A Rover's Story

“For some reason that I do not quite understand yet, humans call the white hazmat suits they wear bunny suits.

I do not know what a bunny is. I frequently wonder about the possibilities.

Most of the humans in bunny suits are what humans term scientists. This, I have deduced, is a subset of human.

Perhaps I am a subset of robot, but I have not encountered enough robots to know for sure.”

These lines from the early part of the book illustrate Resilience’s thought pattern and how the rover observes its surroundings to learn and add to its data banks. In the first part of the quotation, Resilience puzzles over the meaning of bunny suits and bunnies. He doesn’t yet know what these things mean, and he is not afraid to admit this gap in his knowledge; this gentle acknowledgement highlights how, in The Pursuit of Knowledge, we must identify and admit what we don’t know before we can learn more. The second portion of the quote outlines how Resilience, like humans, categorizes information. He understands what humans are and that scientists wear the bunny suits. Thus, he concludes that not all humans wear such suits and, thus, are not necessarily scientists. He then extrapolates that, as there are different types of humans, there may also be different types of robots, of which he is only one.

“But there is one enjoyable thought. This thought arises from listening to the hazmats. From information I have overheard, I have developed an understanding that someday, perhaps someday soon, I will be put together again.

I like to think about this. It is a good thought. It is a good thought because it means someday I will be whole again. Which means that someday I will be able to move. And best of all, someday, I will be able to use my cameras at all times to see.”

Shortly before this excerpt, Resilience has expressed his dislike of being taken apart while also acknowledging the importance of the tests that the scientists are running on his various systems. Again, he uses his environment to make an educated guess about the future, believing that he will be put back together based on conversations he overhears.