A Study Of The Human-Machine Ethics Of Ian McEwan’s Novel Machines Like Me

Ian McEwan(1948-)is a leading contemporary British author whose works are imbued with profound ethical questions and ethical concerns.2019’s Machines Like Me is considered a group autobiography about the future where science and humanity collide.With Charlie,a technology enthusiast,as the first-person narrative point of view,the novel presents the ethical conflict between technology and humans through the cross-narrative of three storylines: the love triangle between robots and humans,the adoption of a child Mark by the hero and heroine,and Miranda’s revenge against Goering.At present,the study of this novel is still at the beginning stage and needs to be further explored.Since the novel is rich in ethical issues,this paper focuses on analyzing the ethical conflicts faced by the novel’s main characters and the ethical choices they make by applying the relevant theories of literary ethics criticism,so as to discover the novel’s revelations on the future development of artificial intelligence.First,the thesis argues that there are triple ethical conflicts in the novel,which is manifested in the anxiety of the novel’s characters,namely the anxiety of the ethical relationship between the sexes,the anxiety of the ethical relationship between master and servant,and the anxiety of the ethical relationship of the family caused by the confusion of the ethical identity of Adam the robot.Secondly,the thesis analyzes the choices made by the novel’s characters in the face of the ethical conflict and establishes the ethical identity of Adam the robot.Finally,the thesis further explores the reasons for the above ethical choices made by the fictional characters,and the ethical choices of the fictional characters reveal the ethical problems in scientific choices.To solve these ethical problems,we need to take up the ethical responsibility for artificial intelligence and call for the return of love in human nature.This study shows that,in the face of a violent ethical conflict,the main character Charlie finally chose to reconcile with the robot Adam,and his ethical choice reflects McEwan’s ethical view of human-machine harmony in robotics.McEwan’s ethical thought and ethical pursuit have important implications for the ethical development of future artificial intelligence.