It's no surprise that people are intrigued by, and wonder about, the progression of technology in humanity's future. Robots who take care of the menial tasks we drudge through each day, androids who are able to speak and even "think" like we do, instantaneous transportation...the span of man's imagination of what the future holds is boundless. And yet, there still exists that small nagging voice in the back of our minds: What if it's not all it's cracked up to be? Is it possible that there could be some caveats that would arise, as we push forward relentlessly? These two sides of the topic are both perspectives that can be discussed to great length; as a result, it's no surprise that numerous forms of media have attempted to parse out the pros and cons of technological advancement.

The style of Japanese animation, often nicknamed "anime," has produced numerous visions on the state of man's future with technology, ranging from co-habitation with androids and robots to post-apocalyptic wartime against invading machine forces. As expansive as the style is, I've chosen to focus on a fairly recent addition, Gen Urobuchi's Psycho-Pass. Released in 2012, the show is set in a future not too removed from our own present, and is for the most part a gritty detective program. However, it also delves deep into the concepts of transhumanism, ontology of the human, and the impact social structure has on personal identity, all viewed through the lens of dependency on technology. It should be cautioned that this blog is not a means to provide an in-depth summary on the entire series, but rather to tie in the aforementioned ideas with a number of literature works and articles discussed in class. Granted, there will be spoilers (obviously), but to get the full effect, I would encourage anyone who reads this to watch the show first, or at least the corresponding episodes for each post. Other than that, there's not much to say, so I hope you enjoy!