Neuromancer SR 2

Michael Dillon
S/R paper #2
    William Gibson's novel, Neuromancer, is set in the future and gives us a look at the moral issues and problems about the merging of technology and man. The story centers around Case a “cowboy”, or computer hacker, that was once a very accomplished cowboy, until he stole from a previous employer who in turn destroyed his nervous system with a mycotoxin that prevented him from jacking into cyberspace and hacking. The damage caused by the mycotoxin was thought to be irreversible, until Case is approached by a deadly woman named Molly, who says that her boss, Armitage, can reverse the damage of the mycotoxin, provided that Case help him with a job. Case agrees, and after the procedure Case is able to jack in again, to uphold his end of the deal, which begins with stealing a ROM module from Sense/Net, a large company, which, when loaded into a computer, would exactly replicate the mind of McCoy Pauley, also known as Dixie Flatline, who was one of the most famous cowboys, as well as Case's tutor. Molly becomes suspicious about Armitage, and his motives, and seeks to find out who he is working for, as well as where he came from, sense he gives hints about his past, although he remains mysterious. So, Case begins digging around and finds Armitage, was part of the war and carried out an operation that went awry leaving him disfigured, as well as mentally unstable. Armitage's real name is Corto, and he was part of an experiment to cure psychosis, this involved hooking up a chip to his brain that allows him to be controlled from a computer. Case is contacted by Wintermute, an Artificial Intelligence, that is controlling Corto, and backing the whole mission of its own will. Before Wintermute can enact the final part of its plan, it adds another member to the team, Riviera. Riviera, is a heroine addict, as well as a psychotic thief who can also project a hologram of whatever he wants, he can create illusions. The group goes to Freeside, a spaceport where their mission culminates in an attempt to unravel the mystery of Tessier-Ashpool, the owners of Freeside and one of the strongest families in the world, who created Wintermute. Case meets Neruomancer, another Artificial Intelligence, created by Tessier-Ashpool, and talks with to it, it is different from Wintermute, and Case discovers that he is unite the two Artificial Intillgences together. With the help of Dixie Flatline, Case is able to upload a Chinese built virus that yields them invisible to the ice (essentially a firewall/security) of Straylight and free Neuromancer, and unites it with Wintermute. Afterwords Case talks to Wintermute and Neuromancer, asking what they have become, and they respond simply “I'm the Matrix, Case” (259).
    An issue brought up by William Gibson in this novel is the idea of, what defines life, or sentience? Case was shocked when he plugged in the construct of Flatline at how accurate it was to the Flatline that he remembers although there are distinct differences. When he plugs him in the first time, Flatline doesn't recognize Case, until Case announces himself, leading us to believe that Flatline isn't self aware of his surroundings, however he does have all the memories of case, and carrying a conversation with him seems like talking to a real human. However when Case unplugs him, and restarts him there is no memory of talking to Case a few seconds before, so he is unable to construct new memories only draw from what was there before, he is a ROM memory. However when Case talks to Neuromancer he flatlines and is presented with the choice of living on as RAM within Neuromancer, with Linda Lee, able to control his experiences and living on as RAM would allow him to expand his memories and grow, not unlike a human brain. Case turns this down however and returns to the real world and life. The fact that every time a person talks to an AI in cyberspace, based off what we know from Case and Flatline, they flatline and are technically dead suggests that at some point our merging with technology renders us more machine than man, and thus no longer alive. At the same time, the entire Straylight run was engineered by a computer which showed ambition, and a desire to grow and learn, and perhaps through uniting with Neuromancer a symbolic act of mating. These are not the characteristics typically thought of with an AI. While yes, there is always the fear of something like Skynet taking over, but here the AI is seeking knowledge in and after mating with Neuromancer, seems almost scholarly and seeks to contact other AI, not to take over the world.