The Positronic Man

Isaac Asimov
And
Robert Silverberg
Copyright 1992 by the Estate of Isaac Asimov and Agberg, Inc.
Library of Congress Catalogin!"blication #ata
Asimov, Isaac, 192$ % 1992
&he positronic man'by Isaac Asimov and (obert )ilverberg % 1
st
ed.
p. cm.
*A +o"ndation boo,-
!./LI)0E# /1 #2./LE#A1
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For Janet and Karen
--with much love
TH THR !A"S #F R#$#TI%S
1. A robot may not in;"re a h"man being, or, thro"gh inaction, allo6 a h"man
being to come to harm.
2. A robot m"st obey the orders given it by h"man beings e<cept 6here s"ch
orders 6o"ld conflict 6ith the +irst La6.
8. A robot m"st protect its o6n e<istence as long as s"ch protection does not
conflict 6ith the +irst or )econd La6.
#&
*I+ 12.=LL &A>E A )EA&, sir,- the s"rgeon said, gest"ring to6ard the chair in front
of his des,. *!lease.-
*&han, yo",- said Andre6 ?artin.
0e seated himself calmly. 0e did everything calmly. &hat 6as his nat"re@ it 6as
one part of him that 6o"ld never change. Loo,ing at him no6, one co"ld have no 6ay of
,no6ing that Andre6 ?artin had been driven to the last resort. /"t he had been. 0e had
come half6ay across the continent for this intervie6. It represented his only remaining
hope of achieving his life=s main goaleverything had come do6n to that. Everything.
&here 6as a smooth blan,ness to Andre6=s facetho"gh a ,een observer might
6ell have imagined a hint of melancholy in his eyes. 0is hair 6as smooth, light bro6n,
rather fine, and he loo,ed freshly and cleanly shaven: no beard, no m"stache, no facial
affectations of any sort. 0is clothes 6ere 6ell made and neat, predominantly a velvety
redp"rple in color@ b"t they 6ere of a distinctly oldfashioned c"t, in the loose, flo6ing
style called *drapery- that had been pop"lar several generations bac, and 6as rarely
seen these days.
&he s"rgeon=s face had a certain blan,ness abo"t it also: hardly a s"rprising thing,
for the s"rgeon=s face, li,e all the rest of him, 6as fashioned of lightly bronAed stainless
steel. 0e sat sB"arely "pright at his imposing des, in the 6indo6less room high over
La,e ?ichigan, loo,ing o"t6ard at Andre6 ?artin 6ith the "tmost serenity and poise
evident in his glo6ing eyes. In front of him on the des, 6as a gleaming brass nameplate
that anno"nced his serial n"mber, the "s"al factoryassigned assortment of letters and
n"mbers.
Andre6 ?artin paid no attention to that so"lless string of characters and digits.
)"ch dreary, mechanistic identitydesignations 6ere nothing of any moment to himnot
no6, not any more, not for a very long time. Andre6 felt no need to call the robot
s"rgeon anything b"t *#octor.-
&he s"rgeon said, *&his is all very irreg"lar, yo" ,no6, sir. Cery irreg"lar.-
*1es. I ,no6 that,- Andre6 ?artin said.
*I=ve tho"ght abo"t very little else since this reB"est first came to my attention.-
*I sincerely regret any discomfort that it may have ca"sed yo".-
*&han, yo". I am gratef"l for yo"r concern.-
All very formal, very co"rteo"s, very "seless. &hey 6ere simply fencing 6ith each
other, neither one 6illing to get do6n to essentials. And no6 the s"rgeon fell silent.
Andre6 6aited for him to proceed. &he silence 6ent on and on.
&his is getting "s no6here, Andre6 told himself.
&o the s"rgeon he said, *&he thing that I need to ,no6, #octor, is ho6 soon the
operation can be carried o"t.-
&he s"rgeon hesitated a perceptible moment. &hen he said softly, 6ith that certain
inalienable note of respect that a robot al6ays "sed 6hen spea,ing to a h"man being, *I
am not convinced, sir, that I f"lly "nderstand ho6 s"ch an operation co"ld be performed,
let alone 6hy it sho"ld be considered desirable. And of co"rse I still don=t ,no6 6ho the
s"b;ect of the proposed operation is going to be.-
&here might have been a loo, of respectf"l intransigence on the s"rgeon=s face, if
the elegantly conto"red stainless steel of the s"rgeon=s face had been in any 6ay capable
of displaying s"ch an e<pressionor any e<pression at all.
It 6as the t"rn of Andre6 ?artin to be silent for a moment, no6.
0e st"died the robot s"rgeon=s right handhis c"tting handas it rested on the
des, in "tter tranB"ility. It 6as splendidly designed. &he fingers 6ere long and tapering,
and they 6ere shaped into metallic looping c"rves of great artistic bea"ty, c"rves so
gracef"l and appropriate to their f"nction that one co"ld easily imagine a scalpel being
fitted into them and instantly becoming, at the moment they 6ent into action, "nited in
perfect harmony 6ith the fingers that 6ielded it: s"rgeon and scalpel f"sing into a single
marvelo"sly capable tool.
&hat 6as very reass"ring, Andre6 tho"ght. &here 6o"ld be no hesitation in the
s"rgeon=s 6or,, no st"mbling, no B"ivering, no mista,es or even the possibility of a
mista,e.
)"ch s,ill came 6ith specialiAation, of co"rsea specialiAation so fiercely desired
by h"manity that fe6 robots of the modern era 6ere independently brained any more.
&he great ma;ority of them no6adays 6ere mere ad;"ncts of enormo"sly po6erf"l
central processing "nits that had comp"ting capacities far beyond the space limitations
of a single robot frame.
A s"rgeon, too, really needed to be nothing more than a set of sensors and
monitors and an array of toolmanip"lating devicese<cept that people still preferred the
ill"sion, if nothing more than that, that they 6ere being operated on by an individ"al
entity, not by a limb of some remote machine. )o s"rgeonsthe ones in private practice,
any6ay6ere still independently brained. /"t this one, brained or not, 6as so limited in
his capacity that he didn=t recogniAe Andre6 ?artinhad probably never heard of
Andre6 ?artin at all, in fact.
&hat 6as something of a novelty for Andre6. 0e 6as more than a little famo"s.
0e had never as,ed for his fame, of co"rsethat 6as not his styleb"t fame, or at any
rate notoriety, had come to him all the same. /eca"se of 6hat he had achieved: beca"se
of 6hat he 6as. 7ot 6ho, b"t 6hat.
Instead of replying to 6hat the s"rgeon had as,ed him Andre6 said, 6ith s"dden
stri,ing irrelevance, *&ell me something, #octor. 0ave yo" ever tho"ght yo" 6o"ld li,e
to be a manD-
&he B"estion, startling and strange, obvio"sly too, the s"rgeon abac,. 0e
hesitated a moment as tho"gh the concept of being a man 6as so alien to him that it
6o"ld fit no6here in his allotted positronic path6ays.
