Urth Net
Android Souls, Re: (urth) Re: Antechamber, Jonas, navigator
↰ answers Peter Stephenson
· by quotation
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Peter Stephenson wrote:
"Roy C. Lackey" wrote:
... Ascribing
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human emotions such as "shock", "agitation", loyalty, love, friendship, loss, etc. to an android are misplaced.
I don't think it can be that simple. As someone was saying just earlier in the week, Wolfe writes about non-humans as if they have `souls' in some sense. They're not completely human --- but they're not completely inhuman either, just like Jonas himself. ... corncrake
Who was it who wrote earlier that Wolfe regularly explores the boundaries of what constitutes humanity? " If it's possible for someone to lose his humanity, surely it must be possible for something that once had none to find it". Severian referred specifically to Jonas in that remark (IV, ch. X). Or look in 5HC, in "Fifth Head" where Number Five attempts to question Mr. Million regarding whether he has a soul or just some very sophisticated programming capable of "simulating" a soul for the observer. Mr. Million pleads ignorance, citing the lack of a frame of reference from which he could explore the matter.