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tbr_the_unconquered 's review for:
R.U.R.
by Karel Čapek
Popular culture makes us think of Robots as entities that achieve a near mythical status over time and thereby replacing humans in the natural order of things. In a multitude narratives across books and movies we see them rising up in rebellion over humans and being superior beings they pulverize human resistance in no time. This plot has now be rehashed so many times that it is a cliché and yet at a very early stage in the life of sci-fi this might have been an amazingly fresh idea. This little book was the germ of that idea and the one that came up with the name ‘Robot’ and interestingly for a book which is an account of a robot rebellion, the story is extremely humane.
Ever considered this ?
" From a technical point of view, the whole of childhood is quite pointless. Simply a waste of time."
Childhood is that carefree phase when almost all is fun and games and nostalgia and yet speaking from a productivity standpoint, one can always say that it is a zero sum game. Now to dispel any thoughts about the relevance of this quote, this is not aimed at a human being but at a robot. When a humanoid robot is manufactured, it is almost always a fully grown adult specimen for the basic reason that it can be productive from the time it leaves the assembly hall. The fundamental principle that the designers at Rossum’s Universal Robots (RUR) relies on is productivity. They have an almost Kaizen like approach to robot production which they extoll at the drop of a hat. They avoid anything that is not to do with effectiveness and focus only on making their machines the most humanoid paragons of efficiency. Interestingly they also realize the folly of trying to replicate a human being in a robot for they realize that the complexity of a human body is unique and does not lend itself to reproduction easily. All these high opinions were bound to fall from grace which they eventually do. The designers in their folly create robots who resemble each other exactly with the end result being that for them forming a body of resistance becomes much easier. After the robots turn the tables on us and humanity as represented by the designers at RUR are under siege, they hatch yet another plan. This is to henceforth design robots across different nations with varying colors, creeds and nationalities and thereby avoiding such a congregation ever again : rings a bell ?
The core of RUR is not sci-fi but it is an examination of human folly. It is a story of egos crashing down, of the snubbing of arrogance, of the weakness of people and the pettiness we carry in our hearts. The Robots just happen to be there to edge things slightly over the cliff but essentially the characters themselves jump over the precipice all by themselves.
Recommended. A very short but memorable read.
Ever considered this ?
" From a technical point of view, the whole of childhood is quite pointless. Simply a waste of time."
Childhood is that carefree phase when almost all is fun and games and nostalgia and yet speaking from a productivity standpoint, one can always say that it is a zero sum game. Now to dispel any thoughts about the relevance of this quote, this is not aimed at a human being but at a robot. When a humanoid robot is manufactured, it is almost always a fully grown adult specimen for the basic reason that it can be productive from the time it leaves the assembly hall. The fundamental principle that the designers at Rossum’s Universal Robots (RUR) relies on is productivity. They have an almost Kaizen like approach to robot production which they extoll at the drop of a hat. They avoid anything that is not to do with effectiveness and focus only on making their machines the most humanoid paragons of efficiency. Interestingly they also realize the folly of trying to replicate a human being in a robot for they realize that the complexity of a human body is unique and does not lend itself to reproduction easily. All these high opinions were bound to fall from grace which they eventually do. The designers in their folly create robots who resemble each other exactly with the end result being that for them forming a body of resistance becomes much easier. After the robots turn the tables on us and humanity as represented by the designers at RUR are under siege, they hatch yet another plan. This is to henceforth design robots across different nations with varying colors, creeds and nationalities and thereby avoiding such a congregation ever again : rings a bell ?
The core of RUR is not sci-fi but it is an examination of human folly. It is a story of egos crashing down, of the snubbing of arrogance, of the weakness of people and the pettiness we carry in our hearts. The Robots just happen to be there to edge things slightly over the cliff but essentially the characters themselves jump over the precipice all by themselves.
Recommended. A very short but memorable read.