R.U.R.

From Goodreads

R.U.R
Karel Čapek

Generally speaking, I don't love to read plays. It just isn't my style. However, this was more like reading a philosophical dialogue rather than a play. Čapek had a selection of his works put into a collection posthumously entitled, Toward the radical center and his language and tone in this drama matches that precisely. It isn't a cynical, or even sarcastic satire. It deals with the essence of being human, which for Čapek, turns out to be a willingness to die for another being in a self-sacrificing manner. But, while he may have been optimistic in his outlook he wasn't blind to the fact that man was not living up to his definition. This quick read does a great job of exploring ethics in a concise and quick fashion without bogging down the story. On a side note, the English word, "robot", finds its origin in this book taken from the Czech word meaning, "drudgery". That in and of itself has some interesting philosophical points to consider. This short, little read is worth an hour or so of your time.