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Abstract

This thesis analyses how American science fiction author Isaac Asimov’s “Robot Novels” (1954-1985) deal with the conception of an ideal human-robot relationship as a more constructive alternative to the robot-as-threat-to-the-survival-of-humanity trope, on the one hand, and robot as slave or servant, on the other. The thesis focuses on the character development of the robot R. Daneel Olivaw as well as the affective development of his relationship with human detective Elijah Baley in consideration of Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics. From establishing Baley’s robot-hatred in the first novel, The Caves of Steel (1954), and introducing Daneel to reimagine the aforesaid prejudice, Asimov questions the isolated resolution of the human-robot divide in relation to subjectivity as that which defines identity, even for robots, in the second novel, The Naked Sun (1956). Asimov then moves on to defining robot selfhood in the third novel, The Robots of Dawn (1983), and examines how such a selfhood is sustained through suffering and empathy within a robot in the final novel, Robots and Empire (1985). The thesis also offers a detailed consideration of how Asimov’s Three Laws and his focus on robot-human relationships appear in a popular cinematic adaptation of his robot universe, namely I, Robot (2004), via an examination of the robot Sonny and his relationship with human detective Del Spooner. In its final analysis, the thesis demonstrates that in Asimov’s works, the human-robot relationships derive from an outlook of relational belonging and arrive at a practice of equality and empathy, not just from robots but more so from humans. With human jobs on the line, a surge in misinformation, a pervasive anxiety about the misuse of technology, and increasingly tense geopolitical relationships, Asimov’s robot narratives provide a more hopeful way of conceiving symbiotic relationships between humans and technology. Ultimately, for Asimov, love turns out to be the greatest emotion to nurture between humans and robots, thereby promoting a human-robot relationship that functions on mutual respect and understanding to bring about a harmonious future.