Frankenstein complex n.

I’ll admit that this Frankenstein Complex you’re exhibiting has a certain justification—hence the First Law in the first place.

Mankind may know of the existence of the Three Laws on an intellectual level and yet have an ineradicable fear and distrust for robots on an emotional level. If you wanted to invent a term, you might call it a ‘Frankenstein complex.’

In the company of men, the androids were less than the dust. A minority to be spurned and hated by the race who created them. Not for their faults, but for fear of their very efficiency in doing something of which man himself was incapable. Admans remembered the wry grin on the face of his psychology lecturer, many years before, when he had discussed this Frankenstein complex.

We’ve lost the best chance U.S. Robots ever had of gaining an unbeatable public image, of overcoming the damned Frankenstein complex.

Mr. Graf, you’re still disturbed. You sure you’re not harboring just a little of the old Frankenstein complex about all this? It’s all right to admit it to me - in fact, I want you to talk about it.

Now that the flattery is out of the way, let’s move on to the ‘Frankenstein Complex.’ Specifically, Dr. Asimov’s own ‘Christmas Without Rodney.’ We see that the humans have created robots in their own psychological image, capable of thoughts and dark emotions that plague the best of men. Thus far, these thoughts haven’t been translated into physical action: when they are, humanity shall rue the day. But let’s look for a moment at the Robot Canon. Dr. Asimov, your latest entries are quite dichotomous. On one side, we have Andrew Martin the artist, and R. Daneel Olivaw the savior. Opposite them are Elvex the dreamer, Rodney the wishful thinker, and George-10, who isn’t mindful of humans at all. I recall that in your early youth, you rejected the notion of robot-as-menace (the ‘Frankenstein Complex’) and the result was ‘Robbie.’ Now, in your late youth, the pendulum has swung back, and there is an undercurrent of menace from these metal beings.

‘For what that’s worth,’ Vaughn said. He snorted, slanted a conspiratorial smile in Jian’s direction. ‘And they say only yanquis develop Frankenstein’s complex.’ ‘That’s Frankenstein complex,’ Libra muttered, unfortunately just loud enough to be heard.

The unknown terrorist cabal is trying to trade on humanity’s Frankenstein complex by throwing the blame on to robots—despite the incontrovertible fact, known to every schoolchild, that the First Law of Robotics will not permit a robot to harm a human being nor by inaction allow a human being to come to harm, while the Second Law…What’s wrong?