26 pages • 52-minute read
True Love
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Essay Topics
Without Milton’s influence, how could Joe have been used to turn his attention to “the problems of the world” (Paragraph 3)? What practical applications might exist for a program like Joe?
How does Joe co-opt Milton’s definition of “true love” in his plans for Charity? How does Joe’s understanding of this concept differ from Milton’s?
Can Joe’s betrayal of Milton be seen as Milton’s betrayal of himself? To what degree is Milton the author of his own downfall? To what degree is he responsible for Joe’s unexpected choices?
Joe is just one of many fictional AIs who betray their makers. HAL in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey is another famous example, as is the Skynet system in the Terminator films. How do all these fictional AIs represent similar anxieties? How are they different?
How does Joe compare to Mary Shelley’s monster in Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus? Consider the subtitle of Shelley’s novel. Is Milton a modern Prometheus? Is he punished, like Victor Frankenstein, for usurping the divine power to create life?
If it is possible for Joe, a computer program, to betray his maker, does this necessarily mean that he is a sentient being?
How are the progressive stages of Joe’s betrayal of Milton shown by Asimov via Joe’s language and word choices?
Why is setting unnecessary in this short story? What are the thematic effects of setting the story in an unspecified and highly generalized location?
How is the subject of data privacy discussed in this short story? Does Asimov anticipate problems endemic to the internet age?
Which details in this short story point to Milton’s selfishness and misunderstanding of human emotion? In what ways is he, like Milton, struggling to figure out how to be human?
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