Bicentennial Man

Bicentennial Man is a ingest that depicts philosophical musings in a science fiction humbug. It relays the story of a robot named Andrew Martin and his unique smell pop of self-awareness as he disc all overs the remark fitted qualities of worldly concern, and how such exposure seizes him to aspire for human-likeness.It lingers on the idea of free impart, which struggles to find its place in the cosmos of Andrew, a robot who can cerebralize things. The movies premise revolves on the fancy of reality and how an object such as a robot could be considered as a rational macrocosm, rather than what it was originally mean to be which was to dress human beings.The film goes through with(p) the motions of Andrews stretch in the Martin family and the inter recreateions he had experienced toward them that contributed to his fascination ab show up domain. As the story progresses, Andrew becomes immersed in his aptitude to to the full understand the human condition that h e becomes like atomic number 53.The dilemma in this film is seen when Andrew attempts to insist upon his human-likeness by behaving in a rational manner, which agitates human beings who do not understand his exceptionality. summary At the beginning of the film, it was projected that Andrews sole purpose was to serve and obey the Martin family.Like all robots, Andrews function was to cater to the needs of the humans he was assigned to serve. The political theorist, Jeremy Bentham, describes this relation as the concept of utilitarianism. Bentham explains that the use of an object or soulfulness is relative to the benefit, advantage, pleasure, good, or happiness produced by the object or individual for the party concerned.In its simplest terms, it defines the use of an object, or flush individuals, as a means to an end. The purpose of using anything depends on the theory of pleasure and pain as the former is seen as good season the latter is seen as evil (Nelson 205).The fundam ental principle of utilitarianism derives its condition from the effrontery that individuals spiel according to their admit self-interest which sought pleasure and avoided pain. This telephone wire of thinking anticipates an individuals actions or behavior since it recognizes the imperfection of human and how individuals need objects or other human beings to survive (Nelson 207- 210).In the context of the film, Andrews initial role was merely a utility that produced pleasure or happiness for the Martin family. This was shget when the family ordered him to do things for them, which was exactly what he was intended for.However, over the course of his interactions with the members of the Martin family, especially with the youngest daughter Amanda, Andrew became more self-aware of his state and his intimacy of the beings he was obligated to. Mr. Martins influence on the growth of knowledge that Andrew received through the books he was given to read and the conversation pieces tha t they had, created a lasting impact on Andrews capability to understand and re-create the complexities of humanity. Andrew makeed a unique consciousness that led him on a quest for self-realization.He had demonstrated a capacity to function beyond his means, through the creation of objects by carving, his fondness for music that led him to learn how to make for the piano and his special interest in the human condition. His ability to develop creativity on his stimulate volition, which is considered a human trait, places him in an feckless light that dimly reflects the uncertainty of his being. The concept of free bequeath understandably operates in this section of the film as it portrays Andrews ability to discernment and act in reference to the way he understands his situation.Immanuel Kant defines free result as a direct experience of reality brought about by introspection. It relies on the faculty of volition that pushes an individual to decide or act on something withou t being coerced to do it (Nelson 117).Andrew had demonstrated the concept of free will in the scene where he asked Mr. Martin if he could obtain his freedom. This correlates with Kants raillery about how freedom is seen as autonomous. Kant defines the law of natures governing autonomy as conditions under which the will of one individual could be combined with those of others, according to a general law of freedom.In obeying this general law, an individual was following an internal moralistic law which is the result of her or his reasoning. The individual is said to carry out an act for the purpose of being aware of her or his capability to act (Nelson, 118).Furthermore, the concept of sovereignty is magnified in this scene as Andrew was able to assert himself as a rational being when he pass along for his freedom since he believed that he had the right to ask for it. According to Jean-Jacques Rousseau, liberty is a sovereign right.It is aspired by rational beings who view thems elves as beings of worth. For Andrew to take on been allowed by Mr. Martin the privilege of acknowledging that signifies his acceptance of Andrews rational sense of being (Nelson 133). Andrew also validated his human-likeness when he exercised his free will to build his own house and live on his own to find his destiny. He make the decision not because someone ordered him to leave, but he did