Isaac Assimov "The Caves of Steel" February 3, 2006

To be human takes on several different meanings, humanity encompasses every aspect of life and thought and impacts individuals differently. However, in the case of the creation of and reaction to robots specific aspects of humanity are unveiled. With the creation of robots, fashioned in human likeness, generates the notion of self worship. “The human form is the most successful generalized form in all nature. We are not a specialized animal, … except for our nervous system and a few odd items. If you want a design capable of doing a great many widely various things, all fairly well, you could do no better than to imitate the human form.” (Page 172) The human form is celebrated as the most advanced and efficient creature which illustrates human’s celebration of this fact by creating robots in their likeness. However, the reaction is much different to robots. Although most robots are created to ease the life of humans and to complete unwanted tasks, they threaten the society that humans have lived in for centuries. “I tell you what they do, in case you don’t know. They steal jobs from men. That’s why the government always protects them. They work for nothin’ and, on account o’ that, families gotta live out in the barracks and eat raw yeast mush.” (Page 31) Although they are created in human-kind’s image they are still condemned for their purpose. They are capable of making great strides in several areas of society, yet they threaten to replace what is common and realized within society, work for pay.
Human interactions with the robot can also offer a illustration into humans demand for communication and contact. Using the example of Tank allows humans to understand that they require an interface that facilitates optimal communication. We require one to understand us and for us to understand them in order to properly communicate. Without this direct interaction humans cannot fully communicate. In the case of the Tank, this type of communication is not fully possible. However the robot is programmed it will never be able to fully communicate and provide an optimal interaction for either party. This communication includes the use of emotion within the interaction, another facet that is not fully recognized in the Tank. Although the robot may be programmed to convey certain emotions along with specific phrases it does not fully represent the feeling. Much like internet or written communications lack this form of expression we use simple “faces” to convey our meaning (an essential aspect in communication). Yet, these faces require interpretation along with the message which depends on the reader. Therefore, communication may be mimicked in online, written, or robotic communications, but it can never replicate the interaction and communication present between two or more individuals.
R. Daneel Olivaw serves several purposes in the society with the novel The Caves of Steel. He is able to accomplish many tasks that are undesirable or impossible for humans to achieve and also serves as a source of a plethora of information. Due to his extensive amount of information and services I would be able to work with the robot. Although he lacks much of the emotion necessary for proper human interaction he would serve as a reliable source to work with and complete a given task.