Deceit: The Uncanny Lie

Since the beginning of time, all persons have been subject to deceit in many different ways. In Moses's time, people mistook idols for gods. In colonial times, people in Salem were tried and executed for being witches. In present time, some politicians appear to be working to better our society, yet only act for their own popularity and career. Deceit could be something as small as telling someone “yes, you look good in those clothes.” The definition of deceit is “the action or practice of deceiving someone by concealing or misrepresenting the truth” (dictionary.com). This action of misrepresenting truth is present in everyday life, unfortunately. Though the different instances of deceit listed above may seem very different from the surface, they are very similar. The creators of these lies held power that could clearly spread these ideas. "Prophets" spread the lie that idolatry is the truth; gossipers spread the lie that the tried people were witches; politicians endorse others who will support their own campaign.

Like these things, Mori's Uncanny Valley was made by those with the power of money to create something that could deceive our eyes. This creation of human-like robotics have been becoming more and more realistic. As they evolve further, the lie becomes more widespread. At what point does can this go until it becomes reality?

Eventually, this technology will be able to appear so lifelike that we will not be able to tell the difference. In the film, Be Right Back, if someone did not meet Ash before his death, I believe that the regular person would certainly mistake him for a real human. Although his girlfriend could tell the difference, due to their interactions, someone walking on the street seeing him would not even take a second look. The scariest thing that I can think of while contemplating this topic is something similar to what happened in iRobot. Sonny, the main robot in this film, not only walked and talked like a human, he developed feelings. He had dreams, emotions, and a conscience. While Sonny did not look very human, the technology inside of him involved into something that could easily be mistaken for a human conscience. If the robotic Ash developed these same feelings rather than being told what to do and say, how could someone tell the difference between him and a human being unless they cut him open? With the evolution of this technology, the world could become a confusing and even more deceitful place.