Abstract: This thesis deals with the question of human subjecthood. What makes us Subjects? The innovations in computer science and artificial intelligence prompt a follow up question: When and how...Show moreAbstract: This thesis deals with the question of human subjecthood. What makes us Subjects? The innovations in computer science and artificial intelligence prompt a follow up question: When and how can an artificial intelligence or artificial life form be considered a Subject? In a comparison between man and machine this essay investigates different notions of Subjecthood. Introducing a narratological concept of subjecthood based on Bal’s narratology leads to the conclusion that the subject object division isn’t a binary opposition. Analysing Heidegger’s theory of agency as well as Freud and Lacan their narratives of development in psychoanalytical theory illustrate the importance of a split within the Subject, a split between what it needs and what it learns. The space between internal and external forces in an agent allow a Subject to come into being pointing out how the individual needs society in order to exist.Show less
