Margaret Kimball
ENG 301
Susan Quarrell
April 16, 2009
Final Paper
The Caves of Steel and a New Future
The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov shows that humanity must always look forward. The characters would agree with a major theme from Terminator 2 that, “The future's not set. There's no fate but what we make for ourselves.” As long as there is hope, there is the possibility for progress. A people who are content with the way things are do not hope to change the future. Asimov’s book illustrates humanity’s need for progress in terms of several fundamentals of science fiction. It considers the nature of humanity or personhood, artificial intelligence, coming of age, coming to faith, space exploration, and future utopia or dystopia. In this essay I will attempt to show how all of these elements are used to reinforce the importance of progress in science fiction. Only by coming to accept artificial intelligence and alternative life forms can the residents of the “caves of steel” shape their future through space colonization.
The first question which the book The Caves of Steel addresses is the nature of humanity or personhood. This question is raised both by the humans who interact with robots and by the robots themselves. When a robot is sabotaged, another of his kind uses the terminology “corpse” and “murdered” (222). However, the humans in the story are uncomfortable with such designations saying “it isn’t murder. It’s property damage. Let’s keep our legal terms straight,” indicating that such terms are not to be applied to robots (231). People desire clear distinctions between robots and humans and feel wronged when the line is blurred. The protagonist, Elijah, illustrates these feelings when he complains “you might have warned me that he looked completely human” in reference to his robot partner (83). When he meets an incredibly human-like robot, the detective first attempts to prove that the robot must in fact be a man saying that he is “too good a human to be a robot” (100). When this fails, he questions the distinction between humans and robots. He has decided that in order to be human one must be capable of mercy, learning, and free will. It is when a robot, R. Daneel Olivaw, learns the concept of mercy and chooses to offer it to a criminal that he truly shows human potential. This robot is not a person, yet the story shows that a robot may have the potential to become a person. This is a matter for future progress. In The Caves of Steel, humanity must be open to the contributions of artificial intelligence in order to build a better future.
The story questions the nature of artificial intelligence and artificial life. In the story, human traits are found in robots. The book shows that humanity may be characterized by the ability to choose to do wrong. The three laws of robotics (the basic programming found in every positronic brain) are presented as a protection for robots and humanity. In taking away a robot’s ability to make moral decisions, the three laws are a barrier to their ability to acquire humanity. Robots do not choose not to kill humans. When asked if a robot could kill a man, robotics expert, Dr. Gerrigel explains “Never. Unless such killing were completely necessary to save the lives of two or more men. In either case, the positronic potential built up would ruin the brain past recovery,” indicating that if a robot took a human life, the robot would cease to function (171). Robots are incapable of making moral decisions. They merely weigh options as R. Daneel explains “there are degrees of justice… When the lesser is incompatible with the greater, the lesser must give way” (246). Programming determines this for them. The story uses Frankenstein to illustrate how humans fear the potential problems which would follow if robots acquired free will. What is to stop them from destroying their creators? Humans therefore will not allow robots to achieve true personhood. Instead humans govern their creations by programming.
The characters in The Caves of Steel cannot hope to progress until they learn acceptance. All of the main characters have an epiphany or a moment of growth in which they come to faith or come of age emotionally. The most dramatic growth occurs in the robot Daneel Olivaw and his human partner Elijah. The growth of the main characters is followed by the growth of their respective societies. Elijah passes his newfound knowledge on to the Medievalists and R. Daneel passes his ability to relate with the Earthmen on to the Spacers.
R. Daneel Olivaw has the most interesting growth process. His journey takes him from being a creature with no comprehension of human emotions to one who comes to an understanding of the traits associated with personhood. Although his outward appearance is that of a man, R. Daneel was created without the capability of understanding human emotion. Elijah articulates the idea that robots “seem better than us-only they’re not. That’s the damned irony of it” (221). Throughout the story, R. Daneel exhibits the limitations inherent to his kind. He points out many of his shortcomings in order to explain or to excuse his inability to comprehend the Earthmen. His knowledge of common human experiences such as dreaming is limited to “the dictionary definition only” (190). In his desire to learn more about humanity, he asks such questions as “why should a law-abiding woman wish to feel wicked” and the ironic “what do you mean by curiosity” (246). However, when he asks for an explanation of religious morality with the question “higher than the law…is that not a contradiction in terms” he becomes educated in one of the most complex struggles of humanity. His partner, Elijah, uses the Bible to teach the robot what it is to show mercy and in this way helps the robot to find personhood. In his coming to faith, the robot learns to experience the “human impulse” of mercy (208). The robot learns the lesson of mercy as he explains, “it suddenly seems to me that the destruction of what should not be, that is, the destruction of what you people call evil, is less just and desirable than the conversion of this evil into what you call good” and quotes the Bible in his awkward attempt to express the contradiction to justice which is mercy with the words “Go, and sin no more” (270). The culmination of R. Daneel’s “coming of age” is found in this moment. He finally is able to start understanding abstract human impulses and responses and therefore becomes more human.
