Phenomenology of Androids: Between Human and Non-human

Abstract

The information and computer technologies are developing very fast. Every year information and computer systems are becoming more complicated. Such new systems are gradually improving human/nonhuman interactions. Artificial intelligence also becomes smarter and smarter. Modern robots can solve not only the problems in the production of goods and services, transport and infrastructure issues, but they becoming an integral part of everyday human practices in the areas of life, communication, entertainment and leisure. An important feature of modern robots is their „human-like factor„, which is focusing not only on functionality, but also on humanoid characteristics of appearance, functions, senses, voice etc. Humanoid robots or androids need to „to be like a real human„, so they need to copy human activity. Androids are oriented to the reproduction or retranslation of archetypal images, rooted in culture and remaining relevant even in the modern world of high technologies. In this case, the most important issue is to understand the role of androids in the structures of everyday practice. Moreover, we need to rethink the phenomenology of their „physicality„, which is focused on patterns of human interactions and „communications„, to the possibilities of embedding into the structures of social interaction with reproduction of human behavior patterns. Some examples of rethinking of this, we can find in popular culture and computer games. These cultural phenomena help us to understand the transformation of the being of a modern human, his physicality and projection of his „I„ on technical devices and artificial intelligence.