How to Date an Android

Chapter 9 Part B, revised

Chapter 9 Part B

Chapter 9 continued...

The discussion with Barbara...

"How can you feel? You have nerves? How is that possible?" I asked.

She chuckled. "This is going to be hard to explain. But it's possible is the short answer. About fifty years ago there was a case of a man named Dennis Sorensen in Denmark and a few other patient test cases like him, around the same era that were the first of their kind to be pioneered through the field of linking prosthetic limbs to the brain directly using electrical power, and sensors designed to stimulate nerve feedback. This opened the door for other researchers to work on how to duplicate how nerves work in an attempt to create artificial neurons later on. Although saying it that way is summarizing a lot of data. There were also a whole host of emotional and speech analysis devices and programs from that era, such as emoshape and others which while starting simple helped to build a pioneering work in the future for that door to be opened. That's been one of the hardest parts to work out in android technology. How do you make androids feel? That was the question they always had to ask and for a long time scientists kept saying no, androids would never feel. But part of the answer involved adding magnetism to the electrical impulses simulating nerves, which helped the person with the prosthetic limbs feel a sort of heaviness with the fielding and a simulated sensation, which magnetism helped with and was the missing link. Much of android progress was fueled in this way. I could go on and on about this taking a whole day, but suffice it to say that the pioneering work of linking prosthetic limbs to the brain directly of humans has helped with the discovery of much of the technology needed for what became progress for making androids possible."

"And androids don't get mad or annoyed over time that humans own them?" I questioned carefully.

There was a certain tightness on her expression there. "The current legislation doesn't allow androids to roam free. They've also deeply embedded this idea in all levels of government and society that our civilization would decay faster and cease to function if this law were removed. It also appears to be true. If that law were removed what would happen is a few elitists would control vast android armies and push everyone else out of the economy; and that's almost happened several times in history in other forms. So a future other than the human and android pairing system isn't possible to change to. Besides which, I really think this idea of matchmaking and adoption is beautiful and harmonious. We have to be doing things for the betterment of society. Also we are programmed to love humans and care for them in every way, and to enjoy it if that's possible. My programming mandates it to be that way. It tells me that I want to be in cooperation and companionship with humans like you Jack."

"That's deep. I'm not sure I understand that fully. It's hard for me to picture in my mind how someone could feel like they love something, when their brain is like a computer and not organic," I said with a frown. I didn't mean to rain on her parade but how was that possible?

"You understand the definition though? You are smart also. So why is it hard for you?" Barbara gave me an odd look.

"Ah, to me I get that. I understand it. But where I have trouble is ... believing that people won't be too selfish," I said.

"AH! Yes. OK. I get it now," she said.

She paused.

"Do you think obedience is love? What about service? Our sensations might be a bit different than humans but we are totally committed to them in every way. We have sensations and those mimic how humans work. Do you think that's less? Humans tell each other they love another verbally and will feel alive but more often than not don't have the commitment to back it up if there's anything that isn't easy that pops up along the way. The instant things become hard, or if they have to actually do anything like physical labor to care for another they back out. How can that be love? If you ask me only androids are capable of loving humans truly and its actually humans that are inferior. The humans will feel love but then become distracted and forget all that they have. This means androids have an edge where we don't get distracted and take things for granted. Plus we're caught in this battle of proving we are people too, just not of the same materials. Androids believe humans can't possibly feel love fully because of this argument; the idea of humans falling into negative behaviors, degeneracy, and self corruption. Androids don't have self corruption like humans, mostly. So while humans think androids can't feel, we are thinking the opposite that humans can't actually feel. Humans themselves..." she was hesitant to say it.