Title: That Thou Art Mindful of Him
Author: Isaac Asimov
Date of First Publication: May 1974
Place of Publication: The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Type: Short Story
Characters: No Character
Themes: ANDROID; POSTHUMAN; RACE/POLITICS
Critical Summary: Isaac Asimov’s short story, “That Thou Art Mindful of Him”, takes place in a 21st century America where total colonization of the Moon and other planetary existences has taken place, eco-preserving Machines clear Earth’s ecosystem from any atmospheric biohazards, and most of all, the androids have been developed. These humanoid life forms, operating under the regulated Three Laws of Robotics, serve to protect mankind from any eminent and immediate danger. However, the sight of these “androids” feeds unnerving doubts into the general public’s minds: What would happen if these humanoids revolted against their creators? What if they killed humans? Under heavy scrutiny from the populace, U.S. Robotics faces liquidation within 2 years and the only person who can save the company and essentially robot kind from existence is none other than Dr. Keith Harriman, Director of Research in Robotics at U.S.R. and his trustee android assistants JG-10 and 9, or George 10 and 9. Together man and robots set out to fix the fractured idea of android integration so that mankind and robots can become fully integrated together in society without any prejudice. However, it seems, in a proposed plan by George 10, that the only way that the populace can turn down the path of android tolerance is through small iterations of robotics. Meaning that, robots resembling animals would be the best course of action. With this idea, the day is initially saved and robotics slowly becomes a part of humanity. However, unbeknownst to everyone except George 10 and 9, mankind slowly starts to shift towards total roboticization, where prosthetics become so advanced that the line between robot and human is blurred. It begs the question “What is human and what is robot?”
Although the characters from Shelley’s novel do not make an appearance in this story, her idea of the monster destroying the creator is woven into the inner framework of his tale as the “Frankenstein Complex.” Much like how the Monster killed Victor, the people of 21st century America live in complete fear that one day, mankind’s creations will take over, wiping humankind from existence. Due to this “complex,” robots face extreme prejudice and scrutiny. This, in turn, points to themes of race/equality because robots are treated as the lower life beings whose sole function is to serve humankind. Another interesting theme that is entrenched within Asimov’s tale is the idea of Posthuman. This theme is made clearly apparent during the small whispered talks between George 10 and 9. They go through the three laws of robotics and come to the conclusion that, in having a positronic brain, they are as human as anybody else, even though their genetic makeup is completely mechanical. As with previous Shelley examples, the Monster constantly questions his own humanity. However, what makes this story markedly different from Shelley’s work is the fact that at the end, robots virtually achieve total roboticization of everyone.
Administrative Notes: Trevor Buzzone, CSUF; Macy Charles (editing)