Freud, Frankenstein and our fear of robots
Projection in our cultural perception of technology
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20397404 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michael Szollosy (University of Sheffield, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2017 |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 433-439 |
| Publication date | 2017-08-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | AI & Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0951-5666 • E-ISSN: 1435-5655 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s00146-016-0654-7 |
| OpenAlex | W2292297512 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 20 |
| References cited | 3 |
This paper examines why robots are so often presented as monstrous in the popular media (e.g. film, newspapers), regardless of the intended applications of the robots themselves. The figure of the robot monster is examined in its historical and cultural specificity—that is, as a direct descendent of monsters that we have grown accustomed to since the nineteenth century: Frankenstein, Mr. Hyde, vampires, zombies, etc. Using the psychoanalytic notion of projection, these monsters are understood as representing human anxieties regarding the dehumanising tendencies of science and reason, and regarding a perceived transformation in human nature over the last two hundred years. In analysing these anxieties, we can therefore gain insight into the fears—genuine or naïve—that the public harbours towards new advancements in technology; these insights can then inform those working with and designing living machines as to how their inventions might be received
Aesthetics · Art · Art history · Media studies · Monster · Movie theater · Newspaper · Perception · Performing arts · Psychoanalysis · Psychoanalytic theory · Robot · Sociology · The arts · Visual arts · Computer Science · Geographies of human-animal interactions · Gothic Literature and Media Analysis · History · Psychology · Utopian, Dystopian, and Speculative Fiction · Artificial Intelligence
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| Unique citing works | 20 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2,22 |
| Citation span | 2017 - 2026 (10) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 17 |