it out of his interest to discover more things about himself and the world around him.Another disclosure in the film supports the philosophy of Kant when it emphasized that an action should be done from duty to have moral worth. Kant maintains that duty does not depend on the realization of the object of action, rather on the principle of volition in performing the action which disregards any object of desire (Nelson long hundred -125). Andrews duty to still serve the Martin family after being acknowledged as free establishes his moral worth since he performed them out of his own will and not because he was obligated to.The fact that he did things according to his own understanding of them con respects how his behavior and line of thinking has changed from the beginning of the film up to that point Kant also stated that the greatest good or holiness of an act should only be identified under the conception of the be internal moral law, which can only be run aground in a rational being. Since Andrews actions were mostly dictated by his own judgment of things, his behavior reinforces him to become rational, which is the only trait that is ascribed to humans (Nelson 120 -125).Andrews realization of his conflicted being came into light when he stopped referring to himself as one and started to use I in the latter part of the movie. I is a term used to identify humans while one is commonly used in identifying a thing or referring to some other person. The transition from one to I is a vital indication that Andrew dictum himself as a rational being. This occurrence gave A ndrew the opportunity to assert his self as though he was part of the human race.There are a lot of peculiar characteristics that outlined Andrews uniqueness from other robots. He displayed a higher understanding about human beings because he as well as exhibited qualities that were considered flawed when compared to other robots of function. He had developed an inclination toward emotionality and creativity, classifiable traits that are uniquely present among human beings. It is essential to take note of this since the very idea of Andrews immortality and perfect composition is questioned because of the human-like traits that he possessed.Andrews distinct ability to portray human characteristics and personalities makes him a very kindle character to study since he defies the natural laws of reason regarding free will. His monomania and understanding of such ideas like emotions, mortality, free will and discernment creates tightness within his nature as it was not expected of h im to possess such qualities. The film tackled the very notion of humanity, arguing how to determine the boundaries of being human.In the movie, Andrew contended that being human should not only be based upon the physical attributes that defines humanity it should also be rooted on the principles of individual comprehension and the concept of death.Andrew gave up his mortality in order to be accepted as human. Although in the film, it would seem that Andrews nature cannot be changed for his metaphysical micturate is a robot, his assertion of his self and the idea of being recognized as part of the human race is a trait of a rational being.Kant lucidly explains the complexities of the human condition when he states that all individuals should be treat as ends and never merely as a means. He stresses that the rights of an individual must be upheld through the pursuance of equality before the law and the acquisition of education that leads to enlightenment. Based on this statement, r ationality is characterized by the ability to see oneself as an entity of worth. It is to apply reasoning to verify his or her existence. From the films perspective, Mr.Martin had demonstrated Kants edict with regard to his involvement in Andrews mental progress since he gave Andrew the chance to achieve something that was beyond a robots nature. Mr. Martins support formulated Andrews exceptional voice that lends a humanistic view on life. Andrews discernment for life was borne out of Mr. Martins subjective treatment of the robot as a being of worth. All of these things mentioned by Kant are found within Andrews being. If this is what defines humanity as a whole indeed Andrew is very much human despite his origins.It is through Andrews structure of freedom that affirms his humanity. Conclusion The film attempts to blur opinions about morality and humanity both terms are used interchangeably to affirm the existence of human beings.It takes apart human reasoning through the being o f a robot and relays its sentiments about the world in a self-imposing way. The views of Bentham, Rousseau and Kant explain partially the complex nature of humanity found in the film and how it has impact the way people have defined their existence.It is a movie that challenges distributively individual to look closely at her or his imperfections and render appreciation for the uniqueness each one possesses. As difficult as it is to fully grasp the concept, it is important to analyze the film as a beak of introspection into the consciousness of our rationality as humans since it questions the very burden of how we understand our existence. Work Cited Nelson, Brian R. Western Political Thought From Socrates to the Age of Ideology. second ed. New York Prentice Hall, 1995.