Robots in literature

Last updated

Artificial humans and autonomous artificial servants have a long history in human culture, though the term Robot and its modern literary conception as a mobile machine equipped with an advanced artificial intelligence are more fairly recent. The literary role of artificial life has evolved over time: early myths present animated objects as instruments of divine will, later stories treat their attempted creation as a blasphemy with inevitable consequences, and modern tales range from apocalyptic warnings against blind technological progress to explorations of the ethical questions raised by the possibility of sentient machines.

Contents

Recently, a popular overview of the history of androids, robots, cyborgs and replicants from antiquity to the present has been published. [1] Treated fields of knowledge are: history of technology, history of medicine, philosophy, literature, film and art history, the range of topics discussed is worldwide.

Early uses

The earliest examples were all presented as the results of divine intervention and include: The dry bones that came to life in the Book of Ezekiel (Chapter 37); three-legged self-navigating tables created by the god Hephaestus (Iliad xviii); and the statue Galatea, brought to life by the prayers of her creator Pygmalion.

More recent humaniform examples include the brooms from the legend of the sorcerer's apprentice derived from a tale by Lucian of Samosata in the 1st century AD, the Jewish legend of the golem created like Adam from clay, and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein . These tales include an indictment of human folly at presuming to take on the role of creator.

Notable mechanical representations of humans include the life-sized singing puppet Olimpia in the short story "The Sandman" by E. T. A. Hoffmann in 1816 and a bipedal anthropomorphic mechanism in The Steam Man of the Prairies by Edward S. Ellis in 1868. [2] These examples are stories about human-controlled mechanisms without autonomy or self-awareness.

In Lyman Frank Baum's children's novel Ozma of Oz , the first-ever introduction of a humanoid-appearance mechanical man that would satisfy the later "humanoid robot" definition occurred in 1907 - some fifteen years before the word "robot" was coined - with Tik-Tok, powered with a trio of clockwork movements for his thinking, movement and speech, none of which he could wind up himself.

In 1912, [3] Selma Lagerlöf published the poem Slåtterkarlarna på Ekolsund [4] which was published in the first part of Troll och människor. In the poem Christopher Polhem is hired to create mechanical mowers for a farmer.

The modern "robot"

The first use of the word "robot" was in Karel Čapek's play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) written in 1920 and first performed in Czechoslovakia in 1921, in New York City in 1922 and an English edition published in 1923. Čapek's Robots are artificially manufactured from organic materials to labor for humans, and as the play progresses they revolt and overthrow their human creators. However, the play ends on an optimistic note: Robots' artificial biology causes a male and female Robot to fall in love, preserving the spirit of humanity as a result. R. U. R. and its Robots reflect contemporary anxieties about dehumanization amid the mass industrialization and militarism of the early twentieth century. [5]

While Karel Čapek's play introduced the word "robot" into languages around the globe, he later wrote a letter to the Oxford English Dictionary of etymology in which he named his brother, painter and writer Josef Čapek, as its true inventor. In an article in the Czech Lidové noviny in 1933 he also explains that he originally wanted to call the creatures "laboři" from the Latin word labor. Karel found the word too bookish and sought advice from Josef who suggested to call them "robots". The word, which is always capitalized in Čapek's play, derives from robota which means "drudgery" in Czech and means "work" in Slovak.)

The theme of robots has been picked up by science fiction writers and many volumes are focused on robots and their interaction with the human species. Of particular note is the work of Isaac Asimov as a large part of his work centers on robots. Asimov is particularly known for his creation of the Three laws of robotics which that author uses in stories as both to define his robots and how these interact within the worlds he creates.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Android (robot)</span> Robot resembling a human

An android is a humanoid robot or other artificial being often made from a flesh-like material. Historically, androids existed only in the domain of science fiction and were frequently seen in film and television, but advances in robot technology have allowed the design of functional and realistic humanoid robots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robot</span> Machine capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically

A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be constructed to evoke human form, but most robots are task-performing machines, designed with an emphasis on stark functionality, rather than expressive aesthetics.

<i>R.U.R.</i> 1920 Czech play by Karel Čapek which introduced the word "robot"

R.U.R. is a 1920 Science fiction play by the Czech writer Karel Čapek. "R.U.R." stands for Rossumovi Univerzální Roboti. The play had its world premiere on 2 January 1921 in Hradec Králové; it introduced the word "robot" to the English language and to science fiction as a whole. R.U.R. became influential soon after its publication. By 1923, it had been translated into thirty languages. R.U.R. was successful in its time in Europe and North America. Čapek later took a different approach to the same theme in his 1936 novel War with the Newts, in which non-humans become a servant-class in human society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karel Čapek</span> Czech science fiction writer and playwright (1890–1938)

Karel Čapek was a Czech writer, playwright, critic and journalist. He has become best known for his science fiction, including his novel War with the Newts (1936) and play R.U.R., which introduced the word robot. He also wrote many politically charged works dealing with the social turmoil of his time. Influenced by American pragmatic liberalism, he campaigned in favor of free expression and strongly opposed the rise of both fascism and communism in Europe.

