After watching "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"

Ah..it has been sometime since I have had a good show like this to trigger my philosophical thirst. First off let me state that I see many parallels between this movie and A.I on some key philosophical issues.

First, we encounter the issue of Self-awareness. And with it, the movie posited the conundrum of Caesar possessing self-awareness but discovering that his physical shell does not allow him the luxury of such a gift. In fact, this is what disrupts his inner peace. For he has achieved a level of intelligence that allows him to dream of wider horizons and question his position as a second-class entity in the world of man. "Is Caesar a pet?" he asks Rodman. "I am your father," Rodman replies.

I also enjoyed the tongue in cheek allusion to the classic movie where the ape scientists referred to the astronaut as "Bright Eyes". We look into the eyes for signs of intelligence, for the spark, for brightness. And often intelligent beings try to measure intelligence of others based on their own. This is flawed but understandable, how then can one make sense of something else alien but firstly through a system of knowledge over which one has sufficient mastery over? However, we must be truly wise to appreciate and continuously remind ourselves that we do not and cannot know all. When I interact with Hunter on a daily basis, I find that perhaps he is the more intelligent of us two for he has to learn my alien ways. Him having to subjugate his behaviorism to my way of life does not make me more intelligent or superior, it just reflects the power nexus between man and animal. He has no way to articulate and push forth his thoughts and rights. Thus I find the scene when Caesar says "NO" highly provoking as the first word that he masters and projects is the word which rejects the relationship between man and ape. This progresses when he also purposely allows himself to feel the sting of the electric prod (the symbol of man's violent domination over animals)so as to deny and overcome it.

I will write more in a bit.