&hen he recovered his aplomb and replied serenely, */"t I am a robot, sir.-
*Eo"ldn=t it be better to be a man, don=t yo" thin,D-
*If I 6ere allo6ed the privilege of improving myself, sir, I 6o"ld choose to be a
better s"rgeon. &he practice of my craft is the prime p"rpose of my e<istence. &here is
no 6ay I co"ld be a better s"rgeon if I 6ere a man, b"t only if I 6ere a more advanced
robot. It 6o"ld please me very m"ch indeed to be a more advanced robot.-
*/"t yo" 6o"ld still be a robot, even so.-
*1es. 2f co"rse. &o be a robot is B"ite acceptable to me. As I have ;"st e<plained,
sir, in order for one to e<cel at the e<tremely diffic"lt and demanding practice of
modernday s"rgery it is necessary that one be-
*A robot, yes,- said Andre6, 6ith ;"st a note of e<asperation creeping into his
tone. */"t thin, of the s"bservience involved, #octorF Consider: yo"=re a highly s,illed
s"rgeon. 1o" deal in the most delicate matters of life and deathyo" operate on some of
the most important individ"als in the 6orld, and for all I ,no6 yo" have patients come
to yo" from other 6orlds as 6ell. And yetand yeta robotD 1o"=re content 6ith thatD
+or all yo"r s,ill, yo" m"st ta,e orders from anyone, any h"man at all: a child, a fool, a
boor, a rog"e. &he )econd La6 commands it. It leaves yo" no choice. (ight this min"te
I co"ld say, G)tand "p, #octor,= and yo"=d have to stand "p. G!"t yo"r fingers over yo"r
face and 6iggle them,= and yo"=d 6iggle. )tand on one leg, sit do6n on the floor, move
right or left, anything I 6anted to tell yo", and yo"=d obey. I co"ld order yo" to
disassemble yo"rself limb by limb, and yo" 6o"ld. 1o", a great s"rgeonF 7o choice at
all. A h"man 6histles and yo" hop to his t"ne. #oesn=t it offend yo" that I have the
po6er to ma,e yo" do 6hatever damned thing I please, no matter ho6 idiotic, ho6
trivial, ho6 degradingD-
&he s"rgeon 6as "nfaAed.
*It 6o"ld be my pleas"re to please yo", sir. Eith certain obvio"s e<ceptions. If
yo"r orders sho"ld happen to involve my doing any harm to yo" or any other h"man
being, I 6o"ld have to ta,e the primary la6s of my nat"re into consideration before
obeying yo", and in all li,elihood I 6o"ld not obey yo". 7at"rally the +irst La6, 6hich
concerns my d"ty to h"man safety, 6o"ld ta,e precedence over the )econd La6 relating
to obedience. 2ther6ise, obedience is my pleas"re. If it 6o"ld give yo" pleas"re to
reB"ire me to do certain acts that yo" regard as idiotic or trivial or degrading, I 6o"ld
perform those acts. /"t they 6o"ld not seem idiotic or trivial or degrading to me.-
&here 6as nothing even remotely s"rprising to Andre6 ?artin in the things the
robot s"rgeon had said. 0e 6o"ld have fo"nd it astonishing, even revol"tionary, if the
robot had ta,en any other position.
/"t even soeven so
&he s"rgeon said, 6ith not the slightest trace of impatience in his smooth bland
voice, *7o6, if 6e may ret"rn to the s"b;ect of this e<traordinary operation that yo"
have come here to disc"ss, sir. I can barely comprehend the nat"re of 6hat yo" 6ant
done. It is hard for me to vis"aliAe a sit"ation that 6o"ld reB"ire s"ch a thing. /"t 6hat I
need to ,no6, first of all, is the name of the person "pon 6hom I am as,ed to perform
this operation.-
*&he name is Andre6 ?artin,- Andre6 said. *&he operation is to be performed on
me.-
*/"t that 6o"ld be impossible, sirF-
*)"rely yo"=d be capable of it.-
*Capable in a technical sense, yes. I have no serio"s do"bt on that score,
regardless of 6hat may be as,ed of me, altho"gh in this case there are certain proced"ral
iss"es that I 6o"ld have to consider very caref"lly. /"t that is beside the point. I as, yo"
please to bear in mind, sir, that the f"ndamental effect of the operation 6o"ld be harmf"l
to yo".-
*&hat does not matter at all,- said Andre6 calmly.
*It does to me.-
*Is this the robot version of the 0ippocratic 2athD-
*)omething far more stringent than that,- the s"rgeon said. *&he 0ippocratic 2ath
is, of co"rse, a vol"ntary pledge. /"t there is, as plainly yo" m"st be a6are, something
innate in my circ"itry itself that controls my professional decisions. Above and beyond
everything else, I m"st not inflict damage. I may not inflict damage.-
*2n h"man beings, yes.-
*Indeed. &he +irst La6 says-
*#on=t recite the +irst La6, #octor. I ,no6 it at least as 6ell as yo". /"t the +irst
La6 simply governs the actions of robots to6ard h"man beings. I=m not h"man,
#octor.-
&he s"rgeon reacted 6ith a visible t6itch of his sho"lders and a blin,ing of his
photoelectric eyes. It 6as as if 6hat Andre6 had ;"st said had no meaning for him
6hatever.
*1es,- said Andre6, *I ,no6 that I seem to be B"ite h"man, and that 6hat yo"=re
e<periencing no6 is the robot eB"ivalent of s"rprise. 7evertheless I=m telling yo" the
absol"te tr"th. 0o6ever h"man I may appear to yo", I am simply a robot. A robot,
#octor. A robot is 6hat I am, and nothing more than that. /elieve me. And therefore yo"
are free to operate on me. &here is nothing in the +irst La6 6hich prohibits a robot from
performing actions on another robot. Even if the action that is performed sho"ld ca"se
harm to that robot, #octor.-
&E2
I7 &0E /E3I77I73, of co"rseand the beginning for him 6as nearly t6o cent"ries
before his visit to the s"rgeon=s officeno one co"ld have mista,en Andre6 ?artin for
anything b"t the robot he 6as.
In that longago era 6hen he had first come from the assembly line of .nited
)tates (obots and ?echanical ?en he 6as as m"ch a robot in appearance as any that
had ever e<isted, smoothly designed and magnificently f"nctional: a slee, mechanical
ob;ect, a positronic brain encased in a moreorless h"manoidloo,ing ho"sing made
from metal and plastic.
0is long slim limbs then 6ere finely artic"lated mechanisms fashioned from
titani"m alloys overlaid by steel and eB"ipped 6ith silicone b"shings at the ;oints to
prevent metaltometal contact. 0is limb soc,ets 6ere of the finest fle<ible
polyethylene. 0is eyes 6ere photoelectric cells that gleamed 6ith a deep red glo6. 0is
faceand to call it that 6as charitable@ it 6as the merest perf"nctory s,etch of a face
6as altogether incapable of e<pression. 0is bare, se<less body 6as "nambig"o"sly a
man"fact"red device. All it too, 6as a single glance to see that he 6as a machine, no
more animate, no more h"man, no more alive, than a telephone or a poc,et calc"lator or
an a"tomobile.
/"t that 6as in another era, long, long ago.
It 6as an era 6hen robots 6ere still "ncommon sights on Earthalmost the very
da6n of the age of robotics, not m"ch more than a generation after the days 6hen the
great early roboticists li,e Alfred Lanning and !eter /ogert and the legendary
robopsychologist )"san Calvin had done their historic 6or,, developing and perfecting
the principles by 6hich the first positronic robots had come into being.
&he aim of those pioneers had been to create robots capable of ta,ing "p many of
the dreary b"rdens that h"man beings had for so long been compelled to bear. And that
6as part of the problem that the roboticists faced, in those da6ning days of the science
of artificial life late in the &6entieth Cent"ry and early in the &6enty+irst: the
"n6illingness of a great many h"man beings to s"rrender those b"rdens to mechanical
s"bstit"tes. /eca"se of that "n6illingness, strict la6s had been passed in virt"ally every
co"ntrythe 6orld 6as still bro,en "p into a m"ltit"de of nations, thenagainst the "se
of robot labor on Earth.
/y the year 2$$H they had been banned entirely every6here on the planet, e<cept
for scientific research "nder caref"lly controlled conditions. (obots co"ld be sent into
space, yes, to the everm"ltiplying ind"strial factories and e<ploratory stations off Earth:
let them cope 6ith the miseries of frigid 3anymede and torrid ?erc"ry, let them p"t "p
6ith the inconveniences of scrabbling aro"nd on the s"rface of L"na, let them r"n the
be6ildering ris,s of the early I"mp e<periments that 6o"ld event"ally give man,ind the
hyperspace road to the stars.
