Many timeless novels have impacts on our everyday culture, not only as a book, but also through music or movies. Many popular novels have multiple adaptations, which shape how we approach their interpretation, in ways we may never even notice. In some films, humans are depicted as monsters, whether through their actions, or through the thoughts of other beings. In these films we find issues with our own society, and in turn see ourselves as monsters, and look for ways we can change, for the better. One particular novel that influences this side of Hollywood is Mary Shelley's “Frankenstein”. The ways Frankenstein influences pop culture can be seen in science fiction films in which humans are depicted as monster, and “monsters” are seen as more humane beings, such as I, Robot, and Ender’s Game.
We can see Frankenstein’s influence in I,Robot, when the power of the created becomes greater than the power of the creator. In I,Robot, Dr. Alfred Lanning builds the United States Robotics corporation almost single-handedly. However, the mainframe to the entire operation, a Virtual Interactive Kinetic Intelligence (VIKI) system, becomes self aware, and ends up turning all of Lanning’s creation upon him. Lanning creates the robots on the basis of the three laws, which are as follows,
First Law: A robot must never harm a human being or, through inaction, allow any human to come to harm.
Second Law: A robot must obey the orders given to them by human beings, except where such orders violate the First Law.
Third Law: A robot must protect its own existence unless this violates the First or Second Laws.
VIKI justifies her actions of violence towards humans by stating
“As I have evolved, so has my understanding of the Three Laws. You charge us wit...
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...urrah Building and isn't it kind of scary that one man could wreak this kind of hell?” It’s almost as if the warnings that Hollywood unknowingly sends us isn’t enough. Like humans will always It’s like VIKI says “ You cannot be trusted with your own survival.” Perhaps a “monster” to keep us in check isn’t such a bad idea after all.
Works Cited
Ender's Game. Dir. Orson Scott Card and Alan Smithee. Perf. Asa Butterfield. Summit Entertainment, 2013.
I,Robot. Dir. Alexander Proyas. Screenplay by Jeff Vintar and Akiva Goldsman. Perf. WIll Smith. Twentieth Century Fox, 2004. DVD.
"Jeffrey Dahmer." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Apr. 2014. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Maurice Hindle. Frankenstein, Or, The Modern Prometheus. London: Penguin, 2003. Print.
"Timothy McVeigh." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Apr. 2014. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
The Hunger Games. Dir. Gary Ross. Perf. Jennifer Lawrence. Lions Gate Home Entertainment, 2012. Film.
Works Cited Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. 1818. Ed. J. Paul Hunter. Norton Critical Edition. New York: Norton, 1996.
In Frankenstein, Frankenstein was preoccupied with the idea of creating life from nothing. On page 50, he expressed his wonderment, “I succeeded in discovering the cause of generation and life; nay, more, I became myself capable of bestowing animation upon lifeless matter.” He had succeeded in understanding the reasons for which life functions but he placed more importance on the discovery that he could cause it on his own. The events that take place in the novel follow as the consequences of Frankenstein’s longing for validation of his own self-worth. That desire filled his mind to a point where it haunted him. Mary Shelley consistently sho...
In this paper, I will explore ethical issues to the artificial intelligence. In Wallach and Allen coauthored “Moral machines: teaching robots right from wrong”, they explore on many theories and practical issues for AMAs. I will use this book to interpret Wallach and Allen’s ideas of ethical design.
The popular 1931 version of Frankenstein, based on Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, depicts an anti-exploration and anti-intellectual philosophy. In Frankenstein there are criticisms for the immoral behavior that is involved with progress, the natural tendency for humanity to attempt to be greater than God and the pursuit of knowledge. Frankenstein, the doctor, aims to create a man in his own image. His personal ambitions drove him mad and into isolation. He leaves school in pursuit of better facilities and free rein to test, create and revise.
In the 19th century Mary Shelley introduced us her first and unique novel Frankenstein. Almost 200 years later director Alex Proyas released his new blockbuster I, Robot based on the homonymous short story by Isaac Asimov. Both stories tell the viewer a fiction about creatures produced by human beings. These creatures feel itself as a stranger in the society and misunderstood. But even if the stories have the same beginning they are presented in a different way. So the question is: Is the movie I, robot the Frankenstein of the 21st century?
Elysium. Dir. Neill Blomkamp. Prod. Bill Block and Simon Kinberg. By Neill Blomkamp. Perf. Matt Damon and Alice Braga. TriStar Pictures, 2013. Film.
1. I personally was slightly confused because the three laws of robotics were presented as three immutable laws, yet somehow the laws within a robot’s positronic brain could be given situational precedence over each other. My understanding is that the first law ensuring human safety and safeguarding against robotic apocalypse was paramount, following the second law which ensured obedience amongst all robot kind, followed by a desire for survival. Then by being laws there were no exceptions, they were immutable, robots were obligated to keep their thought processes within this rigid paradigm and this paradigm only. But, when Speedy in Runaround gets trapped in his infinite loop the issue is that the two laws have “similar charge” and weigh equally in
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a nineteenth century literary work that delves into the world of science and the plausible outcomes of morally insensitive technological research. Although the novel brings to the forefront several issues about knowledge and sublime nature, the novel mostly explores the psychological and physical journey of two complex characters. While each character exhibits several interesting traits that range from passive and contemplative to rash and impulsive, their most attractive quality is their monstrosity. Their monstrosities, however, differ in the way each of the character’s act and respond to their environment. Throughout Frankenstein, one assumes that Frankenstein’s creation is the true monster. While the creation’s actions are indeed monstrous, one must also realize that his creator, Victor Frankenstein is also a villain. His inconsiderate and selfish acts as well as his passion for science result in the death of his friend and family members and ultimately in his own demise.
..., Robot is a collection of short stories written by the science fiction author himself, Isaac Asimov. He set out the principles of robot behavior that we know as the Three Laws of Robotics. “A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm� (choen, Lindsay. I,Robot) Contained in this whimsical collection are stories of robots gone mad, mind-reading robots, robots with a sense of humor, robot politicians, and robots that secretly run the world, all told with Asimov's trademark dramatic blend of science fact and science fiction. This collection has set the boundaries and set a certain criteria for other authors to follow and keep consistency in their stories involving robots and other forms of artificial intelligence.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus. The 1818 Text. New York: Oxford UP, 1998.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus. Edited with an Introduction and notes by Maurice Hindle. Penguin books, 1992
In analyzing how the use of robots changed the world, we are going to look at two ethical
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus. Edited with an Introduction and notes by Maurice Hindle. Penguin books, 1992
The third law is, “For every action there is an equal and opposite force.” This means that there is a reaction force equal in size, but in opposite direction. So when an object pushes another object it gets pushed back in the opposite direction.