For centuries human beings try to answer difficult questions related to their origin and their purpose. Myth, later literature and arts are used to explore the topic and to enlighten or add to the matter extra doubt. Led by their insatiable desire to reveal, discover, invent people fulfill the mythopoetic role given to them in the Bible - God-like creatures destined to long for the lost divinity and trying to become demiurges.
In this sense, literature and arts have always been the “tools”, the “devices” human imagination uses to fuel the endless search. Ever since “Frankenstein” the creation and the consequence of it are central themes and motives in a world more and more preoccupied with technical advance. Science and fiction unite their searches to conquer the established notions of what is human and what is not and expand our understanding. The emerging of machines, the IT and even the robots in our life we become more conscious of technical progress and more concerned about the boundaries of humanity.
The two films “I, Robot” and “Bicentennial Man” pose and try to answer the same and similar questions.
“I, Robot” is set in a future utopian reality, where robots are the preferable pets and errand-boys for the humans. They are designed to obey the three laws of robotics formulated by Asimov. The first thing that pokes the eye is that the robots are human-like in built. The difference in appearance is that they are not dressed in skin and are produced in serial numbers which make them strikingly similar. So far, so good - incidents are reduced, human power is replaced by mechanized one. But there is Detective Spooner who gets up every morning with the conviction that robots are not that reliable as it is thought. His prejudice towards robots lies in his previous traumatic experience. A robot saves his life but disobeys his direct order to rescue a young girl because it estimates that his chances of survival are higher. This episode reveals a lot about how the question of what is human and what is not is treated in the film. At one point Detective Spooner retells the story and concludes that if it had been a human, he or she would have known to save the little girl despite any logic. The easy conclusion is that humans make choices but in spite of the robots they are prepared to realize and endure the consequence of their choices. Humans are moral beings - they possess conscious, soul and values. According to Spooner human-like shape and form is not enough to deceive him. Soon the obedient robots assume their own logic about the three laws and start something like revolution. In the typical Hollywood style, humanity is in danger caused by an experiment that turned wrong and awaits for the savior to make things right again. In this task detective Spooner allies with the robot Sony. Sony is unique because he does not obey the three laws and it seems that possesses consciousness - he dreams, he feels emotions and the most important - he thinks over his actions. During the movie Sony undergoes a transformation visible in the apprehension of the detective. First Spooner acknowledges that Sony is “someone” instead of “something”, then he is recognized as a friend thanks to a wink and at the end of the story in a scene that appears to be a reminiscence he does the right thing by saving the girl.
According to “I, Robot” robots see the world only black and white depending on their programming, whereas humans can see the grey areas. The film tells that only when the difference between good and evil is understood and only when what lies between is acknowledged, only then the boundaries between humans and robots can be blurred.
Whereas “I, Robot” follows well known pattern established in recent years by Hollywood and popular fiction, “Bicentennial Man” discusses slightly more philosophical questions.
A major theme in the movie is what makes us humans. The protagonist, a robot, starts exploring the human world within the family that bought it. In the very beginning he is given a name and is declared as a member of the household. This transforms him from an object to a subject. He is called Andrew. The name can easily be connected to its Greek origin that stands for “man”. So the robot is given the name Man by his creator. Soon Andrew shows creativity and creativity impulses. He is called unique and his owner devotes his time to teach Andrew the essentials of what is to be unique, respectably human. Step by step Andrew learns. First, he asks for his freedom, then he starts searching for others like him. After years of fruitless search he decides to change his appearance and thus slowly begins his transformation into human. He chooses the imperfection of the human nervous system in order to feel. He prefers to love and to be hurt instead of living empty life. And in the end he chooses to die. Life according to Andrew is pointless if you lose everyone you love. Mortality, tells us the movie, is what distinguishes between humans and machines.
For centuries philosophers try to define what human being is. May be more centuries will be needed in order an answer to be given. But one thing is certain we will never give up the search.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ralica_Luckanova
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