/"t robots in free and general "se on Earthocc"pying precio"s slots in the labor
force that 6o"ld other6ise be available for act"al nat"rallyborn fleshandblood h"man
beingsnoF 7oF 7o robots 6anted aro"nd hereF
Eell, that had event"ally beg"n to change, of co"rse. And the most dramatic
changes had beg"n to set in aro"nd the time that (obot 7#(118, 6ho 6o"ld someday
be ,no6n as Andre6 ?artin, had been "ndergoing assembly at the main 7orthern
(egion factory of .nited )tates (obots and ?echanical ?en.
2ne of the factors bringing abo"t the grad"al brea,do6n of the antirobot
pre;"dices on Earth at that time 6as simple p"blic relations. .nited )tates (obots and
?echanical ?en 6as not only a scientifically adept organiAation, it ,ne6 a thing or t6o
abo"t the importance of maintaining its profitability, too. )o it had fo"nd 6ays, B"iet
and s"btle and effective, of chipping a6ay at the +ran,enstein myth of the robot, the
concept of the mechanical man as the dreaded shambling 3olem.
(obots are here for o"r convenience, the ..).(.?.?. p"blic relations people said.
(obots are here to help "s. (obots are not o"r enemies. (obots are perfectly safe, safe
beyond any possibility of do"bt.
Andbeca"se in fact all those things 6ere act"ally tr"epeople began to accept
the presence of robots among them. &hey did so gr"dgingly, in the main. ?any people
most, perhaps6ere still "ncomfortable 6ith the 6hole idea of robots@ b"t they
recogniAed the need for them and they co"ld at least tolerate having them aro"nd, so
long as tight restrictions on their "se contin"ed to be applied.
&here 6as need for robots, li,e it or not, beca"se the pop"lation of Earth had
started to d6indle abo"t that time. After the long ang"ish that 6as the &6entieth
Cent"ry, a time of relative tranB"ility and harmony and even rationalitya certain degree
of that, any6ayhad beg"n to settle over the 6orld. It became a B"ieter, calmer, happier
place. &here 6ere fe6er people by far, not beca"se there had been terrible 6ars and
plag"es, b"t beca"se families no6 tended to be smaller, giving preference to B"ality over
B"antity. ?igration to the ne6ly settled 6orlds of space 6as draining off some of Earth=s
pop"lation alsomigration to the e<tensive net6or, of "ndergro"nd settlements on the
?oon, to the colonies in the asteroid belt and on the moons of I"piter and )at"rn, and to
the artificial 6orlds in orbit aro"nd Earth and ?ars.
)o there 6as no longer so m"ch e<citement over the possibility of losing one=s ;ob
to a robot. &he fear of ;ob shortages on Earth had given 6ay to the problem of labor
shortages. )"ddenly the robots that once had been loo,ed "pon 6ith s"ch "neasiness,
fear, and even hatred became necessary to maintain the 6elfare of a 6orld that had every
material advantage b"t didn=t have eno"gh of a pop"lation left to s6eep the streets, drive
the ta<is, coo, the meals, sto,e the f"rnaces.
It 6as in this ne6 era of diminishing pop"lation and increasing prosperity that
7#(118the f"t"re Andre6 ?artin6as man"fact"red. 7o longer 6as the "se of
robots illegal on Earth@ b"t strict reg"lations still applied, and they 6ere still far from
everyday sights. Especially robots 6ho 6ere programmed for ordinary ho"sehold d"ties,
6hich 6as the primary "se that 3erald ?artin had in mind for 7#(118.
0ardly anyone in those days had a robot servant aro"nd the ho"se. It 6as too
frightening an idea for most peopleand too e<pensive, besides.
/"t 3erald ?artin 6as hardly ;"st anyone. 0e 6as a member of the (egional
Legislat"re, a po6erf"l member at that, Chairman of the )cience and &echnology
Committee: a man of great presence and a"thority, of tremendo"s force of mind and
character. Ehat 3erald ?artin set o"t to achieve, 3erald ?artin inevitably s"cceeded in
achieving. And 6hat 3erald ?artin chose to possess, 3erald ?artin 6o"ld invariably
come to possess. 0e believed in robots: he ,ne6 that they 6ere an inevitable
development, that they 6o"ld "ltimately become ine<tricably enmeshed in h"man
society at every level.
And so"tiliAing his position on the )cience and &echnology Committee to the
f"llesthe had been able to arrange for robots to become a part of his private life, and
that of his family. +or the sa,e of gaining a deeper "nderstanding of the robot
phenomenon, he had e<plained. +or the sa,e of helping his fello6 members of the
(egional Legislat"re to discover ho6 they might best grapple 6ith the problems that the
coming era of robotic "biB"ity 6o"ld bring. /ravely, magnanimo"sly, 3erald ?artin
had offered himself as an e<perimental s"b;ect and had vol"nteered to ta,e a small
gro"p of domestic robots into his o6n home.
&he first robots that arrived 6ere simple specialiAed ones dedicated to specific
ro"tine tas,s. &hey 6ere appro<imately h"man in form b"t they had little if anything to
say and 6ent abo"t their b"siness in the B"iet, efficient manner of the machines that they
all too plainly 6ere. At first the ?artins fo"nd it strange to have them aro"nd, b"t very
B"ic,ly they faded into the bac,gro"nd of the family=s e<istence, aro"sing no more
interest than toasters or vac""m cleaners 6o"ld.
/"t then
*&his is 7#(l 18,- 3erald ?artin anno"nced one cool, 6indy afternoon in I"ne,
6hen the delivery tr"c, had rolled "p the long drive6ay that led to the imposing clifftop
estate of the 3erald ?artin family and the slee,, shining mechanical man had been
released from his crate. *2"r personal ho"sehold robot. 2"r o6n private family
retainer.-
*Ehat did yo" call himD- Amanda as,ed. Amanda 6as the yo"nger of the t6o
?artin da"ghters, a small goldenhaired child 6ith penetrating bl"e eyes. )he 6as ;"st
beginning to learn to read and 6rite, then.
*7#(118.-
*Is that his nameD-
*0is serial n"mber, act"ally.-
Amanda fro6ned. *Endeearr. Endeearr 118. &hat=s a pec"liar name.-
*)erial n"mber,- 3erald ?artin said again.
/"t Amanda 6anted no part of that. *Endeearr. Ee can=t call him something li,e
that. It doesn=t so"nd li,e any ,ind of name anything o"ght to have.-
*Listen to her,- ?elissa ?artin said. ?elissa 6as the older ?artin girl: five years
older than Amanda, dar,haired, dar,eyed. ?elissa 6as practically a 6oman, so far as
?elissa 6as concerned. Amanda 6as merely a child, and therefore ?elissa regarded her
as foolish by definition. *)he doesn=t li,e the robot=s serial n"mber.-
*Endeearr,- Amanda said again, elaborately paying no attention to ?elissa.
*&hat isn=t any good. It really isn=t. Ehat abo"t calling him Andre6D-
*Andre6D- 3erald ?artin said. *It=s got an n in it, doesn=t itD And a dD- +or a
moment Amanda loo,ed a little do"btf"l. *)"re it does. And an r, that m"ch I=m certain
of. 7#(. Andre6.-
*I"st listen to her,- ?elissa said scornf"lly. /"t 3erald ?artin 6as smiling. 0e
,ne6 that it 6asn=t at all "n"s"al to adapt a robot=s serial letters into a name. (obots of
the I7 series tended to become Iohns or Ianes. (3 robots became Archies. J& robots
6ere called C"ties. Eell, here 6as an 7#(series robot, and Amanda 6anted to call him
Andre6. +ine. +ine. 3erald ?artin had a 6ay of letting Amanda do 6hat Amanda
tho"ght 6as best for Amanda. Eithin limits, of co"rse.
