Do Clones Dream of Being Humans? Cinematic Fictions around Transhumanist Dehumanisation

Abstract

This study explores the evolving cultural and literary imagination surrounding human cloning, with particular attention to its portrayal in dystopian and science fiction narratives from the early twentieth century to the present. Drawing on philosophical, ethical, and sociopolitical contexts, it traces how cloning has served as a lens through which anxieties about human identity, individuality, and agency are articulated. The work situates cloning within broader debates on human enhancement and the implications of scientific intervention, referencing foundational literary examples such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. It highlights how the notion of cloning, initially intertwined with fears of dehumanization and totalitarian control, later intersects with critiques of consumerism, neoliberalism, and technological commodification in a globalized society. By analysing a wide range of cultural texts – including literature and cinema – the paper examines how representations of cloning have moved from depicting clones as mere instruments of horror or scientific hubris toward more nuanced reflections on shared vulnerability in the face of an increasingly deregulated world. Ultimately, this approach underscores the relevance of cloning as a metaphor for contemporary concerns about the erosion of agency and the fragile boundaries of human identity in the context of capitalist and technopolitical forces.