Caleb Fischer The Uncanny Valley and Rabbinic Noons of Idolatry 1 Automatonophobia: The Uncanny Valley and Rabbinic Notions of Idolatry The term automatonophobia is a modern conjunction of two classical Greek words. Automaton refers to that which is self-acting and phobia refers to a fear. Psychologists consider phobias to be irrational and abnormal fears. 1 The D.S.M-IV-TR, the primary tool used to diagnose mental disorders, describes a number of diagnostic criteria that define object and situation specific phobias. Those criteria are stated as a marked and persistent fear that is excessive or unreasonable, cued by the presence or anticipation of a specific object or situation; that exposure to the phobic stimulus almost invariably provokes an immediate anxiety response; and that the phobic situation is either avoided or endured with intense anxiety or distress. 2 Phobias are not merely determined by the individual’s mental state, but can be enhanced by cultural factors. 3 Automatonophobia specifically refers to the fear of anything that seems to represent a sentient being, especially representations of humans. Such representations include animatronics, ventriloquist dummies, and statues. 4 Additionally, there is a convergent theory known as the “uncanny valley.” This theory is used to help explain the causes of automatonophobia which it correctly identifies as depending on how similar to people the statues are perceived to be. A contributing factor to this realism is evidence that classical sculpture was originally painted in a lifelike manner. 5 This paper argues that automatonophobia is relevant to 1 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders American Psychological Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 4th, text rev. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 2000. Print. 2 DSM 300.29 p. 449 3 Kleinman pp 18-53, as well as DSM p. 446 4 http://psychology.socialsciencedictionary.com/Dictionary-of-Phobia/Automatonophobia . 5 For more on this topic and many examples and reconstructions utilizing statues from Late Antiquity see Gods in Color: Painted Sculpture of Classical Antiquity: Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Sept. 22, 2007-Jan. 20, 2008 (Cambridge: Harvard University Art Museums, 2007); The Color of Life: Polychromy in Sculpture from Antiquity to the Present, ed. R. Panzanelli (Malibu: The J. Paul Getty Museum and the Getty Research Institute, 2008). A very recent reconstruction is discussed in the BAR article: “Caligula Reveals His True Colors.” Biblical Archaeology Review 37.06 (2011).