Science fiction + Philosophy = I, Robot
In other words, I love it! ❤
This book has been on my “to read” list for a really long time. I don’t even remember how I came to know about this book in the first place. (No, it was not because of the movie. I haven’t even watched it yet. 😐 ) I had heard that the book is completely different from the movie. I’m not sure if that is true, but it sure looks that way from the movie cover of the book.
Summary
The book introduces the three laws of robotics, which prevent robots from hurting humans. With these laws as the base, the book presents a collection of several short stories based on the themes of robotics and philosophy. Each story presents a problem, which is solved with these laws in mind. There are also some common characters in these stories, which tie up the sequence of these occurrences.
The Three Laws of Robotics:
1: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm;
2: A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law;
3: A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law;
The Zeroth Law: A robot may not harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.
Review
The best part about this book to me is that it does not focus too much on the mechanisms or the intricacies of the technologies mentioned. It just considers the technology as part of life. The focus is on human aspects, philosophy, and existentialism. Technology is just a backdrop. Another good thing for me was that it made me think—about what it means to be human and when a robot stop being a “thing.”
Although the subjects discussed in the stories may be thought-provoking, the dialogues and characters have many funny moments. The writing is easy to follow and easy to read. The scenarios are mostly lighthearted. This is what makes to book so good. There is no deep teachings or messages, but the point comes across regardless.
The stories are independent and can be read in any order. However, I would suggest reading the stories in sequence so there is no confusion regarding the timeline or characters. My favorite story is the one in which a robot makes the scientists doubt themselves.
My rating: ★★★★★
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