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March 25, 2013 In a series of short stories entitled Robot Visions, Isaac Asimov writes on his passion of robots and what it means to the future of humanity. One theme that runs throughout, whether these short stories or I, Robot (which is just another series of short stories told to a reporter) is that robots nearly always seem to be more than the sum of their parts. Asimov coined the term positronic for the brain of a robot. It was the closest thing that could resemble the complexity of a human brain and somehow allowed robots to evolve in some manner. He is also credited with coming up with the Three Laws of Robotics.
Below I quote from the last few paragraphs of the opening story, also called "Robot Visions." Set in the year 2030 (and told from the first person perspective), a group of scientists called Temporalists program a robot nicknamed "Archie" to go into the future to see what holds for the fate of humanity. Archie goes 200 years into the future and spends five years among the people of that time, but it seems only a split second when he returns. He reports that society is peaceful with no crime, or poverty or war. It is a world of natural peace and beauty. Space is being explored and even the moon is colonized. However, the population is only 1 billion in 2230, while it is 10 billion in 2030. It is described by Archie simply as a "sad time". He did not elaborate because the future inhabitants did not go into detail. The reason is stated below: "I asked myself if population decreased from ten billion to one billion in the course of two centuries, why did it not decrease from ten billion to zero? There would be so little difference between the two alternatives.
Who were the billion who survived? They were stronger than the other nine billion, perhaps? More enduring? More resistant to privation? And they were also more sensible, more rational, and more virtuous than the nine billion who died as was quite clear from Archie's picture of the world of two hundred years hence.
In short, then, were they human at all?
They smiled at Archie in mild derision and boasted that they had no robots; that they needed no metal caricatures of humanity. What if they had organic duplicates of humanity instead? What if they had humaniform robots; robots so like human beings as to be indistinguishable from them, at least to the eyes and senses of a robot like Archie? What if the people of the future were humaniform robots, all of them, robots that had survived some overwhelming catastrophe that human beings had not?
There were no babies. Archie had seen none. To be sure, population was stable and long-lived on Earth, so there would be few babies in any case. Those few would be taken care of, made much of, be well-guarded, and might not be distributed carelessly through society. But Archie had been on the Moon for two months and population there was growing--and he had still seen no babies.
Perhaps these people of the future were constructed rather than born.
And perhaps this was a good thing. if human beings had died out through their own rages, hatreds, and stupidities, they had at least left behind a worthy successor; a kind of intelligent being that valued the past, preserved it, and moved on into the future, doing their best to fulfill the aspirations of humanity, in building a better, kinder world and in moving out into space perhaps more efficiently than we "real" human beings would have.
How many intelligent beings in the Universe had died out leaving no successor? Perhaps we were the first ever to leave such a legacy.
We had a right to feel proud.
Ought I to tell all this to the world? Or even to the Temporalists? I did not consider that for a moment.
For one thing, they were likely not to believe me. For another, if they did believe me, in their rage at the thought of being replaced by robots of any kind, would they not turn on them and destroy every robot in the world and refuse ever to build others? This would mean Archie's vision of the future, and my own vision, would never come to pass. That, however, would not stop the conditions that were to destroy humanity. It would just prevent a replacement; stop another group of beings, made by humans and honoring humans, from carrying human aspirations and dreams through all the Universe.
I did not want that to happen. I wanted to make sure Archie's vision, and my own improvement of it, would come to pass.
I am writing this, therefore, and I will see to it that it will be hidden, and kept safe, so that it will be opened only two hundred years from now, a little sooner than the time at which Archie will arrive. Let the humaniform robots know that they should treat him well and send him home safely, carrying with him only the information that would cause the Temporalists to decide to interfere with Time no more, so that the future can develop in its own tragic/happy way.
And what makes me so sure I am right? Because I am in a unique position to know that I am.
I have said several times that I am inferior to the Temporalists. At least I am inferior to them in their eyes, though this very inferiority makes me more clear-eyed in certain respects, as I have said before, and gives me a better understanding of robots, as I have also said before.
Because, you see, I, too, am a robot.
I am the first humaniform robot, and it is on me and on those of my kind that are yet to be constructed that the future of humanity depends."
Next up is a series of videos by N.T. Wright, at the time the (Anglican) Bishop of Durham, but currently professor of New Testament at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. The Christian faith also has a vision for the future of humanity. Easter Sunday celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, which the Bible describes as the firstfruits of the resurrection to come. Wright speaks about the resurrection, what it means now, its implications for the future and the future of humanity, offering a brief glimpse of what we'll be doing in that future.
The contrast is striking between Wright and Asimov. I do not doubt for one second that Asimov had great concern for the future of humanity and the earth. One of the great things about science fiction is it is a channel that has been and still is effective for engendering change in social structures that pose a threat to us. Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and Ray Bradbury all saw, for example, the threat of possessing nuclear weapons, something that was only limited to the United States, but has proliferated exponentially over many decades. It's not like Asimov wants this vision of humanity to come to pass where the population is made up strictly of human-like robots. He's writing to push people and governments and institutions to think through the implications of their decisions. But, at bottom, it seems Asimov would be fine (albeit disturbed) if humanity's future, dreams, aspirations were carried forward by robots, who would do a much better job than we at caring for and preserving our world. But if the Bible is true in what it speaks concerning what God will do in the future, then Asimov's view would have to be rejected. The resurrection shows that God cares for his creation and calls on us to work in making it beautiful for his glory. This involves and will involve some deep, serious thinking about our decisions. These decisions, before Christ returns, will involve robots, though I am unsure what role they will play. But it is clear, according to the Bible, that God's intention is to reign over a new creation and we will have a role to play. Our hope will not be found in robots. And the population will be much larger than 1 billion or 10 billion.
For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress. -- Isaiah 65:17-19
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. -- Revelation 21:1-4 
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01.18.25
The vision of humanity
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