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Does Ishiguro Dream of Electric Sheep? Androids as a distinctive emergent phenomenon in Japan by Rita Livshits BA, Haifa University, 2012 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of Pacific and Asian Studies Rita Livshits, 2016 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. ii Supervisory Committee Does Ishiguro Dream of Electric Sheep? Androids as a distinctive emergent phenomenon in Japan by Rita Livshits BA, Haifa University, 2012 Supervisory Committee Dr. Cody M. Poulton (Department of Pacific and Asian Studies) Supervisor Dr. Leslie Butt (Department of Anthropology) Outside Member iii Abstract Supervisory Committee Dr. Cody M. Poulton (Department of Pacific and Asian Studies) Supervisor Dr. Leslie Butt (Department of Anthropology) Outside Member The Japanese robotics industry stands out in both its scale and its diversity of innovations. No other country has put so much effort in research and development of humanoid robots. This phenomenon has been widely discussed in academic scholarship, and cultural, religious and socio-economic influences are widely cited as contributing factors to the shaping of robotics in Japan. This work is focused on a specific and relatively new product of this industry: the robot in human image, the android. The main feature that separates androids from humanoid robots is external appearance, a design aspect that has no operational function. This work attempt to offer a holistic theory for the existence of an entire field of study dedicated to creating robots that look just like humans. iv Table of Contents Supervisory Committee .................................................................................................... ii Abstract ............................................................................................................................. iii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. iv Dedication ......................................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1- Introduction ................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2- Technology, a Complex System .................................................................... 8 The techno-social narrative ............................................................................................. 8 Technological Determinism ........................................................................................ 8 Social Construction of Technology .......................................................................... 15 Actor Network Theory .............................................................................................. 18 The ghost in the machine .............................................................................................. 23 Chapter 3- Robotics: A Mechanical Dream ................................................................. 30 From mythical origins to a fantastical reality ............................................................... 30 Life imitates art ......................................................................................................... 30 The ancient world ..................................................................................................... 34 The dream becomes reality ....................................................................................... 36 Robotic traditions of the ancient world ..................................................................... 38 The modern era ......................................................................................................... 41 The first of its kind .................................................................................................... 42 Part of the family ...................................................................................................... 44 A productive member of society ............................................................................... 45 Enter the mechanical human ..................................................................................... 47 The valley of uncanny creatures ............................................................................... 48 The artificial analog .................................................................................................. 49 Robot Kingdom ............................................................................................................. 51 Government designed future .................................................................................... 51 Robots and religion ................................................................................................... 53 Social dynamics ........................................................................................................ 55 The tyranny of numbers ............................................................................................ 56 Between fiction and reality ....................................................................................... 58 v Chapter 4- Philosophical Adventures in the Natural World ...................................... 61 The valley of human imagination ................................................................................. 61 Mimesis ..................................................................................................................... 61 Animism .................................................................................................................... 65 Shinto ........................................................................................................................ 71 Nature ........................................................................................................................ 76 Sacred tools ............................................................................................................... 86 Through the Looking-Glass .......................................................................................... 88 Techno-animism ....................................................................................................... 88 Biomimetics .............................................................................................................. 90 Chapter 5- Humanity: The Next Generation ............................................................... 98 Cyborgs ..................................................................................................................... 99 Androids, so far ....................................................................................................... 100 Android anatomy .................................................................................................... 103 In his own image ..................................................................................................... 106 A field of androids .................................................................................................. 118 Humans 2.0 ............................................................................................................. 120 The imitation game ................................................................................................. 123 Does Ishiguro Dream of Electric Sheep? ................................................................ 128 Chapter 6- Conclusion .................................................................................................. 134 Androids: a self-fulfilling prophecy? ...................................................................... 135 A deterministic universe? ....................................................................................... 136 You can‘t spell ‗artificial‘ without ‗art‘… .............................................................. 136 To be, or not to be, an android. ............................................................................... 137 Is this the end? ........................................................................................................ 138 From fiction to science............................................................................................ 139 Bibliography .................................................................................................................. 140 vi Dedication To Murphy, For now, I win. Chapter 1- Introduction “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” -God (allegedly), book of Genesis 1:26 Passengers arriving in Japan‘s Narita airport earlier this year were greeted and welcomed to the country by the instantly recognizable ASIMO, Honda‘s most famous robot1. The company offers some background information on the temporary attraction in Narita airport: ASIMO is a bipedal humanoid robot Honda has been developing with a goal to develop robots that will coexist with and be useful to people.[…]The latest version of ASIMO, introduced in November 2011, features not only high physical capability that allows it to make not only various moves such as running, going up and down stairs and kicking a ball, but also an ability to recognize faces/voices of people and take action accordingly and autonomous behaviour control such as avoiding obstacles depending on
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