More Than Machines? - The Attribution of (In)Animacy to Robot Technology

We know that robots are just machines. Why then do we often talk about them as if they were alive? Laura Voss explores this fascinating phenomenon, providing a rich insight into practices of animacy (and inanimacy) attribution to robot technology: from science-fiction to robotics R&D, from science communication to media discourse, and from the theoretical perspectives of STS to the cognitive sciences. Taking an interdisciplinary perspective, and backed by a wealth of empirical material, Voss shows how scientists, engineers, journalists - and everyone else - can face the challenge of robot technology appearing »a little bit alive« with a reflexive and yet pragmatic stance.

Summary

We know that robots are just machines. Why then do we often talk about them as if they were alive? Laura Voss explores this fascinating phenomenon, providing a rich insight into practices of animacy (and inanimacy) attribution to robot technology: from science-fiction to robotics R&D, from science communication to media discourse, and from the theoretical perspectives of STS to the cognitive sciences. Taking an interdisciplinary perspective, and backed by a wealth of empirical material, Voss shows how scientists, engineers, journalists – and everyone else – can face the challenge of robot technology appearing »a little bit alive« with a reflexive and yet pragmatic stance.

Additional text

»The full book is an accessible and quick read that I would recommend for anyone involved in journalism or media studies.«

Product details

• Authors: Laura Voss
• Publisher: Transcript
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.02.2021
• EAN: 9783837655605
• ISBN: 978-3-8376-5560-5
• No. of pages: 216
• Dimensions: 147 mm x 226 mm x 15 mm
• Weight: 666 g
• Illustrations: 12 schw.-w. Abb.
• Series: Science Studies
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Humanities (general); Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > Labour, economic and industrial sociology; Kulturwissenschaften, Sozialwissenschaften, Soziologie, Technology, Sociology, Society, Sociology of Culture, Sociology of Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Soziologie: Arbeit und Beruf, Sociology of Work and Industry, Science, Social interaction, Agency, Anthropomorphism, Animacy, Sociology and anthropology, Philosophy and psychology, Philosophy and theory, Culture and institutions