*Cery 6ell,- he said. * Andre6 it is.-
And Andre6 it 6as. )o m"ch so that, as the years 6ent along, no one in the
?artin family ever called him 7#(118 again. In time his serial n"mber 6as forgotten
altogether, and it had to be loo,ed "p 6henever he needed to be ta,en in for
maintenance. Andre6 himself claimed to have forgotten his o6n n"mber. 2f co"rse, that
6asn=t strictly tr"e. 7o matter ho6 m"ch time might go by, he co"ld never forget
anything, not if he 6anted to remember it.
/"t as time 6ent on, and things began to change for Andre6, he had less and less
desire to remember the n"mber. 0e left it safely hidden a6ay in the oblivion of his
memory ban,s and never tho"ght of going searching for it. 0e 6as Andre6 no6
Andre6 ?artinthe Andre6 of the ?artin family
Andre6 6as tall and slender and gracef"l, beca"se that 6as ho6 7#( robots
6ere designed to loo,. 0e moved B"ietly and "nobtr"sively aro"nd the splendid ho"se
that the ?artin family occ"pied overloo,ing the !acific, efficiently doing all that the
?artins reB"ired him to do.
It 6as a ho"se o"t of a vanished age, a grand and ma;estic mansion that really
reB"ired a grand retin"e of servants to ,eep it "p@ b"t of co"rse there 6ere no servants to
be had any longer, e<cept for robots, and that had been ca"sing some problems for the
?artins before 3erald ?artin offered himself "p for this e<periment. 7o6 a pair of
robot gardeners tended the glistening green la6ns and pr"ned the glorio"s hedges of
fiery red aAaleas and trimmed a6ay the dead fronds of the to6ering palm trees that ran
along the ridge behind the ho"se. A robot ho"secleaner ,ept d"st and cob6ebs at bay.
And Andre6 the robot served as valet, b"tler, lady=s maid, and cha"ffe"r for the ?artin
family. 0e prepared meals@ he selected and po"red the 6ines of 6hich 3erald ?artin
6as so fond@ he s"pervised their 6ardrobes@ he arranged and cared for their fine
f"rnit"re, their 6or,s of art, their myriad distinctive possessions.
Andre6 had one other d"ty, too, 6hich in fact monopoliAed m"ch of his time to
the detriment of the rest of his formal ho"sehold ro"tine.
&he ?artin estatefor that 6as 6hat it 6as, nothing less, a great estate6as an
isolated one, alone on its bea"tif"l ridge overloo,ing the chilly bl"e ocean. &here 6as a
little to6n nearby, b"t it 6as some distance a6ay. &he nearest city of any siAe, )an
+rancisco, 6as far do6n the coast. Cities 6ere starting to become obsolete no6, any6ay,
and people preferred to comm"nicate electronically and ,eep plenty of distance bet6een
one ho"se and the ne<t. )o the ?artin girls, in their grand and 6onderf"l isolation, had
very fe6 playmates.
&hey did, ho6ever, have Andre6.
It 6as ?iss 6ho first fig"red o"t ho6 that might best be arranged.
K*?iss- 6as 6hat Andre6 invariably called ?elissa, not beca"se he 6as
incapable of prono"ncing her first name b"t beca"se it seemed improper to him to
address her in s"ch a familiar 6ay. Amanda 6as al6ays *Little ?iss-never anything
else. ?rs. ?artinL"cie 6as her first name6as *?a=am- to Andre6. And as for
3erald ?artin, he 6as *)ir.- 3erald ?artin 6as the sort of individ"al 6hom many
people, not simply robots, felt most comfortable calling *)ir.- &he n"mber of people in
the 6orld 6ho called him *3erald- 6as a very small n"mber indeed, and it 6as
impossible to s"ppose him being *Ierry- to anybody at all.L
?iss B"ic,ly came to "nderstand more than a little abo"t ho6 to ta,e advantage of
the presence of a robot in the ho"se. It 6as a simple matter of "tiliAing the )econd La6.
*Andre6,- she said, *6e order yo" to stop 6hat yo"=re doing and play 6ith "s.-
At the moment Andre6 6as arranging the boo,s in the ?artin library, 6hich had
6andered a little o"t of alphabetical order, as boo,s have a 6ay of doing.
0e pa"sed and loo,ed do6n from the high mahogany boo,case bet6een the t6o
great leadedglass 6indo6s at the north end of the room. ?ildly he said, *I=m sorry,
?iss. I=m occ"pied at present by a tas, reB"ested by yo"r father. A prior order from )ir
m"st ta,e precedence over this reB"est of yo"rs.-
*I heard 6hat #addy told yo",- ?iss replied. *0e said, GI=d li,e yo" to tidy "p
those boo,s, Andre6. 3et them bac, into some ,ind of sensible arrangement.= Isn=t that
soD-
*&hat is e<actly 6hat he said, yes, ?iss. &hose 6ere his very 6ords.-
*Eell, then, if all he said 6as that he=d li,e yo" to tidy "p those boo,s and yo"
don=t deny that he didthen it 6asn=t m"ch of an order, 6as itD It 6as more of a
preference. A s"ggestion. A s"ggestion isn=t an order. 7either is a preference. Andre6, I
order yo". Leave the boo,s 6here they are and come ta,e Amanda and me o"t for a
6al, along the beach.-
It 6as a perfect application of the )econd La6. Andre6 p"t the boo,s do6n
immediately and descended from his ladder. )ir 6as the head of the ho"sehold@ b"t he
hadn=t act"ally given an order, not in the formal sense of the concept, and ?iss had. )he
certainly had. And an order from a h"man member of this ho"seholdany h"man
member of the ho"seholdhad to ta,e priority over a mere e<pression of preference
from some other h"man member of the ho"sehold, even if that member happened to be
)ir himself.
7ot that Andre6 had any problem 6ith any of that. 0e 6as fond of ?iss, and
even more fond of Little ?iss. At least, the effect that they had "pon his actions 6as that
6hich in a h"man being 6o"ld have been called the res"lt of fondness. Andre6 tho"ght
of it as fondness, for he didn=t ,no6 any other term for 6hat he felt to6ard the t6o girls.
Certainly he felt something. &hat in itself 6as a little odd, b"t he s"pposed that a
capacity for fondness had been b"ilt into him, the 6ay his vario"s other s,ills had been.
And so if they 6anted him to come o"t and play 6ith them, he=d do it happilyprovided
they made it permissible for him to do it 6ithin the conte<t of the &hree La6s.
&he trail do6n to the beach 6as a steep and 6inding one, stre6n 6ith roc,s and
gopherholes and other tro"blesome obstacles. 7o one b"t ?iss and Little ?iss "sed it
very often, beca"se the beach itself 6as nothing more than a ragged sandy strand
covered 6ith drift6ood and stormtossed sea6eed, and the ocean, in this northern part of
California, 6as far too chilly for anyone 6itho"t a 6ets"it to consider entering. /"t the
girls loved its blea,, moody, 6inds6ept charm.
As they scrambled do6n the trail Andre6 held ?iss by the hand and carried Little
?iss in the croo, of his arm. Cery li,ely both girls co"ld have made their 6ay do6n the
path 6itho"t incident, b"t )ir had been very strict abo"t the beach trail. *?a,e s"re they
don=t r"n or ;"mp aro"nd, Andre6. If they tripped over something in the 6rong place it
6o"ld be a fiftyfoot drop. I can=t stop them from going do6n there, b"t I 6ant yo" to be
right beside them at all times to be certain they don=t do anything foolish. &hat=s an
order.-
2ne of these days, Andre6 ,ne6, ?iss or even Little ?iss 6as going to
co"ntermand that order and tell him to stand aside 6hile they ran giddily do6n the hill
to the beach. Ehen that happened it 6o"ld set "p a po6erf"l eB"ipotential of
contradiction in his positronic brain and beyond m"ch do"bt he 6o"ld be hard pressed to
deal 6ith it.
