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  • Essay / Meaning and origins of humanity in the film Bicentennial Man

    “Bicentennial Man”, directed by Chris Columbus, addresses many thematic elements such as the meaning and origins of humanity by placing the story on a life-size android. man whose goal is to serve humans. In this world, the robot's owner, Sir Richard Martin, realized that there was something different about the robot and that the flaw in its programming gave it the ability to process and interpret human emotions complex. In this, the story questions the nature of consciousness and what the concept of humanity really means when considering its complexities. Andrew, the robot, lives another 200 years and it is during this time that he begins to interpret and understand the complexities associated with being a human. It cultivates relationships with humans and presents a broad and powerful semblance of emotional awareness and empathy. These experiences present the viewer with a plethora of examinations of what constitutes being human and conscious. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay In order to understand the effectiveness of story development, it is crucial to know and understand Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics. These include the first law, which states that a robot cannot harm a human being nor, through inaction or miscalculation, allow a human being to be harmed. The Second Law states that they must obey orders given to them by humans, except when an order directly conflicts with the requirements of the First Law. Finally, the third law states that a robot must constantly protect its own livelihood and existence as long as it does not conflict with the first two laws. Andrew eventually becomes part of the Martin family and earns his place among them for several years. He develops a strong and deep attachment to "Little Miss" and grows closer to her as he develops his own interpretation of her emotional commitment. He begins to have difficulty following the second law when "Monsieur tells him that he must leave the house." family at a time. This is where the functions of his program begin to take shape as a compelling level of empathy. (Roberts, 34) This becomes difficult for Andrew as he has developed a curious and intimate relationship with family members and subsequently becomes attached. It is after being banished from the family that he begins to develop a deep sense of loss and loses confidence in his identity, realizing that he is in fact not human. (Cooper, 224) Yet he begins to understand the level of his own consciousness and the depth of his ability to empathize with these individuals, and in this regard he continues a process of becoming more like the humans of this world. This becomes his main goal, to continually progress to become more human in order to acquire the status of a human being. Columbus confronts the nature of existence by choosing to address the symbolic attempts he makes to acquire more human characteristics, when there is already such an identity present and developed. Andrew learns to appreciate and be totally amazed by things like freedom, family, friendship, creativity, and death. (Cooper, 226)His journey is symbolically represented when he goes looking for other robots that look like him. This in itself is a large part of the human journey we all experience; it is a sequence of events that we use to hopefully better understand our world and the nature of our place within it. Essentially, almost all of humanity is locked into a commitmentpresent with his own person and his relationships with those around him. It is an essential part of life that defines how humans exist and with whom they exist. Along the way, Andrew discovers a robot that looks a lot like a woman and can even dance like a human. He is captivated by her presence and wishes to know more about her and how their beings and perceptions correlate with each other. He said, “I can’t believe I finally found you.” When did you know you were unique? » (Cooper, 222) She informs him that she knew it all along but as he continues to talk with her, he understands that she is simply programmed to have a sense of personality and that She wasn't really capable of thinking independently or understanding the relevance of her own being. Symbolically, it embodies a complex achievement that the director and screenwriter of the initial short story on which the film is based, Isaac Asimov, attempted to inject into the narrative of the story. Humanity is presented not only as an extension of personality, but also as a reflection of consciousness and an ability to contemplate the value and meaning of life. At one point, this robot even goes so far as to declare, "I think personality is way more fun than intelligence." (Cooper, 224) This includes an expansive point that the directors make in examining humanity and this point is reiterated at many different parts of the story's narrative. Overall, there are many moments in which Andrew is seemingly more capable of empathy and a deeper level of consciousness than even some of his human counterparts. As he grows, undergoes more and more surgeries, and attempts to convert more and more to become human, he runs into problems orchestrated by a council of humans who determine whether an entity is a person or not, known as the World Legislature. Andrew is forced to go through significant levels of legal and political drama in an attempt to have his humanity officially recognized, and on several occasions this is interrupted. Many of his opponents considered a human being their arguments around the idea that even though the prosthetics he eventually gets make him look like a human in many ways, they still don't constitute enough to consider him a human. They claim that he must perform human functions and this is where the pivotal moment of the scene comes. Andrew is looking for a robot surgeon who must perform an operation that will ultimately kill him: modifying the brain he has so that it ends up decomposing. He establishes that the operation will allow him to live up to 200 years old. It is this act that motivates the world's legislature to declare him human, signing a law on his bicentennial and finally declaring him a man. (Roberts, 36) In his final moments, as he tries to think about what defined him as a human, his consciousness fades and the only thing he can think about is Little Miss. The main purpose of the article "The Mechanics of The Bicentennial Man" by Dave Neil is to interpret key elements of the film and to understand how the writers and director came to interpret the meaning of existence and reflection on humanity that Isaac Asimov intended. The key question the author addresses is whether or not humans can define themselves by their physical attributes or whether there is a deeper correlative point that we share that extends beyond of our simple human appearance? (Neill, age 11) The most important information in this article lies in the examinations of Andrew's character and.