Episode 3 - With Folded Hands

TBD - To Be Determined

Theme: We will make you happy, whether you like it or not.
Time: 37:12

Episode Connections
Authors, stories. Asimov, Robot stories.
Films. The Matrix. Jurassic Park.
TV episodes, series. Star Trek, the Next Generation.
Ideas. Jack Williamson's sci-fi legacy. Robotic central intelligence. A life of leisure v. a life of work. What does it mean to be happy? The Mechanical Prime Directive. How does perspective alter the notion of utopia? Can there be a robot utopia? Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics. How do we define harm? Science fiction nomenclature. The creative impulse & the robotic brain. Creativity, activity and human motivation. Utilitarian ethics and social well being. Be careful what you wish for. Could human ingenuity overcome robotic oppression? Real science is messy. “Too much faith in science … too little in men.” Has Williamson concocted the perfect trap for humankind? No risk, no reward. Holodeck technology. Free will and choice. Imagining the future is difficult to do. Does sci-fi look inward more often now than during its golden age? Artificial v. biological life.

Previous episode: Tom Godwin, "The Cold Equations"
Next episode: Harlan Ellison, “I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream”

Music Credit: "Ouroboros" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
Link: Creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/