In order to better understand how we
view robots, consider the origins of the term “robot,” penned by
the Czech playwright, novelist and journalist Karel Capek in his hit
play “R.U.R.” The post WWI play, “Rossum's Universal Robots,”
was first performed in Prague in 1921. “Robot” was taken from the
Czech word “robota,” meaning work—humanoids designed for menial
and repetitive labor.
In Capek's play, robots were produced
in Rossum's factory and were shown to be docile, mechanical creatures
with human characteristics. Eventually, one of the scientists decided
to give them emotions and they became killing machines that took over
the world. Almost 100 years ago, stories about robots killing humans
and taking over the world have shaped our perception of them. This
has become a dominant theme in our science fiction culture, but it is
interesting that one culture has not embraced this perception...
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