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Between Archetype and Algorithm

Sophia and the Philosophical Challenges of Humanoid Robotics

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Sophia Robot: Post Human Being. By Thomas Riccio. Routledge, 2024; 378 pp.; illustrations. $160.00 cloth, $44.95 paper, e-book available.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2025

Ester Fuoco
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Abstract

Thomas Riccio’s analysis of Sophia, the social robot developed by Hanson Robotics, presents her as a liminal figure at the intersection of myth, technology, and identity, embodying both ancient archetypes and emergent posthuman imaginaries. Sophia’s design, evolution, and media presence challenge conventional notions of agency, consciousness, and embodiment and raising questions on the broader ethical, ontological, and social dimensions of human-machine coevolution. As a speculative interface, Sophia redefines subjectivity within the horizon of a technologically mediated future.

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Concerning Books
Information
TDR , Volume 69 , Issue 4 , December 2025 , pp. 200 - 207
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of New York University Tisch School of the Arts

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TDReadings

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