The Soul of the Golem

DANIEL H. CABRERA

Empedocles European Journal for the Philosophy of Communication

Intellect Ltd.

Lugar: Bristol - REINO UNIDO; Año: 2009 vol. 1 p. 107 - 107

1757-1952

There are many ways of interpreting the so-called ‘new technologies’. One of the most interesting is that which stems from defining them as a social imaginary, and therefore, as collective beliefs, fears and hopes. It is common to attribute to technologies all manner of threats that, founded or not, are real in the measure that the society makes decisions and acts in a way consistent with this conviction. The fears and anxieties of society lead to a consideration of the limits of the human that technologies transgress. Among the figures with which one speaks about these limits there is Frankenstein, the modern Prometheus, which threatens modern fantasies with its deformity. There is, however, another man-made creature that can serve to orient our reflection, the Golem. In 1609, 400 years ago, Rabbi Loew died. He is credited with the creation of a homunculus by combining of secret codes. The problem of the Golem was its imperfect soul made manifest in its la