Uploaded October 2014 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
This is a quick book summary and analysis of Bicentennial Man by Isaac Asimov.
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This is a story about a robot named Andrew who is owned by the Martin family. Andrew is different than any other robot in that his positronic brain thinks and works differently than normal robots; he is creative. As such, Andrew is able to make wooden furniture and objects, which the Martin family sells. Of course, Andrew is given some of the money, even though he is a robot.
Andrew gets along with Mr. Martin’s daughter, Lil’ Miss, and soon she grows older and has a family of her own. She is set on making sure that Andrew gets as many human rights as possible.
Over the years, Andrew’s desire to become human continues to grow, as he wears human clothing and wants to research how to artificially give robots certain biological functions, like breathing and eating.
Lil’ Miss’s son, George, becomes a lawyer and assists Andrew in gaining more rights, even though the robotics company that created Andrew wants to replace him with a standard unit.
After years of research and development, Andrew slowly upgrades his body to resemble that of a human, even with artificial skin. However, he realizes that he will never be considered human because he can live forever.
In the end, Andrew, at 200 years old, makes himself mortal through an operation and dies knowing he made the ultimate sacrifice for his humanity.
As always, a lot can be said about this story, but what draws my interest and attention is the idea of defining what makes a human “human”. And this is especially important as we live in a time where technology is beginning to blur the lines between artificial intelligence and human intelligence.
There are already robots that look like humans. These androids are just the beginning to changing the way that we live and work in our world. Dangerous or undesirable jobs can be given to robots. More places can be explored without worry of endangering human life.
But while we gain a multitude of lifestyle advantages, are we ready to encounter the social and ethical challenges that a story like this presents? Will robots ever be treated or viewed as human?
Our culture is already encountering this issue with pets and how pets are viewed as almost human. But with robotics, it will be even more difficult to separate human from robot because of the physical, social, and mental similarities.
And this isn’t to say that we should be prepared for the robots to take over our world, but it does bring into question whether they, the robots, will remain our tools or our equals.
Music: Pamgaea by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
This is a quick book summary and analysis of Bicentennial Man by Isaac Asimov.
Facebook Page - facebook.com/pages/Minute-Book-Reports/1148331925195691
This is a story about a robot named Andrew who is owned by the Martin family. Andrew is different than any other robot in that his positronic brain thinks and works differently than normal robots; he is creative. As such, Andrew is able to make wooden furniture and objects, which the Martin family sells. Of course, Andrew is given some of the money, even though he is a robot.
Andrew gets along with Mr. Martin’s daughter, Lil’ Miss, and soon she grows older and has a family of her own. She is set on making sure that Andrew gets as many human rights as possible.
Over the years, Andrew’s desire to become human continues to grow, as he wears human clothing and wants to research how to artificially give robots certain biological functions, like breathing and eating.
Lil’ Miss’s son, George, becomes a lawyer and assists Andrew in gaining more rights, even though the robotics company that created Andrew wants to replace him with a standard unit.
After years of research and development, Andrew slowly upgrades his body to resemble that of a human, even with artificial skin. However, he realizes that he will never be considered human because he can live forever.
In the end, Andrew, at 200 years old, makes himself mortal through an operation and dies knowing he made the ultimate sacrifice for his humanity.
As always, a lot can be said about this story, but what draws my interest and attention is the idea of defining what makes a human “human”. And this is especially important as we live in a time where technology is beginning to blur the lines between artificial intelligence and human intelligence.
There are already robots that look like humans. These androids are just the beginning to changing the way that we live and work in our world. Dangerous or undesirable jobs can be given to robots. More places can be explored without worry of endangering human life.
But while we gain a multitude of lifestyle advantages, are we ready to encounter the social and ethical challenges that a story like this presents? Will robots ever be treated or viewed as human?
Our culture is already encountering this issue with pets and how pets are viewed as almost human. But with robotics, it will be even more difficult to separate human from robot because of the physical, social, and mental similarities.
And this isn’t to say that we should be prepared for the robots to take over our world, but it does bring into question whether they, the robots, will remain our tools or our equals.
Music: Pamgaea by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
