Some reflections: Leiji Matsumoto’s Galaxy Express 999 is more than a classic anime; viewed today, it reads like a dark prophecy for humanity’s future.
In the story, people replace their flesh with machinery to achieve immortality. Back then, it was science fiction; today, it is an unfolding reality.
When we discuss Neuralink, mind uploading, or AI-assisted decision-making, we are essentially walking the path Tetsuro Hoshino yearned for—shedding our fragile vessels in pursuit of higher efficiency.
However, the “mechanized humans” in the story didn’t evolve into higher beings. Instead, they became apathetic and depraved, losing their empathy—their “warm blood.”
As we increasingly rely on algorithms and pursue extreme rationality, are we actively turning ourselves into “Machine Earls”?
Look at our world: top-tier medical resources, anti-aging technology, and the future allocation of AI compute power. Are we witnessing the formation of a new “Biological Chasm”? Only the ultra-rich can afford the mechanical body, while the poor perish like ants in a cruel universe. The ticket for the Galaxy Express 999 is an exclusive pass for the privileged class.
This is the philosophical core of the masterpiece. Maetel’s sorrow and Tetsuro’s ultimate refusal stem from a profound realization: Life is precious precisely because it is finite; dignity exists only because death is inevitable.
In an era that champions longevity and digital immortality, this classical humanism of “embracing mortality” seems out of place, yet incredibly precious.
But is that the whole truth?
Hypothetically, if the Galaxy Express 999 arrived in 2026 offering you a free ticket to “Digital Immortality”(uploading your consciousness to the cloud with infinite compute), at the cost of abandoning your physical body and all physiological desires—would you board the train?
You might hesitate. In the story, the destination—Planet Maetel—is built of countless people who wanted to become “gods.” They thought they were achieving eternal life, but they merely became living cogs to keep the planetary system running.
- If you upload your consciousness to serve a greater system (like a Super AI’s logic loop), do you possess power, or are you consumed by it?
- Where does the “will” come from in a “God” that feels no pain and fears no death?
- Without “scarcity” (the hunger for food, the longing for love), what drives you to create? Would you become a stone with infinite computing power?
When you lose your “warm blood” and the memory of being weak, what guarantees that you will be a benevolent god, rather than another “Machine Earl” who views humans as insects?
Yet, a dissonant voice in my head argues back:
If we insist that “dignity comes from mortality,” then isn’t it a cruel waste of human potential to let a genius (like Stephen Hawking) suffer in a decaying body just for the sake of this so-called dignity? Is suffering really the source of dignity, or is it just a consolation prize we invent because we are helpless against death?
You fear becoming a “cog” in a silicon system. But biologically, isn’t your current body—every cell, every DNA instruction—already a “cog” designed by nature for the grand program of species propagation?
Why do you assume that “Carbon-based instinct” is inherently more free than “Silicon-based logic”?
We assume that losing human vulnerability leads to evil. But historically, most atrocities (wars, genocides) stemmed from scarcity and the fear of death.
If an entity no longer needs to compete for food, territory, or lifespan—wouldn’t a “desireless” God be more capable of true peace and rationality than a fear-driven human?
If that train arrives, I still don’t have the answer.
Do you?
#GalaxyExpress999 #ArtificialIntelligence #Philosophy #Transhumanism #FutureOfWork
以下是中文版：
《银河铁道999》：是人类的挽歌，还是碳基生物的最后傲慢？
一些思考：《银河铁道999》（Galaxy Express 999）松本零士这部作品在今天看来就是一部关于人类未来的“黑色预言书”。
在故事里，人们为了追求永生，将肉体换成机械。这在当时是科幻，在今天却是正在发生的现实。
我们现在谈论的脑机接口（Neuralink）、意识上传、AI辅助决策，本质上都是在走星野铁郎想走的那条路——摆脱脆弱的肉体，追求更高效率的存在。
然而，剧中那些获得了机械身体的人，并没有变得更“高级”，反而变得冷漠、堕落，失去了作为人的同理心（所谓的“温热的血”）。当我们今天极度依赖算法、追求极致理性和效率时，我们是不是正在主动变成“机械伯爵”？
看看现在的世界，顶级医疗资源、抗衰老技术、甚至未来的AI算力分配，是不是正在形成一种新的“生物鸿沟”？只有极度富有的人才能买得起机械身体，穷人只能在这个残酷的宇宙中像蝼蚁一样死去。而《银河铁道999》的车票，就是通往“特权阶级”的入场券。
这是整部作品最振聋发聩的哲学内核。梅德尔（Maetel）之所以悲伤，铁郎之所以最后拒绝机械身体，就是因为他们意识到：正是因为生命有限，所以每一刻才值得珍惜；正是因为会死，所以活着才有尊严。
在这个都在鼓吹“长寿”、“永生”、“AI永存”的时代，这种“拥抱死亡”的古典人文主义思想，着实显得格格不入，却又无比珍贵。
但这真的是全部的真理吗？
假设在2026年的今天，真的有一列“银河铁道999”停在你面前。 只要上车，你就能免费获得一个“数字永生”的机会（意识上传云端，拥有无限算力），但代价是彻底抛弃肉体及所有生理欲望。
你会上车吗？
你可能会犹豫，因为机械帝国（Planet Maetel）本身就是由无数想要“成神”的人组成的。他们以为自己抛弃了肉体获得了永生，实际上只是变成了维持星球运转的“零件”（螺丝钉）。
- 如果你上传意识，但你的存在只是为了服务于一个更大的系统（比如超级AI的逻辑闭环），你如何判断你是“拥有”了力量，还是被力量“吞噬”了？
- 一个没有痛觉、没有死亡恐惧的“神”，它的“意志”从何而来？
- 如果没有了“匮乏”（饿了要吃，孤独了要爱），你还有什么动力去思考、去创造？你会不会变成一块拥有无限算力的“石头”？
当你失去了“温热的血”，失去了作为弱者的记忆，你凭什么保证你这个“神”是慈悲的，而不是另一个更高维度的、把人类当蝼蚁的“机械伯爵”呢？
然而，我的内心深处还有另一种刺耳的声音在辩驳：
如果我们坚持认为“因为会死，所以活着才有尊严”。那么，如果一个原本能通过“机械化”活下来的天才（比如霍金或伟大的艺术家），仅仅为了所谓的“死亡尊严”而被迫肉体腐烂，这难道不是对人类潜力的另一种残忍摧残吗？痛苦和匮乏真的是尊严的源泉，还是我们面对死亡无奈时的一种自我安慰呢？
如果你担心上传意识后会变成系统的“螺丝钉”。但从生物学角度看，你现在的肉体——每一个细胞、每一段DNA指令——难道不也是大自然为了“物种延续”这个宏大程序而设定的“零件”吗？ 你凭什么认为“碳基的本能驱动”就比“硅基的逻辑驱动”更自由？
如果你假设失去了弱者的记忆就会变得邪恶。但换个角度，人类历史上绝大多数的暴行（战争、屠杀、掠夺）恰恰源于肉体的“匮乏”和对死亡的“恐惧”。
如果一个存在不再需要为了食物、领土和寿命而竞争，一个“无欲求”的神，难道不比一个“充满恐惧”的人类更有可能实现真正的和平与理性吗？
这列火车如果真的来了，我依然没有答案。
你们呢？
#银河铁道999 #人工智能 #哲学思考 #Transhumanism #未来主义