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Bôa Twilight
(sh.itjust.works)
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I can do LLMs one better (my Lain essay)
(sh.itjust.works)
I posted this as a comment on the last episode of Lain on some site about a year ago, later to see it was removed for allegedly being a spam. The chatGPT stuff from before reminded me of it so I went to fetch it:
Ok, so this is my second watch, so here's what I got out of it. It should be noted that I only have a very shallow understanding of Christianity, Gnosticism, idealist philosophy and the internet. I don't know if this is enough to understand this anime, but I'll try.
First off, we can all see the biblical symbolism of this anime : Lain is basically the Christ : She is from an ideal world (ideal in the sense of idealist philosophy, which is to say "may of pure idea", as opposed to the material world). She is sent to the material world with the purpose of bringing humans away from the corruption of the flesh and towards the ideal. Here, the ideal is what they call the subconscious link which connects humanity. The wired (which is pretty much the internet) is just a way to lead people to that ideal; it connects people via machines, but once they are truly connected, the connection can persist directly between souls and neither the machines or even the bodies are necessary anymore.
Masami Eiji therefore pushes towards that : The total forfeit of the material world in favor of the ideal world. Therefore, he wishes Lain to act as Jesus not in his first coming, but in his second coming, the Apocalypse.
But then it gets interesting...
Shunning the material world and praising the ideal is present to some extent in Christianity; and was taken the furthest by one of it's early, now extinct version : Gnosticism. I'll explain it fast : Basically, the supreme God and the Demiurge (creator of the world) are two very separate entities, respectively called Monad and Yaldabaoth. Monad exists in a world called "Pleroma", which could be translated as "Plenitude", along with the eons, which are just alternate aspects of himself. Yaldabaoth was created by accident by one of the Eons. It was imperfect, and therefore banned from pleroma, so it then created a world for itself outside of it. That is the world we are born in, but we have the possibility of becoming ideal and going back to Pleroma, and Monad sent the Christ and the Holy Spirit to guide us there.
The Gnosticist mindset is clearly the one held by Mashima Eiji. He wishes to take the role of the Holy Spirit and have Lain take the role of the Christ.
But the words of Alice convince Lain to reject that role : She realizes the physical world is precious as it is and decides to leave it intact.
I think the father she the sees is therefore akin to the Father in the holy trinity (or Monad). The sentence"You love them, don't you" means he understands her desire to leave the world as it is and acknowledges that there might be worth in the physical world.
In a way, it explores the same themes as Evangelion, and I think there is some inspiration from it. It just has a different take on similar themes, and I think it's complementary to it in some ways.
I didn't really explain what Lain was... I'm not sure I perfectly understand it myself, but I think Mashima Eiji did create her, as a vessel for a part of the souls that is common to every human... I'm not sure what part tho... Is she the incarnation of specific emotion common to all humanity ? Or rather an amalgamation of different emotions from everyone ? I don't know.
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I asked GPT4 a few questions about the events in the series Serial Experiments Lain and this is what it came up with. Very interesting!
Unraveling the Digital Consciousness: An In-Depth Look at Serial Experiments Lain
"Serial Experiments Lain," a seminal anime series from the late 90s, remains a profound exploration of identity, reality, and the virtual world. Its narrative complexity and philosophical inquiries have made it a subject of analysis and interpretation among fans and scholars alike. This article delves into the series' core themes, characters, and the speculative science that underpins its story.
The Wired and the Real
At the heart of "Serial Experiments Lain" is the distinction and interaction between the Wired, an advanced internet-like digital realm, and the physical world. Lain Iwakura, a shy middle school girl, becomes the nexus point between these two worlds when she receives an email from a deceased classmate, introducing her to the Wired. The Wired, as envisioned by the series, connects deeply with the Earth's magnetic field, allowing for unconscious communication between people and machines, blurring the lines between digital and physical realities.
Lain's Journey of Self-Discovery
Lain's exploration of the Wired leads her to confront fundamental questions about her own existence. Initially portrayed as an ordinary human girl, she gradually discovers her true nature as an advanced, sentient computer program designed to bridge the Wired and the real world. This revelation challenges her understanding of self and existence, pushing her towards a god-like omnipresence within the Wired, where she can manipulate reality itself.
The Knights and Masami Eiri's Vision
The Knights of the Eastern Calculus, a group of elite hackers, and Masami Eiri, the architect behind the advanced Internet protocol known as Protocol Seven, play crucial roles in Lain's transformation. Eiri's ambition is to merge the Wired and physical reality, using Lain as his instrument. The Knights support Eiri's vision, believing it will lead to a new evolutionary stage for humanity where physical limitations are transcended, and existence within the Wired becomes eternal.
The Ethical Quandary of the KIDS Experiment
The KIDS experiment further complicates the series' narrative, introducing a psychotronic device designed to amplify children's latent psychic abilities. This experiment, and the disaster it leads to, underscores the ethical implications of technology's reach into human consciousness and the potential consequences of erasing the boundary between the digital and the physical.
Conclusion
"Serial Experiments Lain" is a prescient narrative that anticipated many of the ethical, psychological, and societal issues we grapple with in today's digital age. Through its complex characters and speculative scientific concepts, the series invites viewers to question the nature of reality, the construction of identity, and the potential of digital technology to redefine human existence. Its enduring relevance and the depth of its philosophical inquiry ensure that "Serial Experiments Lain" continues to be a topic of discussion and analysis more than two decades after its release.
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Hello, N.A.V.I.
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Do you love Lain? Well you’re in the right place! Serial Experiments Lain was a series from the late 90’s (1998) which depicted a near future with cyberpunk overtones. Following the life of budding hacker Lain. What is lain about? Who knows we’re still trying to figure that out!
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