Calvin Lau

Professor Glenn Collins

Engl115
Android Assimilation and Acceptance into the Human Society
Humans rank themselves superior in comparison to other species based
on intellect and traits such as possessing empathy. We feel a sense of
attachment towards inanimate objects we use daily such as our mobile phones,
laptops and in the near future, androids. While we see no need to grant rights to
these objects currently considering they lack individualism, as technology
continues to advance with the development of androids to the point where they
acquire humanistic appearances and feelings, will we be able to continue
maintaining this master-servant relationship? Will this hierarchy of human
superiority continue? Or will we learn to co-exist with androids as individuals in
our society? I believe that androids will co-exist with humans due to the fact that
the goal for the development of androids is to replicate humans as close as
possible to expand its work capabilities. While this maximizes the androids work
potential, it also results in humans developing close attachments and
relationships with androids, leading to a conflict for android rights. To have a
better understanding of this android dilemma, the novel, Do Androids Dream of
Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick will serve as the backbone of this paper as the
novels central theme explores the struggle of android acceptance as well as how
humans can develop androids to become more easily accepted into society.
While the main argument regarding why androids should not deserve
rights is due to their lack of human characteristics, the novel, Do Androids
Dream of Electric Sheep introduces a world where androids do have the ability to
learn characteristics and behaviors yet are still denied their right to assimilate

into society. Though androids were originally designed to help humans on mars
after a nuclear fallout devastated earth; as a result of vast technological
advancements, they acquired the ability to learn human behavior and traits
through the development of the Nexus-6 type, the most advanced and humanlike android that even requires an empathy test to be distinguished from
humans. By possessing this capability, the androids could blend into the human
society. However to maintain the status quo of master and servant, humans
refused to acknowledge their rights and ordered runaway androids to be
eliminated.
Since Phillip K. Dick loosely explains what the Nexus-6s are capable of
when introduced, readers and characters both mutually agree that the runaway
androids should be eliminated for killing their human masters. However as the
story progresses, characters learn that androids do hold humanistic emotions
such as empathy, causing the audience alongside the characters to be conflicted
whether is it truly justified or wrong to eliminate androids. I believe annihilating
fugitive androids is wrong due to the fact that the androids are on the run
because they desire freedom from humanitys chains. Their existence is similar
to animals in the aspect that humans hold them in captivity against their wills
and exploit their existence. In an article by David Calverley from Arizona State
University, Calverley compares the difference between android and animal
rights, arguing that animals and androids both equally possess a conscience and
therefore deserve fair rights and freedom. I strongly agree with this perspective
because regardless if they appear human, animals and androids both are
sentient beings like humans.
There are many moments in the story where the characters question their
societal values regarding the treatment of androids as well as their resemblance
to humans. For example, the comparison made by the author between

protagonist Rick Deckard and bounty hunter Phil Resch after killing a runaway
android together. For the first time, after being with him, I looked at them
differently. I mean, in my own way I had been viewing them as he did. (Rick 15)
Though both work as bounty hunters, Resch views androids only as inanimate
money bags, in comparison to Rick whom views androids as individuals after
realizing that they are sentient beings through actions such as escaping from
mars where androids are enslaved, and developing passions such as singing. If
androids were truly inanimate objects, why would they kill and escape from their
owners? It would not make sense for androids to kill and escape without reason.
It is due to their capability of learning emotions that enables this behavior, the
ability to develop a will; totally contrary to those who argue that androids are
incapable of developing human emotions. Even today, the development of
artificial empathy is possible as explained in an article by renowned robotics
engineer Minoru Asada, clarifying that artificial empathy is possible through a
method called computer simulation which is essentially writing programs for
empathy.
Though humans have yet to develop humanoid androids with artificial
intelligence, AIs do exist today. For example, Siri on the Apple IOS and
Microsofts Cortana. As they are limited in functionality and impact in our daily
lives, we do not consider much regarding their rights. However, once humanoid
androids are developed together with the capability to learn and understand
human behavior, will we be able to treat them as slaves to do our daily chores?
Unlike a robot vacuum that has an inhumane appearance, an android is designed
to replicate the anatomy of a human to have a greater range of functionality
such as interacting with other humans. In the article by Billy Lee, a philosopher
at the University of Edinburgh, he explains that that for androids to be better
accepted by humans, they must have an appearance and characteristics most

accepted by humans which Lee concluded to be feminine and motherly traits

through an experiment where students were required to watch clips of actors
reciting autobiographical stories and record their reactions. By designing an
appearance that is strongly accepted by humans, this enables the process of
android assimilation into society easier, allowing androids to be more easily
accepted.
Once androids are built with ideal characteristics and traits as well as
being part of our daily lives, humans will begin to feel an attachment towards
them. I believe this outcome as it is evidenced in current human behavior to feel
attachment to objects we use daily. For instance, as we are constantly around
mobile phones twenty-four hours a day, we develop a sense of attachment
towards it, feeling lost once stripped of it. Though we can replace a mobile phone
whenever we want as it does not possess a personality, androids cannot be
replaced due to having a specifically programmed persona, establishing a
relationship closer to a human, an irreplaceable being. An example from Do
Androids Dream of Electric Sheep is the relationship between Rick Deckard and
female android Rachael Rosen where Rachael manipulates Rick into falling in
love with her to save the other androids. No bounty hunter ever has gone on
after being with me. (Rachael 17) By designing androids with an idealistic
persona and appearance, we will tend to forget that we are dealing with androids
due to their strong resemblance to humans, strengthening our attachment and
acceptance towards them.
Many fear the creation of androids due to media portrayals such as
Terminator and the creation basis which is, androids must be superior to humans.
Humans fear the unknown, we fear the androids autonomous and sentient nature
as it is independent. While I agree that non-sentient androids do not deserve
rights as they cannot think for themselves without commands, androids that are

sentient deserve rights because, what makes them different from us as humans?
The android struggle is similar to that of black slaves; if they are not given rights,
others will due to the emotion of empathy, to feel for others, creating a conflict
resembling that of the American Civil War. It is inevitable that a conflict for
android rights will occur due to the fact that humans will develop close
relationships with androids. To avoid this conflict, the adoption of android rights
is necessary.

Works cited

Calverley, David. "Android Science and Animal Rights, Does an Analogy

Exist?." Connection Science, 18.4 (2006): 403-417.

Lee, Billy. "Empathy, Androids and 'Authentic Experience'." Connection Science, 18.4
(2006): 419-428.

Asada, Minoru. "Towards Artificial Empathy: How Can Artificial Empathy Follow the
Developmental Pathway of Natural Empathy?." International Journal of Social
Robotics, 7.1 (2015): 19-33.