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

• Format: eBook
• Language: English
• Published: Bielefeld transcript Verlag 2021
• Series: Science Studies
• Subjects: Cultural studies; Impact of science & technology on society; Sociology: work & labour; Agency; Animacy; Anthropomorphism; Artificial Intelligence; Robot; Science; Society; Sociology; Sociology of Culture; Sociology of Technology; Sociology of Work and Industry; Technology
• Online Access: Open Access: DOAB: description of the publication; Open Access: DOAB, download the publication
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (216 p.)
• ISBN: 9783837655605; 9783839455609
• Access: Open Access

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.