The human characters, on the other hand, are illogical, emotionally volatile, prone to mistakes, and physically vulnerable, not to mention mortal. One could argue that the robots are also self-conscious entities and that, combined with their superior rationality and immortality, makes them God-like figures, clearly transcending human beings' capacities. Yet the films and books appear to make the claim that humanity is a greater good and machine life is secondary, at best; Andrew even aspires to be human, despite his obvious advantages as a robot.
Write a 4-5 page essay in which you explore what the films and book tell us about what it means to be human. Do we think humanity is a desirable characteristic? In what ways? Why? In what fundamental ways do these films and book tell us that humans and machines are different? Critically explore this difference these stories tell us. Do you agree that these differences are the fundamental differences between being human and non-human? Why or why not?
This is the third paper in this paper series. Feel free to draw on material that you used in the previous two papers. You may incorporate the science that we have discussed in class and in the readings, and also the jargon from the readings on film studies and science fiction.
The paper is due in class on Wednesday.