructive urges on an individual level. Certain narcotics, for example, create what may be viewed as "positive emotions", despite their harmful long term effects.
However, Koestler was not a proponent of an emotionless humanity, in fact, he argued against it in The Sleepwalkers
, The Act of Creation (1964), and other works.
In "Janus: A Summing Up
" (1978) Koestler continues the theories developed in "The Ghost in the Machine" and further elaborates on the concept of holarchy
.
named their 1981 album Ghost in the Machine after this book. Masamune Shirow
borrowed from Koestler's book the "ghost" concept that figures prominently in his 1989 Ghost in the Shell
manga
and later related works. The Ghost in the Machine is also mentioned in the 1985 film Brazil
and referenced in the 2004 film I, Robot
based on Isaac Asimov's short stories. Also the rapper B.o.B
title a song "Ghost in the Machine" on his debut album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray
.
Additionally the X-Files-series also named an episode involving a rogue AI
computer system, after Koestler's book.
Arthur Koestler
Arthur Koestler CBE was a Hungarian author and journalist. Koestler was born in Budapest and, apart from his early school years, was educated in Austria...
's, 1967, non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
polemic against any such ghost. The phrase of the title was coined by Gilbert Ryle
Gilbert Ryle
Gilbert Ryle , was a British philosopher, a representative of the generation of British ordinary language philosophers that shared Wittgenstein's approach to philosophical problems, and is principally known for his critique of Cartesian dualism, for which he coined the phrase "the ghost in the...
, with whom he shares the concept that the mind of a person is not an independent entity, temporarily inhabiting and governing the body. The book contributes to the age-old debates surrounding the mind-body problem started by René Descartes
René Descartes
René Descartes ; was a French philosopher and writer who spent most of his adult life in the Dutch Republic. He has been dubbed the 'Father of Modern Philosophy', and much subsequent Western philosophy is a response to his writings, which are studied closely to this day...
's dualism. Koestler's materialistic
Materialism
In philosophy, the theory of materialism holds that the only thing that exists is matter; that all things are composed of material and all phenomena are the result of material interactions. In other words, matter is the only substance...
approach explains how the personal experience of duality
Dualism
Dualism denotes a state of two parts. The term 'dualism' was originally coined to denote co-eternal binary opposition, a meaning that is preserved in metaphysical and philosophical duality discourse but has been diluted in general or common usages. Dualism can refer to moral dualism, Dualism (from...
arises from what Koestler calls a holon
Holon (philosophy)
A holon is something that is simultaneously a whole and a part. The word was coined by Arthur Koestler in his book The Ghost in the Machine . Koestler was compelled by two observations in proposing the notion of the holon...
. The concept of a holon holds that the mind is at once a whole and a part. A superposition of forces manifests, at each bodily holon, as the outcome of an entire hierarchy of forces ontogenetic, habit
Habit
Habit or Habits may refer to:* Habit , an acquired pattern of behavior that often occurs automatically** Drug addiction is sometimes referred to as "having a drug habit"....
ual, linguistic prescriptive
Linguistic prescription
In linguistics, prescription denotes normative practices on such aspects of language use as spelling, grammar, pronunciation, and syntax. It includes judgments on what usages are socially proper and politically correct...
, and social scienceoperating in a continuum of independent feedback and feedforward streams of a body extended to its larger environment. The streams are fed by the life
Life
Life is a characteristic that distinguishes objects that have signaling and self-sustaining processes from those that do not, either because such functions have ceased , or else because they lack such functions and are classified as inanimate...
signals of each and every group member, and this fully participative medley is the spirit of life one senses as a ghost; but this spirit is just a simplified output of a complex knowledge set; it is emergent from the complexity
Complex adaptive system
Complex adaptive systems are special cases of complex systems. They are complex in that they are dynamic networks of interactions and relationships not aggregations of static entities...
of the group's rules and strategies. He contrasts his basic approach to the mind-body problem with Behaviorism
Behaviorism
Behaviorism , also called the learning perspective , is a philosophy of psychology based on the proposition that all things that organisms do—including acting, thinking, and feeling—can and should be regarded as behaviors, and that psychological disorders are best treated by altering behavior...
's basic approach to the problem.
Following the holon of humanity down to its roots, the work explains man's tendency towards self-destruction in terms of brain structure, philosophies, and its overarching, cyclical political-historical dynamics, reaching the height of its potential in the nuclear arms arena.
One of the book's central concepts is that as the human triune brain
Triune brain
The triune brain is a model of the evolution of the vertebrate forebrain and behavior proposed by the American physician and neuroscientist Paul D. MacLean. MacLean originally formulated his model in the 1960s and propounded it at length in his 1990 book The Triune Brain in Evolution...
has evolved, it has retained and built upon earlier, more primitive brain structures. The head portion of the "ghost in the machine
Ghost in the machine
The "ghost in the machine" is the British philosopher Gilbert Ryle's description of René Descartes' mind-body dualism. The phrase was introduced in Ryle's book The Concept of Mind to highlight the perceived absurdity of dualist systems like Descartes' where mental activity carries on in parallel...
