Crying Over Spilled Milk

The human characters in I, Robot are all upstaged and embarrassed by robots in at least one instance of the book. Either intellectually or emotionally, humans are shown as inadequate in comparison to the robots they create. The humans’ reactions are what really interest me. For some, people become defensive or aggressive, even opting to destroy the robot (as Susan Calvin did). In the instances where people, in their stubbornness, refused to learn from the robots, the stories turned sour: a mind-reading robot gone to waste, a child pushed to depression, and a political hopeful turned into a public joke. In these stories, people are ashamed when the robots, which they originally viewed as inferior, prove to be better parents, scientists, or politicians. In the stories where the robots are left to their intended purposes, everything turns out for the better. I think Asimov was commenting on irrational reactions to the feeling of being unwanted or unnecessary – progress is bound to happen. Fighting against any movement will only delay an inevitable conclusion. When people in certain professions do become superfluous due to technological processes, we must move on and find a new niche to occupy. This is not only an issue of ethics (with providing people with jobs), but also an economic one. When there is a person or thing that can do a job more efficiently, it is wiser to use the more efficient resource. It becomes time for the superfluous person to focus his or her talents elsewhere and make a potential living with something new.