The meaning of the title "I, Robot"

[pnerd]

This is probably a very stupid question from me: what is the meaning of the title "I, Robot"? I have always wondered about that.

[Foxbat]

Asimov had a fondness for exploring the possibilty of Robots becoming more human the more technologically advanced they become and I believe that this is the reason for the title - I being the self (self aware).

Only my opinion but that's how I see it.

[iansales]

It's also a play on I, Claudius, by Robert Graves.

[j. d. worthington]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Asimov had a fondness for exploring the possibilty of Robots becoming more human the more technologically advanced they become and I believe that this is the reason for the title - I being the self (self aware).

Only my opinion but that's how I see it.

Originally Posted by iansales

It's also a play on I, Claudius, by Robert Graves.

I'd agree; especially given the role Claudius plays in Graves' novel, and the way those around him view him, how that alters as the "mask" slips over time.

There may also be a layer referring to the way Susan Calvin herself is often perceived by others as a robot rather than a woman, making the title somewhat ironic....

[manephelien]

Good points JD. I hadn't thought much beyond self-aware robots who were happy to be robots. Not everyone wanted to be human, the bicentennial man was an exception.