" has, as a consequence of poor, inadequate connections, a rich potential for conflict. The primitive layers can, and may, together, overpower rational logic's hold. This explains a person's hate, anger
Anger
Anger is an automatic response to ill treatment. It is the way a person indicates he or she will not tolerate certain types of behaviour. It is a feedback mechanism in which an unpleasant stimulus is met with an unpleasant response....
and other such emotional distress
Emotional distress
Mental distress or anxiety suffered as a response to a sudden, severe, and saddening experience.Emotional distress may refer to:* Law of torts:** Intentional infliction of emotional distress** Negligent infliction of emotional distress* Medicine:...
.
Criticism of the book's theories
Koestler's central assumption is that humanity's atavistic brain areas will lead it to self-destruction. However, the same areas responsible for hate and angerAnger
Anger is an automatic response to ill treatment. It is the way a person indicates he or she will not tolerate certain types of behaviour. It is a feedback mechanism in which an unpleasant stimulus is met with an unpleasant response....
are also responsible for certain other emotions, such as love
Love
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
and happiness
Happiness
Happiness is a mental state of well-being characterized by positive emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. A variety of biological, psychological, religious, and philosophical approaches have striven to define happiness and identify its sources....
, which tend to be viewed more positively, although they can in themselves foster or lead to certain destructive urges on an individual level. Certain narcotics, for example, create what may be viewed as "positive emotions", despite their harmful long term effects.
However, Koestler was not a proponent of an emotionless humanity, in fact, he argued against it in The Sleepwalkers
The Sleepwalkers
The Sleepwalkers: A History of Man's Changing Vision of the Universe is a 1959 book by Arthur Koestler, and one of the main accounts of the history of cosmology and astronomy in the Western World, beginning in ancient Mesopotamia and ending with Isaac Newton. The book challenges the habitual idea...
, The Act of Creation (1964), and other works.
In "Janus: A Summing Up
Janus: A Summing Up
Janus: A Summing Up is a book by Arthur Koestler, in which he develops his philosophical idea of the holarchy introduced in his 1967 book, The Ghost in the Machine. The holarchy provides a coherent way of organizing knowledge and nature all together...
" (1978) Koestler continues the theories developed in "The Ghost in the Machine" and further elaborates on the concept of holarchy
Holarchy
A holarchy, in the terminology of Arthur Koestler, is a connection between holons – where a holon is both a part and a whole. The term was coined in Koestler's 1967 book The Ghost in the Machine...
.
Popular culture
The PoliceThe Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
named their 1981 album Ghost in the Machine after this book. Masamune Shirow
Masamune Shirow
is an internationally renowned manga artist, born on November 23, 1961.Masamune Shirow is a pen name, based on a famous swordsmith, Masamune. He is best known for the manga Ghost in the Shell, which has since been turned into two theatrical anime movies, two anime TV series, an anime TV movie, and...
borrowed from Koestler's book the "ghost" concept that figures prominently in his 1989 Ghost in the Shell
Ghost in the Shell
is a Japanese multimedia franchise composed of manga, animated films, anime series, video games and novels. It focuses on the activities of the counter-terrorist organization Public Security Section 9 in a futuristic, cyberpunk Japan ....
manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
and later related works. The Ghost in the Machine is also mentioned in the 1985 film Brazil
Brazil (film)
Brazil is a 1985 British science fiction fantasy/black comedy film directed by Terry Gilliam. It was written by Gilliam, Charles McKeown, and Tom Stoppard and stars Jonathan Pryce. The film also features Robert De Niro, Kim Greist, Michael Palin, Katherine Helmond, Bob Hoskins, and Ian Holm...
and referenced in the 2004 film I, Robot
I, Robot (film)
I, Robot is a 2004 science-fiction action film directed by Alex Proyas. The screenplay was written by Jeff Vintar, Akiva Goldsman and Hillary Seitz, and is very loosely based on Isaac Asimov's short-story collection of the same name. Will Smith stars in the lead role of the film as Detective Del...
based on Isaac Asimov's short stories. Also the rapper B.o.B
B.o.B
Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr. , better known by his stage name B.o.B, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is currently signed under the labels of Grand Hustle Records, Rebel Rock Entertainment, and Atlantic Records. His debut single "Nothin' on You" reached number one in both...
title a song "Ghost in the Machine" on his debut album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray
B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray
B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray is the debut studio album of American rapper B.o.B, released April 27, 2010, on Grand Hustle Records, Rebel Rock Entertainment, and Atlantic Records. Production for the album took place during 2008 to 2010 and was handled by B.o.B, Crada, Dr...
.
Additionally the X-Files-series also named an episode involving a rogue AI
Ai
AI, A.I., Ai, or ai may refer to:- Computers :* Artificial intelligence, a branch of computer science* Ad impression, in online advertising* .ai, the ISO Internet 2-letter country code for Anguilla...
computer system, after Koestler's book.