A Robot By Any Other Name Could Be A Human: defining humanity through an examination of Asimovian robots by Abigail Bernasconi A THESIS submitted to Oregon State University Honors College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Honors Baccalaureate of Science in Public Health (Honors Associate) Honors Baccalaureate of Arts in German (Honors Associate) Presented May 27, 2021 Commencement June 2021 AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Abigail Bernasconi for the degree of Honors Baccalaureate of Science in Public Health and Honors Baccalaureate of Arts in German presented on May 27, 2021. Title: A Robot By Any Other Name Could Be A Human: defining humanity through an examination of Asimovian robots. Abstract approved:_____________________________________________________ Diana Rohlman Being human is often portrayed as desirable in fiction. Many fictional beings, particularly robots and androids, seek out being human as a goal. Although current robotics is not advanced enough for robots and androids to be deemed sentient, the world of fiction is quickly becoming reality. With the integration of robots into society, we are confronted not only with how society views robots, but how, through the eyes of fictional robots, society and humanity are defined. This thesis seeks to explore the definition of humanity and what it means to be human. The fictional works of the Star Trek universe and those of Isaac Asimov suggest that relationships, those of friendship and antagonism, and mortality, may also define humanity. Understanding what makes us human better prepares us for the eventual integration of intelligent robots into humanity as well as to imagine what their place in our society will look like. There are current applications as well, which are being determined as new robots are created. By examining fiction, we can put together the pieces of not just what humanity is but what it means to be a part of humanity. Key Words: androids, artificial intelligence, humanity, robots Corresponding e-mail address: [email protected] ©Copyright by Abigail Bernasconi May 27, 2021 A Robot By Any Other Name Could Be a Human: defining humanity through an examination of Asimovian robots by Abigail Bernasconi A THESIS submitted to Oregon State University Honors College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Honors Baccalaureate of Science in Public Health (Honors Associate) Honors Baccalaureate of Arts in German (Honors Associate) Presented May 27, 2021 Commencement June 2021 Honors Baccalaureate of Science in Public Health and Honors Baccalaureate of Arts in German project of Abigail Bernasconi presented on May 27, 2021. APPROVED: _____________________________________________________________________ Diana Rohlman, Mentor, representing Environmental and Occupational Health _____________________________________________________________________ Heather Knight, Committee Member, representing Electrical Engineering and Computer Science _____________________________________________________________________ Joseph Orosco, Committee Member, representing Philosophy _____________________________________________________________________ Toni Doolen, Dean, Oregon State University Honors College I understand that my project will become part of the permanent collection of Oregon State University, Honors College. My signature below authorizes release of my project to any reader upon request. _____________________________________________________________________ Abigail Bernasconi, Author Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 8 Friendship ..................................................................................................................................... 14 Example: Daneel Olivaw ......................................................................................................................................... 14 Example: Data ......................................................................................................................................................... 16 Friendship Case Study: Companion Robots ............................................................................................................ 18 Antagonisms ................................................................................................................................. 20 Example: Dr. K. Pulaski .......................................................................................................................................... 20 Example: Lore ......................................................................................................................................................... 21 Example: The Caves of Steel ................................................................................................................................... 21 Example: The Legal System .................................................................................................................................... 22 Legal System example: “The Bicentennial Man” ................................................................................................ 23 Legal System example: Measure of a Man .......................................................................................................... 23 Antagonisms Case Study: Hanson Robotics’ Sophia .............................................................................................. 24 Antagonisms: Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 25 Death ............................................................................................................................................. 27 R. Jander Panell: What we call death....................................................................................................................... 27 Bicentennial Man: a mortal man .............................................................................................................................. 28 Data: another mortal man ........................................................................................................................................ 28 Death Case Study: Opportunity Rover .................................................................................................................... 29 Death Case Study: Jibo ............................................................................................................................................ 30 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 31 Media Sources ............................................................................................................................... 34 Citations ........................................................................................................................................ 35 Appendix A. Image attributions for images used in Fig. 1 The Uncanny Valley. ....................... 37 Introduction Being human is often portrayed as desirable in fiction. Many fictional beings, particularly robots and androids, seek out being human as a goal. Although current robotics is not advanced enough for robots and androids to be deemed sentient, the world of fiction is quickly becoming reality. With the integration of robots into society, we are confronted not only with how society views robots, but how, through the eyes of fictional robots, society and humanity are defined. The word “robot” comes from the Czech word “robota” meaning forced labor. It was coined by Czech playwright Karl Čapek in his 1920 play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots). Robots, as Čapek used them, were replacements for human workers. They were essentially artificial people, some of whom were more human in appearance than others. While artificial construction is a key in many definitions of the word robot, there is no universal consensus. As John Jordan wrote in his book Robots, “robots are hard to talk about [because] the definitions are unsettled, even among those most expert in the field” (J. M. Jordan, 2016). However, “robot” is not the only term used to describe artificial constructs. The term “android” is defined by Adrienne Mayor in her book, Gods and Robots, as “[a] mobile robot in human form” (2018, pg. 219). With the word “robot” built into the definition, differentiating between android and robot can be tricky. Through Čapek’s original definition, robots are assumed to be metallic in complexion and mechanical in construction, whereas androids generally are not (J. Jordan, 2019). Robots with a more human appearance, particularly “flesh-like exteriors,” as Jordan put it, are considered androids (2016). Hereafter, the term “robot” will be used to refer to an artificial construct with a humanoid shape, regardless of exterior appearance. The term “androids,” similar to Mayor’s definition, will refer to “a robot with a human-like appearance.” By these definitions, Isaac Asimov’s recurring character R. (the R stands for robot) Daneel Olivaw and Star Trek The Next Generation’s Lieutenant Commander Data are each both robots and androids, appearing human in size, shape, and mannerism - including the ability to blink and simulate breathing. In contrast, Asimov’s R. Giskard Reventlov is only a robot, with a metal exterior that resembles a human form,