Daily Archives: June 13, 2011

While the science fiction setting is often used as a proxy for sociopolitical situations, at times science fiction talks a look ahead to potential social problems rather than dissect current problems. The latest Quantum Vibe brings up a rather interesting concept: the enslavement of artificial sentiences (be they robots, androids, or the like). As our own technology grows more and more advanced, in time it is inevitable that a machine will form true intelligence. But what do we do with these new children, created of our hands in reflection of the Frankenstein Monster? Are they property, or would humanity consider the enslavement of nonhuman intelligence to be as abhorrent as that of our fellow men? Hopefully cartoonist Scott Bieser plans on looking into these concepts with more depth, though there have been hints in previous sections that the treatment of the “arti-folk” is something he will focus on several times.