Frankenstein complex
Encyclopedia
In Isaac Asimov
's robot
novel
s, the Frankenstein complex is a term that he coined for the fear of mechanical men
.
and novels predict that this phobia will become strongest and most widespread when being directed against "mechanical men" that most-closely resemble human beings (see android), but it is also present on a lower level against robots that are plainly electromechanical automaton
s. The "Frankenstein Complex" is similar in many respects to Masahiro Mori
's uncanny valley
hypothesis.
The name, "Frankenstein Complex", derives from the name of Victor Frankenstein
in the groundbreaking novel, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus
, written by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley in about the year 1818. In Ms. Shelley's story, Frankenstein created an intelligent, somewhat superhuman being. He finds that his creation is horrifying to behold, and he abandons it. This ultimately leads to Victor's death at the conclusion of a vendetta between himself and his embittered creation.
Note the distinction between "Frankenstein" the creator and Frankenstein's monster
: a Frankenstein complex is not a fear of roboticist
s, scientist
s, or even mad scientist
s, but rather, a fear of artificial human being
s, although fear of one generally implies some fear of the other.
The general attitude of the public towards robots in much of Dr. Asimov's fiction is fear and suspicion: ordinary people fear that robots will either replace them or dominate them. Although dominance is impossible under the specifications of the Three Laws of Robotics
, which state clearly,
A robot may not harm a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm,
the fictitious earthly public does not generally listen to this logic, but rather they listen to their fears. In I, Robot
's short story "Little Lost Robot" is an example of the "fear of robots" that Asimov described.
In Asimov's robot novels, the Frankenstein Complex is a major problem for roboticists and robot manufacturers. They do all they can to calm the public and show that robots are harmless, sometimes even hiding the truth because the public would misunderstand it and take it to the extreme. The fear by the public and the response of the manufacturers is an example of the theme of paternalism
, the dread of paternalism, and the conflicts that arise from it in Asimov's fiction.
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
's robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s, the Frankenstein complex is a term that he coined for the fear of mechanical men
Humanoid robot
A humanoid robot or an anthropomorphic robot is a robot with its overall appearance, based on that of the human body, allowing interaction with made-for-human tools or environments. In general humanoid robots have a torso with a head, two arms and two legs, although some forms of humanoid robots...
.
History
Some of Asimov's S.F. short storiesShort story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
and novels predict that this phobia will become strongest and most widespread when being directed against "mechanical men" that most-closely resemble human beings (see android), but it is also present on a lower level against robots that are plainly electromechanical automaton
Automaton
An automaton is a self-operating machine. The word is sometimes used to describe a robot, more specifically an autonomous robot. An alternative spelling, now obsolete, is automation.-Etymology:...
s. The "Frankenstein Complex" is similar in many respects to Masahiro Mori
Masahiro Mori
is a Japanese roboticist noted for his pioneering work on the emotional response of humans to non-human entities, as well as for his views on religion and robots. The ASIMO robot was designed by one of Masahiro's students....
's uncanny valley
Uncanny Valley
The uncanny valley is a hypothesis in the field of robotics and 3D computer animation, which holds that when human replicas look and act almost, but not perfectly, like actual human beings, it causes a response of revulsion among human observers...
hypothesis.
The name, "Frankenstein Complex", derives from the name of Victor Frankenstein
Victor Frankenstein
Victor Frankenstein was born in Napoli, is a Swiss fictional character and the protagonist of the 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, written by Mary Shelley...
in the groundbreaking novel, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus
Frankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
, written by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley in about the year 1818. In Ms. Shelley's story, Frankenstein created an intelligent, somewhat superhuman being. He finds that his creation is horrifying to behold, and he abandons it. This ultimately leads to Victor's death at the conclusion of a vendetta between himself and his embittered creation.
Note the distinction between "Frankenstein" the creator and Frankenstein's monster
Frankenstein's monster
Frankenstein's monster is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. The creature is often erroneously referred to as "Frankenstein", but in the novel the creature has no name...
: a Frankenstein complex is not a fear of roboticist
Roboticist
A roboticist designs, builds, programs, and experiments with robots. Since robotics is a highly interdisciplinary field, roboticists often have backgrounds in a number of disciplines including computer science, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer engineering...
s, scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
s, or even mad scientist
Mad scientist
A mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction. The mad scientist may be villainous or antagonistic, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes, if...
s, but rather, a fear of artificial human being
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s, although fear of one generally implies some fear of the other.
The general attitude of the public towards robots in much of Dr. Asimov's fiction is fear and suspicion: ordinary people fear that robots will either replace them or dominate them. Although dominance is impossible under the specifications of the Three Laws of Robotics
Three Laws of Robotics
The Three Laws of Robotics are a set of rules devised by the science fiction author Isaac Asimov and later added to. The rules are introduced in his 1942 short story "Runaround", although they were foreshadowed in a few earlier stories...
, which state clearly,
A robot may not harm a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm,
the fictitious earthly public does not generally listen to this logic, but rather they listen to their fears. In I, Robot
I, Robot
I, Robot is a collection of nine science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov, first published by Gnome Press in 1950 in an edition of 5,000 copies. The stories originally appeared in the American magazines Super Science Stories and Astounding Science Fiction between 1940 and 1950. The stories are...
's short story "Little Lost Robot" is an example of the "fear of robots" that Asimov described.
In Asimov's robot novels, the Frankenstein Complex is a major problem for roboticists and robot manufacturers. They do all they can to calm the public and show that robots are harmless, sometimes even hiding the truth because the public would misunderstand it and take it to the extreme. The fear by the public and the response of the manufacturers is an example of the theme of paternalism
Paternalism
Paternalism refers to attitudes or states of affairs that exemplify a traditional relationship between father and child. Two conditions of paternalism are usually identified: interference with liberty and a beneficent intention towards those whose liberty is interfered with...
, the dread of paternalism, and the conflicts that arise from it in Asimov's fiction.
See also
- Frankenstein argument - an argument against engineered intelligent beings (but not specifically robots)
- Uncanny valleyUncanny ValleyThe uncanny valley is a hypothesis in the field of robotics and 3D computer animation, which holds that when human replicas look and act almost, but not perfectly, like actual human beings, it causes a response of revulsion among human observers...
- a hypothesis that posits a gap in emotional response to things created to resemble humans that fall short of perfect mimicry.