The Paradox of the Sublime: The Interplay of Humanity and Technology in Jordan Harrison’s Marjorie Prime

Abstract

This study analyses Jordan Harrison’s Marjorie Prime through the lens of the digital sublime, which encapsulates the awe-inspiring and deeply unsettling dimensions of technological advancement. Employing the frameworks of the sublime articulated by Edmund Burke and Immanuel Kant and the modern perspective , which underscore the tension between technology's transcendent possibilities and its capacity to disturb human experience, the study illustrates how Marjorie Prime embodies the paradox of the sublime. The research seeks to critically examine Marjorie Prime's engagement with the concept of the digital sublime, highlighting the ethical implications of portraying AI as both a technological marvel and a source of existential unease. The research aims to elucidate how the play explores the ethical, emotional, and philosophical consequences of a society in which technology claims to improve the human experience while threatening the essence of humanity.  The study demonstrates that Marjorie Prime serves as a profound commentary on the paradox of the sublime in the digital age, as the play underscores the tension between technical idealism and the enduring complexities of human emotion, memory, and relationships. Employing Gibson’s technique, the research finds that Marjorie Prime urges audiences to consider the consequences of a world where technology claims to augment human experience while threatening the essence of humanity.