Materialism and the Soul

Defining human nature, as I see it, is the process of resolving the differences between our souls and our bodies. There are two pervasive philosophical schools of thought that define this relationship. The first is dualism, it comes in many forms primarily through religion. It states that humans have a soul or spirit that is independent of our physical form. Our souls give us our personality, idiosyncrasies, emotions, moral fiber, and other qualities we would define as being unique to humanity. Materialism, on the other hand, states that all the phenomena we observe, including the qualities that would otherwise be a consequence of the soul, are entirely caused by physical processes. R.U.R rides a fine line between dualism and materialism. In the opening act Helena Glory, concerned with the humane treatment of the robots, travels to America to dissuade the scientists from making the robots for work. They try to put her thoughts to rest by explaining the robots do not have souls and thus do not feel mistreated nor have the right to be treated fairly. However, we are given hints to robot agency and the germination of free will when the robots grind their teeth and cease to work. Eventually Dr. Gall designed a way to gift robots with a soul, that is, give them characteristically human qualities, particularly love. In the last act Primus and Helena's love exhibits man's capability to manufacture human robots and manufacture the experiences we attribute to the soul. Since Rossum and the proceeding scientists could manipulate the physical produce our human experience it our nature must be intrinsically physical.