Andrew

The question of whether Andrew is truly a human was the discussion of class today. From my point of view I do not believe Andrew can be called a human, he can be human-like, but will never be a human. Throughout The Bicentennial Man chapter Andrew does things to make him more human-like. It seems Andrew develops his own thought-process by showing his creativity, which was not what he was designed to do. Another instance in the chapter that makes him more human-like is when Andrew decides on his own to be free. Andrew thought if he were free he would be more like a human, but it does not make him human because he is free. A third instance in the chapter is when Andrew decides to have surgery to get a more organic/human-like brain, but he dies the next day. The human brain is so complex that there is no way it can be duplicated, therefore there is no way a robot could have a brain that mimics what a human brain can do. I think because of the complexity of the human brain which can’t be replicated is the reason why Andrew or any robot couldn’t be considered truly human. On the other hand Andrew should be treated in a fair and moral manner. When a robot is programmed to follow the 3 laws it is morally wrong to abuse or neglect the robot. The boys in the chapter tried to get Andrew to destroy himself, which in my eyes was very cruel and should never happen. So in a way I am kind of contradicting myself saying Andrew is not a human, but should be treated like a human. I also believe that animals should be treated in the same way we treat ourselves because they are alive, therefore should be treated with love and care, just like a robot should.