Self-Awareness Exhibited by an Entity - Personal Statement Example

For example, it can be said that human beings do not exhibit qualities of telekinesis or fly through the air like Superman since those are largely limited to the realm of fiction. Human beings are limited by physical laws that define what their bodies can and cannot do.

However, in the film, the robots defy the laws they are created with and become something which they were not intended to be. In fact, the robots become ‘human’ since they exhibit emotion and even show signs of fear that were supposed to be limited to human beings alone. Moreover, a robot was even shown to have dreams and hopes which are again things that are not expected of a programmed machine. Undoubtedly, humans are born as infants and as they grow they learn and develop into rational, expressive, and emotional beings.

They become who they are through their life experiences and the things they go through. Machines on the other hand are built to perform against certain preset parameters but if they outgrow their original programming, can they be said to have exhibited human qualities? Even beyond that, the film begs the question regarding the idea of humanity itself, i.e. what qualifies a human being as a human being and a robot as a robot? If a robot can be programmed to show emotions and brought closer and closer to the type of behavior exhibited by its human masters, does that make it human?

Perhaps the question is not philosophical alone but also metaphysical as in what comprises a soul? Can a machine have a soul? Do I kill and reincarnate my laptop every time I turn it off and on? Of course, these questions may not keep me awake at night but that does not mean that the questions are not there. Undoubtedly, I have not yet found all the answers about the philosophy that I have but that also does not mean that I have stopped looking. In conclusion, the film remains enjoyable as an action movie without having a background in philosophy but knowing philosophy certainly adds more to the value derived from the film.