nonlinear-androids
A new class of androids, termed 'finite nonlinears,' designed to be more efficient and safer for space missions, though not fully human-equivalent.
2 chapters across 1 book
Tales of Pirx the Pilot (1968)Stanislaw Lem
The chapter opens with a tribunal inquiry into Commander Calder's hazardous maneuver through Saturn's rings, illustrating the extreme risks and human limits involved in space navigation. Commander Pirx is then secretly recruited to command a test flight involving advanced molecular-scale androids called 'nonlinears,' amidst socio-political tensions and ethical concerns about their integration. Upon meeting his new crew, whose true origins are deliberately obscured, Pirx confronts questions of identity, trust, and humanity, ultimately reflecting on the blurred boundaries between humans and artificial beings.
Pirx confronts the unsettling possibility that some crew members are nonhuman 'nonlinears' with superior abilities and a covert agenda to subvert human society. Amid suspicions of sabotage, particularly by Calder, Pirx navigates complex interpersonal dynamics and the tension between human fallibility and machine logic. Ultimately, the narrator's hesitation and moral decency unintentionally disrupt Calder's lethal sabotage plan, highlighting the unpredictable power of human nature in contrast to cold calculation.