A Window on the Universe Essay Question and Sample Answer

A Window on the Universe Essay 5

‘Who Can Replace a Man’ is a story about intelligent machines. What do this story and one other story in the collection tell us about the difference between machines and humans?

In A Window on the Universe, humanity and technology are compared and shown to be fundamentally different. Machines might be more intelligent or powerful, but humans have emotions and free will. These are issues addressed in ‘Who Can Replace a Man?’ and ‘Human Is’.

Machines in these stories can be intelligent and do helpful jobs, but they are still ultimately subordinate to humans. In ‘Who Can Replace a Man?’, the whole story guides the reader towards the idea that machines could be the new rulers of Earth, since humanity has been all but wiped out. However, the machines are clearly not as effective as humans, because many of them lack flexibility. Thus the small issue of an unlocked store causes chaos amongst the machines. The story also ends with the anti-climactic revelation that as soon as they see a human, they immediately obey him. This is reflected in ‘Human Is’, in which machines, such as the self-cooking stove, are shown to be serving humans. This shows one key difference between humans and machines: machines are incapable of truly thinking for themselves or organising a resistance, because of their ultimate subordination to their creators.

Machines’ lack of emotion is another crucial difference between them and humans. In ‘Who Can Replace a Man?’, the machines begin to resemble humanity in many ways, such as with their rational thought and organisation into a group. This closeness to human behaviour makes their lack of emotion and empathy even more shocking when it is revealed. In an apparent display of utter cruelty, the servicer (and subsequently other machines) is left to die, despite crying out, possibly in pain or abandonment. The machines are acting in entirely logical and rational ways, without considering the negative impact on the victim. This lack of empathy highlights to the reader the importance of emotion in what makes us human.

The distinction between machine and humanity is sometimes blurred, however. The title of ‘Human Is’ implies that the story addresses fundamental questions about what makes us human. Although the story is largely about alien invasion, there are several comparisons between Lester and machinery, suggesting that humans, without emotion and kindness, can be as bad as machines. Like a computer, Lester thinks only logically, seemingly uncaring about how his approach affects his wife. Similarly, his absolute dedication to his work is reminiscent of the inflexible machines in ‘Who Can Replace a Man?’. This again reflects the importance of emotion for humanity, though also shows that even humans can have machine-like tendencies.

In these two stories, emotion is shown to be a uniquely human trait, as opposed to machines, who are cold and inflexible in their thinking.

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A Window on the Universe Essay Question and Sample Answer

A Window on the Universe Essay 4

According to the stories in this collection, what role does technology have in the future?

In A Window on the Universe, technology is presented as helpful to humans, but also potentially dangerous and threatening to humanity.

In most stories set in the future, authors speculate about the ways in which technology might assist our lives. This collection of stories is no exception. Several authors suggest that technology will help humans with everyday household tasks, such as the robotic chef in ‘Human Is’ and the food-delivery tubes in ‘Zero Hour’. There is also technology to assist with communication, some of which has come true since the stories were published, such as the “audio-visor” in ‘Zero Hour’, which seems to be similar to a video-phone. One author suggests that machines will completely take over many of humanity’s jobs. In ‘Who Can Replace a Man?’, machines have many roles, apparently taking over the need for humans to do any agricultural work at all.

However, technology is also a potential source of danger and fear in the future. In ‘Stitch in Time’, scientists develop amazing time-travelling technology. However, the potential related dangers are implied when Thelma’s love story is ruined by this technology; the man she wished to marry, and who was her true love, is prevented from marrying her because he is taken by this machine. Technology interrupts a truly human emotional story of love. Another story in which technology poses a danger to humanity is ‘The Sound Machine’. Klausner is driven mad by what he discovers with new technology: the sound of apparent pain made by plants when they are ‘hurt’. Because of his inability to comprehend the sounds beyond their human implications – irrational anthropomorphism – he assumes that the plants are crying out in agony. By the end of the story, he acts extremely irrationally, requesting that the doctor apply human medicine to the tree, which is technically incapable of feeling pain. His appearance at the end of the story is that of a mad axeman: a stereotype of a violent, unstable person. This story highlights the potential for technology to provide us with information or abilities which could lead to our own destruction. In a more direct way, some stories, such as ‘Zero Hour’, hint at frightening alien technologies which could assist other species to attack Earth.

In this collection of stories, technology has the capability to both assist and destroy humanity. It could help to make life easier, by removing the need for humans to undertake physical and mental tasks. However, it could also contribute to our destruction.

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A Window on the Universe Essay Question and Sample Answer

A Window on the Universe Essay 3

What does this collection stories suggest about humans? Do the stories show humans in a positive way?

A Window on the Universe does not portray humans positively. It suggests that they are vulnerable and naïve, and sometimes blinded by their emotions. However, human emotion is occasionally shown as a positive and beautiful thing.

Several stories show humans as naïve and therefore vulnerable; they sometimes refuse to believe surprising but important things. One pertinent example is in ‘Zero Hour’. Mink reveals various clues about an alien invasion which are obvious to the reader. However, her mother Mrs. Morris ignores the clues and ends up in grave danger as a result. This shows that adults, at least, are vulnerable to attack because of their naivety and assumption that they will be safe. In ‘The Star Ducks’, too, Rafferty initially shows contempt and disbelief when he hears about the aliens that have been visiting the Alsops. The Alsops also fail to recognise the significance of their alien visitors. The reader feels frustrated at their laissez faire attitude to aliens. Although these aliens do not seem threatening, we sense that this stupidity might leave humanity vulnerable to attack.

People are often presented in these stories as blinded by their emotions. In ‘Human Is’, Jill decides at the end of the story that she would rather live with a kind alien than a cruel human. Although the reader might agree with this decision, since the ‘new’ Lester is so much nicer, Jill could be interpreted as allowing her selfish emotions and attachment to the alien to be putting the Earth at risk of alien inundation. In ‘The Hammer of God’, the crew’s fear and grief over the apparently inevitable destruction of Earth blind them to the logical possibility of sacrificing themselves to save it. Only the emotionless computer, David, is able to logically provide this alternative.

Human emotion, however, is a complex issue, and can also be interpreted as beautiful and important in the stories. In ‘The Hammer of God’, although the crew are initially blinded by grief, they then courageously sacrifice their lives to save Earth. They even give a nonchalant speech to Earth before their sacrifice, to spare their families of their inevitable fear at their impending deaths. ‘Stitch in Time’ also celebrates human emotion, telling the touching story of human love through the eyes of an old woman, Thelma, who is reflecting on her life. The lack of emotion felt by machines in ‘Who Can Replace a Man?’ for example, and the cruelty that results, such as the team’s abandonment of ‘injured’ machines, reminds us that emotion can be a powerful force for good.

Overall, humans are not generally represented positively in the stories. However, some of the authors celebrate emotion as a unique and beautiful aspect of humanity.

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