)ir=s order 6o"ld "ltimately prevail, nat"rally, since it embodied elements of the
+irst La6 as 6ell as the )econd, and anything that involved +irst La6 prohibitions
al6ays too, highest priority. )till, Andre6 ,ne6 that his circ"itry 6o"ld be stressed
more than a little the first time a direct conflict bet6een )ir=s decree and the girls=
6hims came into play.
+or the moment, tho"gh, ?iss and Little ?iss 6ere content to abide by the r"les.
Caref"lly, step by step, he made his 6ay do6n the face of the cliff 6ith the girls in to6.
At the bottom Andre6 released ?iss=s hand and set Little ?iss do6n on the damp
sand. Immediately they 6ent strea,ing off, r"nning gleef"lly along the edge of the
fierce, snarling sea.
*)ea6eedF- ?iss cried, grabbing "p a thic, bro6n ropy length of ,elp that 6as
longer than she 6as and s6inging it li,e a 6hip. *Loo, at this big ch"n, of sea6eed,
Andre6F-
*And this piece of drift6ood,- said Little ?iss. *Isn=t it bea"tif"l, ?elissaD-
*?aybe to yo",- the older girl said loftily. )he too, the gnarled and bent bit of
6ood from Little ?iss, e<amined it in a perf"nctory 6ay, and tossed it aside 6ith a
sh"dder. *.gh. It=s got things gro6ing on it.-
*&hey=re ;"st another ,ind of sea6eed,- Little ?iss said. *(ight, Andre6D-
)he pic,ed "p the discarded piece of drift6ood and handed it to him for
inspection.
*Algae, yes,- he said.
*AlgyD-
*Algae. &he technical term for sea6eed.-
*2h. Algy.- Little ?iss la"ghed and p"t the bit of drift6ood do6n near the
beginning of the trail, so she 6o"ld remember to ta,e it 6ith her 6hen they 6ent "p to
the ho"se again. &hen she rampaged off do6n the beach again, follo6ing her older sister
thro"gh the foamy fringes of the s"rf.
Andre6 ,ept pace 6ith them 6itho"t diffic"lty. 0e did not intend to let them get
very far from him at any time.
0e had needed no special orders from )ir to protect the girls 6hile they 6ere
act"ally on the beach: the +irst La6 too, care of that. &he ocean here 6as not only 6ild
loo,ing b"t e<ceedingly dangero"s: the c"rrents 6ere strong and "npredictable, the
6ater 6as intolerably cold at almost any time of the year, and the great roc,y fangs of a
deadly reef rose from the s6irling brea,ers less than fifty meters offshore. If ?iss or
Little ?iss sho"ld ma,e the slightest move to enter the sea, Andre6 6o"ld be beside
them in an instant.
/"t they had more sense than to 6ant to go s6imming in this impossible ocean.
&he shore along this part of the !acific coast 6as a bea"tif"l thing to behold in its harsh,
blea, 6ay, b"t the sea itself, forever angry and t"rb"lent, 6as the enemy of those 6ho
6ere not bred for it, and even a small child co"ld see that at a glance.
?iss and Little ?iss 6ere 6ading in the tide pools no6, peering at the dar,
peri6in,les and graygreen limpets and pin,andp"rple anemones and the myriad little
sc"ttling hermit crabs, and searchingas they al6ays did, rarely 6ith m"ch l"c,for a
starfish. Andre6 stood nearby, poised and ready in the event that a s"dden 6ave sho"ld
rise 6itho"t 6arning nearby and s6eep to6ard shore. &he sea 6as B"iet today, as B"iet
as that savage body of 6ater ever got, b"t perilo"s 6aves 6ere apt to come o"t of
no6here at any time.
?iss said s"ddenly, *Andre6, do yo" ,no6 ho6 to s6imD-
*I co"ld do it if it 6ere necessary, ?iss.-
*It 6o"ldn=t shortcirc"it yo"r brain, or anythingD If 6ater got in, I meanD-
*I am very 6ell ins"lated,- Andre6 told her.
*3ood. )6im o"t to that gray roc, and bac,, then. &he ones 6here the cormorants
are nesting. I 6ant to see ho6 fast yo" can do it.-
*?elissa- said Little ?iss "neasily.
*)hh, Amanda. I 6ant Andre6 to go o"t there. ?aybe he can find some cormorant
eggs and bring them bac, to sho6 "s.-
*It 6o"ld not be good to dist"rb the nest, ?iss, * said Andre6 gently.
*I said I 6anted yo" to go o"t there.-
*?elissa- Little ?iss said again, more sharply.
/"t ?iss 6as insistent. It 6as an order. Andre6 felt the preliminary signs of
contradictory potentials b"ilding "p: a faint trembling in his fingertips, a barely
perceptible sense of vertigo. 2rders 6ere to be obeyed: that 6as the )econd La6. ?iss
co"ld order him to s6im to China this min"te, and Andre6 6o"ld do it 6itho"t
hesitation if no other considerations 6ere involved. /"t he 6as here to protect the girls.
Ehat 6o"ld happen if something "ne<pected befell them 6hile he 6as o"t by the
cormorant roc,D A s"dden menacing 6ave, a roc,slide, even an earthB"a,eearthB"a,es
6eren=t everyday occ"rrences here, b"t they certainly co"ld happen at any time
It 6as a p"re +irst La6 iss"e.
*I am sorry, ?iss. Eith no ad"lts here to g"ard yo", I am "nable to leave yo"
"nattended long eno"gh to s6im to that roc, and bac,. If )ir or ?a=am 6ere present,
that 6o"ld be a different matter, b"t as it is-
*#on=t yo" recogniAe an order 6hen yo" hear oneD I 6ant yo" to s6im o"t there,
Andre6.-
*As I have e<plained, ?iss-
*1o" don=t have to 6orry abo"t "s. It=s not as tho"gh I=m a child, Andre6. Ehat
do yo" thin,, that some sort of terrible ogre is going to come do6n the beach and gobble
"s "p 6hile yo"=re in the 6aterD I can loo, after myself, than, yo", and I=ll ta,e care of
Amanda too if I have to.-
Little ?iss said, *1o" aren=t being fair to him, ?elissa. 0e=s got his orders from
#addy.-
*And no6 he has his orders from me.- ?iss gest"red peremptorily. *)6im o"t to
the cormorant roc,, Andre6. 3o ahead. 7o6, Andre6.-
Andre6 felt himself gro6ing a little 6arm, and ordered his circ"itry to ma,e the
necessary homeostatic correction.
*&he +irst La6- he began.
*Ehat a bore yo" areF 1o" and yo"r +irst La6 bothF- cried ?elissa. *Can=t yo"
forget the +irst La6 once in a 6hileD /"t no, no, yo" can=t do that, can yo"D 1o"=ve got
those silly la6s 6ired into yo" and there=s no getting aro"nd them. 1o"=re nothing b"t a
d"mb machine.-
*?elissaF- Little ?iss said indignantly.
*1es, that is tr"e,- said Andre6. *As yo" correctly state, I am nothing b"t a d"mb
machine. And therefore I have no ability to co"ntermand yo"r father=s order concerning
yo"r safety on the beach.- 0e bo6ed slightly in ?elissa=s direction. *I deeply regret
this, ?iss.-
Little ?iss said, *If yo" 6ant to see Andre6 s6im so m"ch, ?elissa, 6hy don=t
yo" ;"st have him 6ade into the s"rf and do some s6imming right close to shoreD &here
6o"ldn=t be any harm in that, 6o"ld thereD-
*It 6o"ldn=t be the same thing,- ?iss said, po"ting. *7ot at all.-
/"t, Andre6 reflected, perhaps that 6o"ld satisfy her. 0e disli,ed being the foc"s
of so m"ch disharmony.