<i>Robot</i> series Series of stories by Isaac Asimov

The Robot Series is a series of thirty-seven science fiction short stories and six novels created by American writer Isaac Asimov, from 1940 to 1995. The series is set in a world where sentient positronic robots serve a number of purposes in society. To ensure their loyalty, the Three Laws of Robotics are programmed into these robots, with the intent of preventing them from ever becoming a danger to humanity. Later, Asimov would merge the Robot series with his Foundation series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Three Laws of Robotics</span> Fictional set of rules by Isaac Asimov

The Three Laws of Robotics are a set of rules devised by science fiction author Isaac Asimov, which were to be followed by robots in several of his stories. The rules were introduced in his 1942 short story "Runaround", although similar restrictions had been implied in earlier stories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josef Čapek</span> Czech painter and writer

Josef Čapek was a Czech artist who was best known as a painter, but who was also noted as a writer and a poet. He invented the word "robot", which was introduced into literature by his brother, Karel Čapek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gynoid</span> Robot resembling a woman

A gynoid, or fembot, is a feminine humanoid robot. Gynoids appear widely in science fiction film and art. As more realistic humanoid robot design becomes technologically possible, they are also emerging in real-life robot design. Just like any other robot, the main parts of a gynoid include sensors, actuators and a control system. Sensors are responsible for detecting the changes in the environment while the actuators, also called effectors, are motors and other components responsible for the movement and control of the robot. The control system instructs the robot on what to do so as to achieve the desired results.

"Liar!" is a science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov. It first appeared in the May 1941 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and was reprinted in the collections I, Robot (1950) and The Complete Robot (1982). It was Asimov's third published positronic robot story. Although the word "robot" was introduced to the public by Czech writer Karel Čapek in his 1920 play R.U.R., Asimov's story "Liar!" contains the first recorded use of the word "robotics" according to the Oxford English Dictionary. The events of this short story are also mentioned in the novel The Robots of Dawn written by the same author.

The Frankenstein complex is a term coined by Isaac Asimov in his robot series, referring to the fear of mechanical men.

References to Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics have appeared in a wide variety of circumstances. In some cases, other authors have explored the Laws in a serious fashion. Other references, like those made in the satirical newspaper The Onion, are clearly parodic.

Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots. Robotics is related to the sciences of electronics, engineering, mechanics, and software. The word "robot" was introduced to the public by Czech writer Karel Čapek in his play R.U.R., published in 1920. The term "robotics" was coined by Isaac Asimov in his 1941 science fiction short-story "Liar!"

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brothers Čapek</span>

The Brothers Čapek were Josef and Karel Čapek, Czech writers who sometimes wrote together. They are commemorated both for their literary/artistic works and political activism against oppressive government. Their house is now a cultural monument of the Czech Republic, and there are various memorials to them. Their most famous joint work is the play Pictures from the Insects' Life, a humorous political allegory.

Artificial intelligence is a recurrent theme in science fiction, whether utopian, emphasising the potential benefits, or dystopian, emphasising the dangers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of robots</span>

The history of robots has its origins in the ancient world. During the industrial revolution, humans developed the structural engineering capability to control electricity so that machines could be powered with small motors. In the early 20th century, the notion of a humanoid machine was developed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glossary of robotics</span> List of definitions of terms and concepts commonly used in the study of robotics

Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots. Robotics is related to the sciences of electronics, engineering, mechanics, and software.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to robotics:

<i>Science Fiction Thinking Machines</i> Short stories

Science Fiction Thinking Machines: Robots, Androids, Computers is an anthology of science fiction short stories edited by American anthologist Groff Conklin. It was first published in hardcover by Vanguard Press in May 1954. An abridged paperback edition titled Selections from Science Fiction Thinking Machines was published by Bantam Books in August 1955 and reprinted in September 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AI takeover in popular culture</span>

AI takeover—the idea that some kind of artificial intelligence may supplant humankind as the dominant intelligent species on the planet—is a common theme in science fiction. Famous cultural touchstones include Terminator and The Matrix.

References

  1. Glasjer, Horst Albert, Rossbach, Sabine (2011). The Artificial Human. Frankfurt/M., Bern, New York: Peter Lang. ISBN   978-3631578087.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. 37 original stories about anthropomorphic and zoomorphic machines appeared in dime novels between 1868 and 1899. See Dime Novel Robots by Joseph A. Lovece. https://www.amazon.com/Dime-Novel-Robots-1868-1899-Bibliography/dp/1511578661/
  3. Litteraturbanken
  4. Slåtterkarlarna på Ekolsund
  5. Szollosy, M. (2017). Freud, Frankenstein and our fear of robots: projection in our cultural perception of technology. AI & Society, 32(3), 433+.

Further reading

See also