Reference no: EM13160731

A major conflict seen throughout human history has been the notion that a society can sometimes be defined by their accomplishments that shaped them to what they became. In some instances, a dynasty's own advancements eventually led to their own downfall due to their incapacity to maintain that level of innovation, such as the Roman empire. The same concept applies in scientific innovations. Mankind must be careful with the fruits of its ideas. We believe ourselves superior because of our achievements but ignore the price and the warning signs. Be it from technology or scientific abuse. In the two Hollywood blockbusters, I, Robot and Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the uncontrolled creations and developments by humans lead to a backfire.

In the film, I, Robot, human like robots are used for the every day tasks that many of us do not like to do such as walking the dogs, delivering mail, and picking up the trash. The robots are all made by a gigantic enterprise called U.S. Robotics. When the robots are made they are created with what are called the “Three Laws”, hardwired into their system. These Laws state that 1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2. A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3 A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws. However, what happens when an unexpected error occurs and these laws are taken out of the question? In I,Robot, Sonny, who is a new breed of robot, has the capability of choosing whether to follow the laws or not. This allows him to stand up for himself and lead other robots to revolt against humans. A similar revolt also caused by the carelessness drive of humans is seen in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. In this other Hollywood blockbuster, scientific testing on apes causes them to become extraordinarily smart and eventually turn against the humans which were testing on them in the first place. As the virus that was being tested, increased the intelligence of the apes, they began to realize that they did not belong in the research facility or in any form of captivity. The apes, tired of being tortured and being tested on, revolted and escaped the facility making their way to the forest where they felt they belonged.

Are we, humans, pushing the limits with technology? Are we being careful with what we are inventing and how we are using it? No, we are not. These two movies are two perfect examples of what could possibly happen if we are not completely aware of our actions and/or set limits on our never ending hunger for innovation, creation, and exploration. We, humans, have always looked for ways to make our lives easier. Through inventions ranging from the simple inventions we now take for granted such as the wheel to more complex and modern innovations such as robots. We are continuously pushing the boundaries of technology and science as we try to please our ever increasing appetite for knowledge. Most of the inventions and creations up to date have helped us in countless ways and forms. Technological advancements have taken men to places that would have otherwise been unreachable to even placing the worlds knowledge in our fingertips. Scientific and medical advancements have allowed us to cure diseases, create artificial limbs, and even choose which genes our children will be born with. As we continue with these developments we are turning a blind eye to possible negative outcomes. As more and more tools are invented and we find easier ways to do things through the use of technology we are becoming greatly dependent on these. In our present day society we are becoming increasingly lazier allowing our inventions and machines to do the work for us. We handing over to our own inventions our ability to choose and decide for us, giving them an ever augmenting control in our lives.