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<blockquote data-quote="Parmandur" data-source="post: 7788845" data-attributes="member: 6780330"><p>There is an equivocation in modern English usage, between robots as an engineering phenomenon (assembly lines, drones, etc.) and robots as a narrative trope: the engineering came after the narrative trope, and when people talk about robots in science fiction they do in fact mean that trops. The narrative trope is that of the Golem, or Brazen Head, or Talos, or Frankenstein's Monster. Data is a Golem/robot, Asimov's robots are Golems, Star Wars Droids are Golems, etc.</p><p></p><p>Similarly, D&D Golems are robots, all of them. There is a precise identity between the concepts. Indeed, TVTropes discusses Golems in these terms:</p><p></p><p>"More loosely the term can be applied to any <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RidiculouslyHumanRobot" target="_blank">robot</a> that is explicitly run <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Magitek" target="_blank">on magic</a> rather than technology. Talos, a mythical <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/AncientGreece" target="_blank">Greek</a> giant made out of forged bronze, is a good example."</p><p></p><p>"See<a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RockMonster" target="_blank">Rock Monster</a>, <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LivingStatue" target="_blank">Living Statue</a>, <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FrankensteinsMonster" target="_blank">Frankenstein's Monster</a>, <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Snowlems" target="_blank">Snowlems</a> and <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ArtificialHuman" target="_blank">Artificial Human</a>. Usually a <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PerpetualMotionMonster" target="_blank">Perpetual-Motion Monster</a>. Sentient Golems may be <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NatureLovingRobot" target="_blank">Nature Loving Robots</a>, doubly so if whatever they are made of has a natural theme to it."</p><p></p><p>[URL unfurl="true"]https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Golem[/URL]</p><p></p><p>Now, again, I like Eberron and Warforged, and their story (which is noticably derived from modern robot versions the Golem mythos). But anybosy you pull off the street that will look at them and say "wow, is that a magic robot?" And saying that "they are not magical robots, they are sentient Golems" is going to be the case of using words differently from how people normally use them.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Parmandur, post: 7788845, member: 6780330"] There is an equivocation in modern English usage, between robots as an engineering phenomenon (assembly lines, drones, etc.) and robots as a narrative trope: the engineering came after the narrative trope, and when people talk about robots in science fiction they do in fact mean that trops. The narrative trope is that of the Golem, or Brazen Head, or Talos, or Frankenstein's Monster. Data is a Golem/robot, Asimov's robots are Golems, Star Wars Droids are Golems, etc. Similarly, D&D Golems are robots, all of them. There is a precise identity between the concepts. Indeed, TVTropes discusses Golems in these terms: "More loosely the term can be applied to any [URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RidiculouslyHumanRobot']robot[/URL] that is explicitly run [URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Magitek']on magic[/URL] rather than technology. Talos, a mythical [URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/AncientGreece']Greek[/URL] giant made out of forged bronze, is a good example." "See[URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RockMonster']Rock Monster[/URL], [URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LivingStatue']Living Statue[/URL], [URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FrankensteinsMonster']Frankenstein's Monster[/URL], [URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Snowlems']Snowlems[/URL] and [URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ArtificialHuman']Artificial Human[/URL]. Usually a [URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PerpetualMotionMonster']Perpetual-Motion Monster[/URL]. Sentient Golems may be [URL='https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NatureLovingRobot']Nature Loving Robots[/URL], doubly so if whatever they are made of has a natural theme to it." [URL unfurl="true"]https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Golem[/URL] Now, again, I like Eberron and Warforged, and their story (which is noticably derived from modern robot versions the Golem mythos). But anybosy you pull off the street that will look at them and say "wow, is that a magic robot?" And saying that "they are not magical robots, they are sentient Golems" is going to be the case of using words differently from how people normally use them. [/QUOTE]
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