The Question of Sentience

One of the most iconic characters in science fiction is the android. The term 'android' is the combination of the greek word for 'man' and the suffix '-oid', meaning 'having the form or likeness of'. Many writers and directors have used this term from Auguste Villiers' L'Ève future and Isaac Asimov's short story Robot Dreams to Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek: The Next Generation. The most common description of an android is a robot, or synthetic organism, that is designed to look and behave like a human being. A theme that is commonly addressed in science fiction is what separates an android from a human. If androids are meant to preform exactly like humans then at what point does an android, essentially, become a man? There is much contention as to whether or not an android can come to be sentient. Both Star Trek: The Next Generation and Isaac Asimov's Robot Dreams address this.

A famous television series, Star Trek: The Next Generation constantly approaches this subject. One of the main characters, Data, is a sophisticated android with a positronic brain who is constantly trying to discover what it truly means to be human and obtain it. In the episode, The Measure of a Man, Data is on trial to either prove or disprove that he is a sentient being. If they prove he is not sentient he would be disassembled and studied so that Star Fleet could make many more androids like him, a fleet of Datas. Captain Picard, who has grown to view Data as a good friend, comes to his defense. He knows that if they find his friend insentient they’d disassemble him which would, very probably, lead to his death. During the trial the prosecutor, Commander Riker, demonstrates Data’s unparalleled strength, the fact he was created by a human and that he, like other machines, can be switched off. Picard, who had been feeling overwhelmed by the evidence against Data, talks with Guinan whom he occasionally goes to for advice. She tells him that Star Fleet’s plan was, ultimately, going to create a slave race regardless of whether or not the population was made up of machines. Picard then conveys this to those in the courtroom. When is it alright to take advantage of any population in such a way? Data had met two of the three requirements that Star Fleet said constitutes a sentient being. Data possessed intelligence and he was self-aware. The third requirement, consciousness, is harder to define. The judge, Louvois, admits that she does not know how to prove or disprove if Data is a conscious being. How could someone be sure? Ultimately Louvois rules that Data has the right to choose. That he is sentient. She muses;

“Does Data have a soul. I don’t know that he has. I don’t know that I have. But I have got to give him the freedom to explore that question himself.”

Star Trek does a pretty good job with discussing the concept of androids gaining sentience. The writers consider what criteria they would use to determine what a sentient being should possess. For instance, they say that a sentient being should possess intelligence, self-awareness and consciousness. However, these criteria are hard to pin down. Intelligence itself could mean many things; the aptitude for learning, reasoning, or even the ability to grasp social cues. Being self-aware could mean that you are cognizant of your emotions and your individuality. Nevertheless, 'consciousness' can mean being aware of one's existence. Data is conscious of the fact that he is a robot, however it could be argued that he is only cognizant of that, and not conscious of his actual being like humans are. Yet Data is able to hold normal relationships with others and become connected in the same ways that humans do. For instance, he knows many people who he considers to be friends and who consider him a friend as well. Not only that, he was also able to have a romantic relationship with a fellow shipmate, Tasha Yar. This is normal for human beings and Data was able to interact in the same way. These are just some of the reasons why Data can be considered more than just an android.

Isaac Asimov's Robot Dreams also explores the evolution of androids into sentient beings. In this short story revolves around a robot, Elvex, the doctor that made it, Dr. Rash, and a robopsychologist named Dr. Calvin. Dr. Rash had brought Elvex in because the robot had had a dream as a result of Dr. Rash putting in a new fractal designed brain. A robot having dreams had been unheard of before then. When asked what it had dreamed about, Elvex had responded that dreamed that all that a lone human was controlling all the robots. Elvex went on to describe how it had been the man in its dream. When Dr. Calvin heard this, she terminated the machine as it could have been a danger to humans. In Asimov's world there are Three Laws of Robotics:

1- A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

2- A robot must obey any orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

3- A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

In Elvex's dream, the first two laws no longer existed and that the third law had been modified so that a robot must protect its own existence. Dr. Calvin had been worried that if Elvex had gone on existing that it could led to a robot rebellion against humans, seeing how, in its dreams, it had established that a robot should do what it must to protect itself. She saw this as a step forward in the evolution in robots. In this story a robot had begun to recognize its own existence in a world where robots are used for hard manual labor. When questioned, Elvex knew of what was happening to the other robots and knew that it had been normal for its kind. It knew of the struggles that its fellow robots went through and had felt a kind of kinship to them for it which he was able to express through a dream because of the advanced brain he had. If the robot in Asimov's short story was to be judged on the criteria that the writers of Star Trek had set forward then it might also be considered a sentient being. Elvex had intelligence, self-awareness and consciousness of itself and of its own kind.

In many science fiction novels and television shows often try to tackle the question of robot’s humanity. Whether it is the capacity to care, be self-aware or even to dream, the concept of androids gaining sentience is a very powerful and reoccurring theme in science fiction. When does an android evolve and when does an android acquire, fundamentally, a soul? Some note that it may be the possession of intelligence or being self-aware. Maybe it is the ability to recognize one's own being and our significance in the universe. Nonetheless, it is an intriguing notion.