Creator and creature in William Gibson´s "Neuromancer": the promethean motif in science fiction

Abstract

The human pursuit of knowledge is the core of the Prometheus myth and science fiction (SF). The punishment of Prometheus is a reflection of the double nature of know­ledge: it can be used for the benefit or the destruction of humanity. SF shares this topic, representing the complex relation between the human race and knowledge through many forms: the encounter with alien cultures and extraterrestrials, the consequences of technologi­cal development, and the confrontation between civilization and its creations. SF works are contemporary representations of the Promethean drama, especially in the narratives that deal with the relation between creators and creatures. This relation is a reaction to what Hans Blu­menberg calls the "absolutism of reality": humankind's belief that it cannot fully control the conditions of its existence. The creator-versus-creature drama in SF evolves through a pro­gressive selection of narratives that aim to give the Prometheus myth a final interpretation. From the monstrous creature of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein to the godlike artificial intelli­gences of William Gibson's Neuromancer, the relation between creator and creature in SF de­veloped into new and complex configurations. SF's cyberpunk genre attempts to overcome the creator and creature dichotomy through the humanization of the creature and the objecti­fication of human identity, summarized in the figure of the cyborg. Contemporary cyberpunk literature unifies humankind and its machines in a post human existence, where the differenc­es between organic and artificial self-awareness are demoted. The Prometheus myth is then turned into a quest of identity by beings that are both creators and creatures.