In order to grow detective Elijah must abandon many ideas which he has taken for granted. He transforms from a disinterested pacific Earthman to a leader in relations among Earthmen, Spacers, and robots. Before his epiphany, his human emotions obstructed his ability to think logically. He assumed that robots and Spacers were enemies and that his friends were innocent of any wrongdoing. Elijah learns to question the motives of both friends and enemies in order to discover the truth. He learns that he must not assume that his wife and his superior are innocent as he eventually admits “if I could have gotten around that one fact earlier, I would have had the solution earlier” (263). At first he stubbornly refuses to believe obvious explanations dismissing them as soon as they are brought up “we won’t discuss that point any further” (191). In his epiphany, Elijah learns that robots can be trusted, should be treated as partners, and are capable of human characteristics declaring to R. Daneel “I trust you. I even-admire you” (270). He learns that the Spacers wish to help him and his people. He admiringly explains that the Spacers are on Earth to help the Earthmen save themselves, saying that “they risk death continually by coming to Earth and staying here for that purpose” (269). He also learns that the people he trusts most are capable of misleading him and committing crimes (201). Only when Elijah opens his mind to all possibilities can he find the truth and accept that “we’re all brothers. Under the skin, over it, everywhere”(227).
The Mediaevalists’ epiphany comes when they learn that they can only save society by embracing progress. The Medievalists are a group of Earthmen who believe that they must return to past ways of life in order to save society. Elijah describes them as “soft, dreamy people who find life too hard for them here and get lost in an ideal world of the past that never really existed” (189). The Medievalists, who disdain progress, believe that Spacers and robots are enemies of the Earthmen. After Elijah comes to the realization that robots and space colonization have the potential to help Earthmen build better lives for themselves he inadvertently causes the Medievalists’ epiphany. He urges them with the words “why not go forward? Go back to the soil, but go back to the soil of other planets”(220). When Elijah explains the idea of space colonization to the Medievalists they are finally able to consider the possibilities of a better future through science. R. Daneel realizes that “Medievalism shows a craving for pioneering” and that it was the Spacers who “crystallized the romantic impulses on Earth into Medievalism and induced an organization in them” (243). They are therefore the best candidates to be colonists. The Medievalists have a coming of age when they learn to accept the fact that they must embrace progress and learn to cooperate with robots if they wish to improve their way of life. The Medievalists finally realize that the Spacers have come to help them. Although they previously rejected ideas which were presented by their presumed enemy, when these same ideas are presented by a fellow Earthman they are able to consider the issue fairly.
The Spacers come to faith when they find that Earthmen are capable of change. The mission of the Spacers is “to break the shell surrounding Earth and force its people into new expansion and colonization” (239). When a Spacer was murdered the people of Spacetown had nearly lost hope of forming friendly relations with the Earthmen. However, it is this tragedy which finally leads to understanding between the peoples. Only by working together for a common cause can the people of earth and the people of space find understanding.
The growth process in this book involves representatives of all members of society. It is in their coming of age or acceptance that the characters become prepared to embrace space exploration and the future. They find hope in embracing progress.
With their newfound hope, the Medievalists and Elijah are able to accept the Spacers’ ideal of extraterrestrial colonization. They embrace the idea that “we can go back to the soil all right-but on other planets” (269). The Spacers have already embraced the future, but they risk their health to lead Earthmen to discover their own more positive future. This cause is of such worth to these Spacers that they risk being ostracized by the rest of their community and are willing to overlook the murder of one of their own in order to help the people of Earth. The Earthmen live in cities which are termed “caves of steel” evocative of primitive living. They are trapped in their overcrowded worlds of mediocrity. While the Medievalists formerly believed that their ideal would be to return to the lifestyle of the past, they come to learn that a new way of life on their own space colonies would be an improvement.
The future of The Caves of Steel held two possibilities. The Earth dwellers could continue in their current way of life eventually embracing a dystopia. Alternately, they could take the initiative to change their futures and build their own utopia in the stars. Elijah advocates the second option as he declares “the colonization of space is the only possible salvation of Earth” (269). In order to choose this utopia, the Medievalists had to come to accept the value of alternative life-forms such as Spacers and artificially intelligent robots. They had to find a way to work together with the robots in order to ensure the future of all. Technology and advancement are not to be feared but rather to be embraced and utilized in conjunction with human intelligence while being tempered by human ethics. Robots would not replace the humans but would rather aid them by performing dangerous and difficult tasks. Humans did in fact need to return to the land, but not the land of Earth. They needed to make new homes, different from those of the Spacers and different from those on Earth. Only their own utopia would truly be a utopia for them.
Only by embracing progress are the people of The Caves of Steel able to build a better future. In this book, Asimov creates a world wherein robots will save rather than destroy humanity. He takes an unlikely premise to create the theme that hope will allow humans to shape their future into a utopia. Only by accepting progress in the form of artificial intelligence and space colonization are the people able to advance. The advanced peoples must also accept the richness of human nature in the form of mercy and hope. It is only in finding common ground that the people of Asimov’s future are able to cooperate and build a better world for all. Rather than lamenting the past, it is essential that we look towards the future with hope.
Works Cited
Asimov, Isaac. The Caves of Steel. New York: Bantam Books, 1954.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Dir. James Cameron. 1991. DVD. Artisan, 2003.