What if humans were domesticated by robots?

It is the year 3000. Robots introduced in the 21st century have served mankind faithfully for a thousand years. The unintended consequence of the introduction of robots is that humans have become entirely dependent on them in all aspects of life. Idleness has produced social decay and complete erosion of the family system. Humans have become illiterate and incapable of providing for themselves. Bastardy is the prevailing social norm. Barbaric violence, rape and addiction to drugs are endemic. Software engineer turned writer Shankar’s book Ramayana 3000 paints a bleak apocalyptic picture of horrific civilizational collapse. In these circumstances, the author has weaved the character of protagonist Ram who tries to rebuild a new human civilization where peace, love and values play pivotal roles. 

“The idea for this narrative came to me from reading some books on evolution and anthropology — The Better Angels of our Nature by Steven Pinker that talks about how violent our tribal ancestors were and why violence has declined over the long stretches of human history, and Marriageand Civilization by William Tucker that demonstrates how life-long monogamous pairings have shaped human civilizations,” says Shankar.

Through his novel that has been published by Notion Press, the debut author aims to convey the importance of peace, love, values and relationships which he stresses are more sustainable than materialistic possessions. The book places strong emphasis on marriage as the foundation of civilization. Does he dismiss other concepts of relationships like live-in that are becoming the norm?  

“My opinions don’t really matter. Let us just let anthropological evidence speak for itself. Historically speaking, 80 per cent of our female ancestors managed to reproduce, whereas only 40 per cent of our male ancestors did. The violent men who rose to the top of the hierarchy mated with multiple women and fathered many children. They did not invest in the care and nourishment of their offspring. There was constant warfare and low levels of inter-male trust and co-operation. In tribal societies, trust reduced with increasing genetic distance. Tribal societies were often limited in size. But, in societies with monogamy, with greater trust, societies could expand to include greater numbers of people, even if they were not closely related,” explains Shankar. 

Further backing his point of view, he says, “Once societies became larger, with greater levels of trust and co-operation, males started engaging in specialisation of labour, which resulted in an unprecedented growth of prosperity. Fatherhood became a universal social expectation. Also, women in such societies are often given equal treatment before the law. There is a greater tendency for marriage to be compassionate and based on mutual affection and respect. So, I think it is fairly accurate to say that monogamous pair-bonding, marriage, is the foundation of civilization. Or at least one of the foundations.”