怪物的生命計算性談《異形》中的怪物形式與增生

本文以科幻怪物片《異形》為出發探討怪物形式生成與計算性之間的關聯。相較於傳統怪物研究將怪物形式視為隱喻的看法，本文認為怪物性與其形式的生產密切相關。怪物性與形式的探討可追溯自亞里士多德。亞里士多德認為生命形式必須服膺其目的性，也就是後代之於雙親(尤其是父)的相肖性，而後代的生殖繁衍則必須延續以父為尊的生命形式方為正統。相較於亞氏以目的因定義生命形式的看法，《異形》系列則提出了兩種怪物生命計算性：母性怪物性反轉了以父形式為尊的生命正統，而怪物增生性則更直搗黃龍，將生命形式最基進的破壞可塑性耙梳而出。論文分為三部分。第一部分聚焦亞里士多德對於生命形式、怪物性、與四因論的看法，探討其所隱含的父系生命繁衍正統。第二部分則以《異形》四部曲為分析對象，析論母性怪物性之顛覆性。論文最後探討則以馬拉布的「破壞可塑性」出發，將《異形》前傳中黑質所觸發的怪物生命增生視為是奠基於偶發性的怪物生命計算性呈現。

This paper takes sci-fi monster film series Alien as a point of departure to tease out the vexed relationship between monstrous form and the computability of life. The discussion of form and monstrosity can be traced back to Aristotle, who adopted the theory of four causes to claim that any form of life should follow and reproduce paternal resemblance (especially that of the father) to be defined as a valid form of life. In contradistinction to Aristotle’s point of view, the Alien series proposes two alternative modes of monstrous computability to challenge the claim: one is maternal monstrosity that reverses the hierarchy of paternal resemblance and laws of procreation; the other is monstrous proliferation that takes what Catherine Malabou terms“destructive plasticity”as the foundation of the computability of life. The paper is divided into three parts. The first part discusses Aristotle’s notion of life form, monstrosity, and the doctrine of four causes and exposes its internal patrilineal, anthropocentric agenda. The second part discusses the subversion of maternal monstrosity in the Alien quadrilogy. The last part of the essay focuses on the special lifeinducing chemical substance in the two prequels and examines its monstrous computability based on accident and destructive plasticity.