Wall E: Technology and a telos

Pixar’s “Wall-E” is now reputed to be among the most profound and prophetic films of the past 20 years.

The synopsys: After hopelessly polluting the Earth and leaving an army of robots to clean up the planet, humans now live aboard a giant ship built by a company that promises to take care of all its passengers’ needs. Thus, humans are left with nothing to do but amuse themselves and eat a lot.

Many people in Christendom wrote off the Pixar classic because of its hyper-environmentalist message.

However, the film’s commentary on human exceptionalism and vocation, specifically the inability of our machines to do our most important work for us, was a good job.

In the world of “Wall-E,” human beings have a purpose, or a telos, that cannot be reduced to maximizing comfort, safety and convenience.

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