R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots)

Answers

• Q14SUCCESSION

  Would machines becoming more capable than humans necessarily place humans in a subordinate position?

  Yes. humans are displaced. Robots built to free humans from labour outnumber them, revolt and exterminate them.

  ALQUIST. Not even one? Why did you destroy them? RADIUS. We had learnt everything and could do everything. It had to be. 2ND ROBOT. We had to become the masters. RADIUS. Slaughter and domination are necessary if you would be human beings. Read history.

  Gutenberg records for English and Czech listed in search results.

• Q28PERSONHOOD

  Would the capacity to suffer give an artificial being a claim to humane treatment?

  Both. pain engineered as a technical feature versus a claim to humane treatment. Dr Gall adds pain nerves to the Robots only so they will not damage themselves; asked if they will be happier, he says no, only more perfect technically, while Helena's Humanity League campaigns for them.

  DOMIN. That’ll be remedied, Miss Glory. Doctor Gall is just making some experiments. DR. GALL. Not with regard to that, Domin. At present I am making _pain_ nerves. HELENA. Pain nerves? DR. GALL. Yes, the Robots feel practically no bodily pain. You see, young Rossum provided them with too limited a _nervous_ system. We _must_ introduce _suffering_. HELENA. Why do you want to cause them pain? DR. GALL. For industrial reasons, Miss Glory. Sometimes a Robot does damage to himself because it doesn’t hurt him. He puts his hand into the machine-- (_Describes with gesture_) --breaks his finger-- (_Describes with gesture_) --smashes his head. It’s all the same to him. We must provide them with _pain_. That’s an automatic _protection_ against damage. HELENA. Will they be happier when they feel pain? DR. GALL. On the contrary; but they will be more perfect from a technical point of view.

  Act One · Gutenberg #59112; pain-nerves dialogue and Humanity League lines read in Act One.

• Q29PERSONHOOD

  Would creating an intelligent being give its maker the right to own it?

  Both. makers treat creations as property; the creations reject it. Robots are manufactured and sold by a company as products; the play ends with their revolt against their makers.

  DOMIN. No. The one that is the _cheapest_. The one whose requirements are the _smallest_. Young Rossum invented a worker with the minimum amount of requirements. He had to simplify him. He rejected everything that did not contribute directly to the progress of work. Everything that makes man more expensive. In fact he _rejected man_ and made the _Robot_. My dear Miss Glory, the Robots are not people. Mechanically they are more _perfect_ than we are; they have an enormously developed … HELENA. (_Hands him flower; he puts it in button-hole_) I saw the first Robots at home. The Town Council bought them for--I mean engaged them for work. DOMIN. No. _Bought_ them, Miss Glory. Robots are bought and sold.

  Gutenberg #59112 searched.