In Fritz Lang’s movie Metropolis (1927) we see a robot turn into a woman with feelings.

In Bladerunner (1982) the Replicants are looking for their creator because their life period is about to expire, and we remember how Rutger Hauer’s character, Roy, saves Harrison of death. A clear sign of humanity.

In Ghost in the shell (1995) everybody has a synthetic body but they have almost forgotten what it means to be human.

In Bicentennial man (1999) Robin Williams is a droid who starts to develop feelings and he’s finally recognized as a human.

In I, robot (2004) a robot is accused of killing a human and when the cops insists he bangs the table. That’s a human reaction.

Also a sign of humanity can be seen in C3P0 because he’s a coward when it’s a droid. All the character in these films has in common that they finish having feelings, they’re more humans than humans. Humanity has made machine to humanize.

Have you ever imagine yourself with mechanic parts in your body replacing your lungs? Some would say is an improvement for humans, that we would no longer be that delicate being we really are, easy to break and hurt. That being that has no perfection. That you can be a person you can’t age so you elude death and live forever.

These days we see robots that one day will replace people in dangerous situations, something that is positive, but I see robots cashing you for a ticket in Japan. How cold and terrible that sounds. And what about those robot dogs that can’t give any love like a real one.

I think of this and it frightens me that one day our spine and brain could be inside a mechanic body and live forever, of course we would never be afraid to die and we would able to go far places in the universe, and possibly meet new life forms.

I’ve finished reading Aphrodite IX and the main character is a perfect woman with lovely face and perfect body, but she’s a droid, under that perfection there’s a mechanic body. I heard people saying “I wish I could have a droid like her so I could have love”. Love from a machine.

Shall we end in a synthetic shell, or, shall we accept that humans and feelings can’t be replaced?