*Let me sho6 yo",- he said.
0e 6aded in. &he heavy foamflec,ed s"rf th"ndered "p violently aro"nd his
,nees, b"t Andre6 6as able easily to ad;"st his gyroscopic stabiliAers as the force of the
brea,ing 6aves assailed him. &he ro"gh, sharp roc,s that 6ere scattered allover the sea
floor meant nothing to his metallic treads. 0is sensors told him that the temperat"re of
the 6ater 6as 6ell belo6 h"man comfort tolerance, b"t that, too, 6as irrelevant to him.
+o"r or five meters o"t, the 6ater 6as deep eno"gh so that Andre6 co"ld s6im in
it, and yet he 6as still close eno"gh to shore to be able to get bac, to land in a moment if
need be. 0e do"bted that need 6o"ld be. &he girls stood side by side on the beach,
6atching him in fascination.
Andre6 had never gone s6imming before. &here had never been the slightest
reason for him to do so. /"t he had been programmed for grace and coordination "nder
all circ"mstances, and it too, him no more than a microsecond to calc"late the nat"re of
the motions necessary to propel him thro"gh the 6ater ;"st belo6 the s"rfacethe
rhythmic ,ic,ing of the legs, the lifting of the arms, the c"pping of the hands. #eftly he
glided along parallel to the shore for perhaps a doAen meters, s6imming smoothly,
efficiently, po6erf"lly. &hen he t"rned and ret"rned to his starting point. &he 6hole
e<c"rsion had ta,en ;"st a fe6 moments.
And it had had the desired effect on ?iss.
*1o"=re a 6onderf"l s6immer, Andre6,- she told him. 0er eyes 6ere shining.
*I=m s"re yo"=d brea, all the records if yo" ever entered a s6imming meet.-
*&here are no s6imming meets for robots, ?iss,- Andre6 told her gravely.
?iss giggled. *I mean a h"man s6imming meetF Li,e in the 2lympicsF-
*2h, ?iss, ?issF 0o6 "nfair that 6o"ld be, if they allo6ed a robot to compete in
the 2lympics against h"mansF It co"ld never happen.-
)he considered that for a moment.
*I s"ppose not,- she said. Eistf"lly she loo,ed to6ard the cormorant roc,. *Are
yo" s"re yo" 6on=t s6im o"t thereD I bet yo" co"ld get there and bac, in t6o min"tes.
Ehat co"ld possibly happen to "s in t6o min"tesD-
*?elissa- Little ?iss said again.
Andre6 said, *I completely "nderstand yo"r desire to have me do it, ?iss. /"t I
am not able to f"lfill yo"r 6ish. Again, I deeply regret-
*2h, all right. I=m sorry I as,ed.-
*1o" aren=t,- Little ?iss said. *I am.-
*And yo" called Andre6 a d"mb machineF &hat 6asn=t niceF-
*It=s tr"e, isn=t itD- ?iss as,ed. *0e told "s himself that it 6as tr"eF-
*0e is a machine, I s"ppose,- Little ?iss conceded. */"t he isn=t d"mb at all. And
any6ay it 6asn=t a polite thing for yo" to say.-
*I don=t have to be polite to robots. It=s li,e being polite to a television set.-
*It=s differentF- Little ?iss insisted. *It=s entirely differentF-
And then she 6as crying, and Andre6 had to scoop her "p and 6hirl her aro"nd
"ntil she 6as so distracted by the vast clo"dless s6eep of the s,y and the strangeness of
the "psidedo6n ocean that she forgot 6hy she had been "pset.
A little 6hile after6ard ?iss came "p to him, 6hile Little ?iss 6as po,ing in the
tide pools again, and said in a lo6, contrite voice, *I=m sorry I said 6hat I did, Andre6.-
*&hat=s all right, ?iss. *
*Eill yo" forgive meD I ,no6 I 6asn=t nice. I really 6anted yo" to s6im o"t there
and I didn=t stop to thin, that yo" aren=t allo6ed to leave "s alone 6hen 6e=re do6n
here. I=m very sorry, Andre6.-
*&here is no need for yo" to apologiAe, ?iss. &r"ly there isn=t.-
7or 6as there. 0o6 co"ld a robot possibly ta,e offense at anything a h"man said
or didD /"t someho6 Andre6 tho"ght it best not to point that o"t to her ;"st no6. If
?iss felt a need to apologiAe, he m"st permit her to f"lfill that needeven tho"gh her
cr"el 6ords had not dist"rbed him in the first place.
It 6o"ld be abs"rd for him to deny that he 6as a machine. &hat 6as e<actly 6hat
he 6as.
And as for being a d"mb machine, 6ell, he had no real idea of 6hat she had meant
by that. 0e had adeB"ate intelligence capacity to meet the needs placed "pon him.
#o"btless there 6ere robots more intelligent than he 6as, b"t he had not enco"ntered
them. 0ad she meant that he 6as less intelligent than h"mans areD &he statement 6as
meaningless to him. 0e ,ne6 no 6ay of comparing robot intelligence 6ith h"man
intelligence. J"antitatively and B"alitatively, their manners of thin,ing 6ere t6o
entirely different processeseveryone 6as agreed on that.
)oon the 6ind became chillier. It 6hipped the girls= dresses abo"t and h"rled
sho6ers of sand in their faces and against Andre6=s shining h"ll. &he girls decided that
they had had eno"gh of playing on the beach.
As they started to6ard the path, Little ?iss pic,ed "p the piece of drift6ood that
she had fo"nd before, and t"c,ed it thro"gh her belt. )he 6as al6ays collecting strange
little treas"res of that sort.
&hat evening, 6hen he 6as off d"ty, Andre6 6ent do6n to the beach by himself
and s6am o"t to the cormorant roc, simply to see ho6 long it 6o"ld ta,e. Even in the
dar,ness, he managed it easily and s6iftly. Cery li,ely, Andre6 realiAed no6, he co"ld
have managed it 6itho"t e<posing ?iss and Little ?iss to any great period of ris,. 7ot
that he 6o"ld have done so, b"t it 6o"ld have been possible.
7o one had reB"ested Andre6 to ma,e the nighttime s6im to the roc,. It 6as
entirely his o6n idea. A matter of c"riosity, so to spea,.
&0(EE
&0E &I?E 2+ 1EA( arrived 6hen ?iss celebrated her birthday. Andre6 had already
learned that one=s birthday celebration 6as an important event in the ann"al ro"nd of
h"man lifea commemoration of the anniversary of the day that one had emerged from
one=s mother=s 6omb.
Andre6 tho"ght that it 6as strange that h"mans 6o"ld choose the day of coming
forth from the 6omb as the significant thing to commemorate. 0e ,ne6 something of
h"man biology, and it seemed to him that it 6o"ld be m"ch more important to foc"s on
the moment of the act"al creation of the organism, 6hen the sperm cell entered the
ov"m and the process of cell division began. )"rely that 6as the real point of origin of
any personF
Certainly the ne6 person 6as already aliveif not yet capable of independent
f"nctioningd"ring the nine months spent 6ithin the 6omb. 7or 6as a h"man being
partic"larly capable of independent f"nctioning immediately after leaving the 6omb, so
the distinction bet6een birth and prebirth that h"mans insisted on dra6ing made very
little sense to Andre6.
