What makes Asimov's robots interesting isn't sentience or consciousness or a human appearance. It's the fact that the machines embody three hierarchical laws that require robots to protect humans from harm, to obey humans and, a distant third, to protect themselves. Those three ironclad laws create a framework for decency that few people ever display. It's no wonder Hollywood prefers simply to fear robots, as it does in "The Terminator," "The Matrix" and now "I, Robot," to name only a few examples. It's vastly easier and more thrilling than introspection. |