0e himself had been ready to perform all his programmed f"nctions the moment
the last phase of his assembly 6as complete and his path6ays had been initialiAed. /"t a
ne6born child 6as far from able to manage on its o6n. Andre6 co"ld see no effective
difference bet6een a fet"s that had completed its vario"s stages of fetal development b"t
6as still inside its mother and the same fet"s, a day or t6o later, that had emerged. 2ne
6as inside and one 6as o"tside, that 6as all. /"t they 6ere ;"st abo"t eB"ally helpless.
)o 6hy not celebrate the anniversary of one=s moment of conception instead of the
anniversary of one=s release from the 6ombD
&he more he pondered it, tho"gh, the more he sa6 that there 6as some logic to
either vie6. Ehat, for e<ample, 6o"ld he select as his o6n birthday, ass"ming that
robots felt any need to celebrate their birthdaysD &he date 6hen the factory had beg"n
assembling him, or the date on 6hich his positronic brain had been installed in its case
and initialiAation of somatic control had been ,eyedD 0ad he been *born- 6hen the first
strands of his armat"re 6ere being dra6n together, or 6hen the "niB"e set of perceptions
that constit"ted 7#(118 had gone into operationD A mere armat"re 6asn=t him,
6hatever he 6as. 0is positronic brain 6as him 2r the combination of the positronic
brain properly placed 6ithin the body that had been designed to ho"se it. )o his birthday
2h, it 6as all so conf"singF And robots 6eren=t s"pposed to be plag"ed by
conf"sion. &heir positronic minds 6ere more comple< than the simple digital *minds- of
nonpositronic comp"ters, 6hich operated entirely in star, binary realms, mere patterns
of on or off, yes or no, positive or negative, and that comple<ity co"ld sometimes lead to
moments of conflicting potential. /"t nevertheless robots 6ere logical creat"res 6ho
6ere able to find their 6ay o"t of s"ch conflicts, "s"ally, by sorting the data in a sensible
6ay. Ehy, then, 6as he having so m"ch tro"ble comprehending this b"siness of 6hen
one=s birthday o"ght to beD
/eca"se birthdays are a p"rely h"man concept, he ans6ered himself. &hey have
no relevance to robots. And yo" are not a h"man being, so yo" do not need to 6orry
abo"t 6hen yo"r birthday o"ght or o"ght not to be celebrated.
At any rate, it 6as ?iss=s birthday. )ir made a point of coming home early that
day, even tho"gh the (egional Legislat"re 6as embroiled in some complicated debate
over interplanetary freetrade Aones. &he 6hole family dressed in holiday clothes and
gathered aro"nd the great slab of polished red6ood that 6as the diningroom table and
candles 6ere lit, and Andre6 served an elaborate dinner that he and ?a=am had spent
ho"rs planning, and after6ard ?iss formally received and opened her presents. &he
receiving of presentsne6 possessions, given to yo" by others6as apparently a ma;or
part of the birthdaycelebration rit"al.
Andre6 6atched, not really "nderstanding. 0e ,ne6 that h"mans placed high
importance on the o6ning of things, specific ob;ects that belonged only to them, b"t it
6as very hard to comprehend 6hat val"e most of those ob;ects had for them, or 6hy
they placed s"ch emphasis on having them.
Little ?iss, 6ho had learned ho6 to read only a year or t6o before, gave her sister
a boo,. 7ot a cassette, not an infodis,, not a holoc"be, b"t an act"al boo,, 6ith a cover
and binding and pages. Little ?iss 6as very fond of boo,s. )o 6as ?issespecially
boo,s of poetry, 6hich 6as a 6ay of 6riting things in cryptic phrases arranged in
"neven lines that Andre6 fo"nd e<tremely mysterio"s.
*0o6 marvelo"sF- ?iss cried, 6hen she had ta,en her boo, from its gaily
covered 6rapper. *&he ("baiyat of 2mar >hayyamF I=ve al6ays 6anted itF /"t ho6 did
yo" even ,no6 there 6as s"ch a thingD Eho told yo" abo"t it, AmandaD-
*I read abo"t it,- said Little ?iss, loo,ing a trifle p"t o"t. *1o" thin, I don=t ,no6
anything at all, ;"st beca"se I=m five years yo"nger than yo", b"t let me tell yo",
?elissa-
*3irlsF 3irlsF- )ir called 6arningly. *Let=s have no bic,ering at the birthday
dinnerF-
&he ne<t present ?iss opened 6as from her mother: a fine cashmere s6eater,
6hite and fl"ffy. ?iss 6as so e<cited that she p"t it on over the s6eater she 6as already
6earing.
And then she opened the small pac,age that 6as her father=s gift, and gasped@ for
)ir had bo"ght her an intricate pendant of pin, ivorite, carved 6ith marvelo"s
scroll6or, so delicately 6or,ed that even Andre6=s fla6less vision 6as hard pressed to
follo6 all its c"rving and interloc,ing patterns. ?iss loo,ed radiantly happy. )he lifted it
by its fine golden chain and slipped it over her head, lo6ering it caref"lly "ntil it lay
perfectly centered on the front of her ne6 s6eater.
*0appy birthday, ?elissa,- )ir said. And ?a=am chimed in, and Little ?iss too,
and they all sang the birthday song. &hen ?a=am called for another ro"nd of the song,
and this time she gest"red to Andre6, 6ho ;oined in, singing along 6ith them.
+or a moment he 6ondered 6hether he sho"ld have given Amanda some sort of
present also. 7o, he tho"ght, she did not seem to have e<pected it from him. And 6hy
sho"ld sheD 0e 6asn=t a member of the family. 0e 6as an item of ho"sehold machinery.
&he giving of birthday presents 6as entirely a h"man thing.
It 6as a lovely birthday dinner. &here 6as only one thing 6rong 6ith it, 6hich
6as that Little ?iss seemed bitterly envio"s of ?iss=s lovely ivorite pendant.
)he tried to hide it, of co"rse. It 6as her sister=s birthday dinner, after all, and she
didn=t 6ant to spoil it. /"t all d"ring the co"rse of the evening Little ?iss ,ept stealing
glances at the pendant that gleamed 6armly in pin, and gold atop ?elissa=s s6eater, and
it too, no great s"btlety of perception on Andre6=s part to ,no6 ho6 "nhappy she 6as.
0e 6ished there 6as something he co"ld do to cheer her "p. /"t this 6hole affair
of birthdays, and presents, and sisters, and envy, and other s"ch h"man conceptsthey
6ere really beyond his comprehension. 0e 6as a very capable robot of the ,ind that he
6as designed to be, b"t his designers had seen no need to give him the capacity to
"nderstand 6hy one little girl 6o"ld be "pset abo"t a bea"tif"l ob;ect that had been
given to another little girl 6ho 6as her sister on the occasion of her birthday.
A day or t6o later, tho"gh, Little ?iss came to Andre6 and said, *Can I spea, to
yo", Andre6D-
*2f co"rse yo" can.-
*#id yo" li,e that pendant that #addy gave ?elissaD-
*It seemed to be very bea"tif"l.-
*It is very bea"tif"l. It=s the most gorgeo"s thing I=ve ever seen.-
*It is B"ite bea"tif"l, yes,- Andre6 said. * And I am s"re that )ir 6ill give yo"
something every bit as bea"tif"l 6hen it is the time of yo"r birthday.-
*?y birthday is three months from no6,- Little ?iss said.
)he said it as tho"gh that 6ere an eternity a6ay.
Andre6 6aited, not B"ite able to determine 6here this conversation 6as heading.
&hen Little ?iss 6ent to the cabinet 6here she had p"t the piece of drift6ood that
she had bro"ght from the beach the day he had gone s6imming, and held it o"t to him.
*Eill yo" ma,e a pendant for me, Andre6D 2"t of thisD-
*A 6ooden pendantD-
*Eell, I don=t happen to have any ivorite handy. /"t this is very pretty 6ood. 1o"
,no6 ho6 to carve, don=t yo"D 2r yo" co"ld learn, I s"ppose.-
*I=m certain that my mechanical s,ills 6o"ld be eB"al to the ;ob. /"t I 6o"ld
need certain tools, and-
*0ere,- said Little ?iss.
)he had ta,en a small ,nife from the ,itchen. )he handed it to him 6ith an air of
great gravity, as if she 6ere giving him a 6hole set of sc"lptor=s blades.
*&his sho"ld be all yo" need,- she said. *I have faith in yo", Andre6.-
And she too, his metal hand in hers and gave it a sB"eeAe.
&hat night, in the B"iet of the room 6here he "s"ally stored himself 6hen his
day=s chores 6ere done, Andre6 st"died the piece of drift6ood 6ith great care for
perhaps fifteen min"tes, analyAing its grain, its density, its c"rvat"re. 0e gave the little
,nife caref"l scr"tiny too, testing it on a piece of 6ood he had pic,ed "p in the garden to
see ho6 "sef"l it 6o"ld be. &hen he considered Little ?iss=s height and 6hat siAe
pendant 6o"ld be best s"ited to a girl 6ho 6as still very small b"t 6as not li,ely to
remain that 6ay indefinitely.
Event"ally he sliced a section from the tip of the drift6ood piece. &he 6ood 6as
very hard, b"t Andre6 had a robot=s physical strength, so the only B"estion 6as 6hether
the ,nife itself 6o"ld 6ithstand the demands he 6as placing on it. It did.
0e contemplated the section of 6ood that he had separated from the bigger piece.
0e held it, t"rning it, r"bbing his fingers over its s"rface. 0e closed his eyes and
envisioned the 6ay it might loo, if he removed a bit here, a bit there;"st shaved a6ay a
little over hereand also here
1es.
0e began to 6or,.
&he ;ob too, him almost no time at all, once the preliminary planning had been
carried o"t in his mind. Andre6=s mechanical coordination 6as easily eB"al to s"ch
fastidio"s 6or, and his eyesight 6as perfect and the 6ood seemed to yield readily
eno"gh to the things he 6ished to do 6ith it.
/y the time he 6as finished, tho"gh, it 6as m"ch too late at night to ta,e it to
Little ?iss. 0e p"t it aside and gave it no f"rther tho"ght "ntil morning. I"st as Little
?iss 6as abo"t to r"n o"tside to meet the b"s that too, her to school each day, Andre6
prod"ced the little carving and held it o"t to her. )he too, it from him, staring in
perple<ity and s"rprise.
*I made it for yo",- he said.
*1o" didD-
*+rom the 6ood yo" gave me last night.-
*2h, Andre6Andre6it=s absol"tely marvelo"s, Andre6F 2h, it=s so fineF )o
bea"tif"lF I never imagined yo" co"ld ma,e anything li,e it. Eait till ?elissa sees itF
I"st 6aitF And I=ll sho6 it to #addy, tooF-
&he horn hon,ed o"tside. Little ?iss t"c,ed the carving safely in her p"rse and
h"rried o"t to the b"s. /"t she t"rned 6hen she 6as a doAen meters "p the path and
6aved to Andre6and ble6 him a ,iss.
In the evening, 6hen )ir had come home from his stint at the (egional Capitol
and Little ?iss had bro"ght forth the carving, there 6as a general stir over it in the
ho"sehold. ?a=am e<claimed at great length over its loveliness and ?iss 6as gracio"s
eno"gh to concede that it 6as nearly as attractive as the pendant she had received for her
birthday.
)ir himself 6as asto"nded. 0e co"ld not believe that Andre6 had carved the little
trin,et.
*Ehere did yo" get this, ?andyD- ?andy 6as 6hat he called Little ?iss, tho"gh
no one else did.
*I told yo", #addy. Andre6 made it for me. I fo"nd a piece of drift6ood on the
beach and he carved it o"t of that.-
*0e=s not s"pposed to be an artisan robot.-
*A 6hatD-
*A 6oodcarver,- )ir said.
*Eell, I g"ess that maybe he is,- said Little ?iss. *?aybe he=s lots of things that
6e don=t ,no6 abo"t.-
)ir loo,ed to6ard Andre6. 0e 6as fro6ning, and he t"gged tho"ghtf"lly at his
m"stache)ir had a very conspic"o"s m"stache, a great flaring 6oolly br"sh of a
m"stacheand he sco6led the sort of sco6l that Andre6, 6hose e<perience 6ith h"man
facial e<pressions 6as still some6hat limited, nevertheless "nderstood to be a very
serio"s sco6l indeed.
*#id yo" act"ally ma,e this thing, Andre6D-
*1es, )ir.-
*(obots aren=t capable of lying, yo" ,no6.-
*&hat is not entirely correct, )ir. I co"ld lie if I 6ere ordered to lie, or if it 6ere
necessary for me to tell some "ntr"th in order to ,eep a h"man being from harm, or even
if my o6n safety 6ere- 0e pa"sed. */"t I did indeed carve this for Little ?iss.-
*And the design, tooD 1o"=re responsible for thatD-
*1es, )ir.-
*Ehat did yo" copy it fromD-
*Copy it, )irD-
*1o" co"ldn=t ;"st have invented it o"t of thin air. 1o" got it o"t of some boo,,
rightD 2r yo" "sed a comp"ter to plot it o"t for yo", or else-
*I ass"re yo", )ir, I did nothing more than st"dy the ra6 material for a time "ntil I
came to "nderstand ho6 best to carve it into some shape that 6o"ld be pleasing to Little
?iss. And then I carved it.-
*.sing 6hat sort of tools, may I as,D-
*A small ,nife from the ,itchen, )ir, 6hich Little ?iss ,indly provided for me.-
*A ,nife from the ,itchen,- )ir repeated, in an oddly flat tone. )lo6ly sha,ing his
head, he hefted the carving in his hand as tho"gh he fo"nd its bea"ty almost
incomprehensible. * A ,nife from the ,itchen. )he gave yo" a piece of drift6ood and an
ordinary little ,itchen ,nife and 6ith no other tool than that yo" 6ere able to ma,e this.
*
*1es, )ir.-
&he ne<t day )ir bro"ght Andre6 another piece of 6ood from the beach, a larger
one that 6as bent and 6eathered and stained from its long immersion in the sea. 0e gave
Andre6 an electric vibro,nife, and sho6ed him ho6 to "se it.
0e said, *?a,e something o"t of this ch"n, of 6ood, Andre6. Anything yo" 6ant
to. I simply 6ant to 6atch yo" 6hile yo"=re doing it.-
*Certainly, )ir.-
Andre6 pondered the drift6ood for a time, and then he s6itched on the vibro
,nife and 6atched the movements of its blade edge, "sing his very finest optical foc"s,
"ntil he "nderstood 6hat sort of res"lts the ,nife 6o"ld be able to prod"ce, and then
finally he began to 6or,. )ir sat right ne<t to him, b"t as Andre6 set abo"t the tas, of
carving he became barely a6are of the h"man being ad;acent to him. 0e 6as 6holly
foc"sed on his tas,. All that mattered to him at that moment 6as the piece of 6ood, and
the vibro,nife, and the vision of the thing that he intended to bring forth from the 6ood.
Ehen he 6as done, he handed the carving to )ir, and 6ent to fetch the d"stpan so
that he co"ld s6eep "p the shavings. .pon his ret"rn to the room he fo"nd )ir sitting
motionless, staring at the carving in a ,ind of n"mb, st"nned 6ay.
*I as,ed for a ho"sehold robot of the 7#( series,- )ir said softly. *I don=t
remember specifying anything abo"t special craftsman adaptations.-
*Indeed, )ir. I am an 7#( ho"sehold robot. I have no specialiAed implants having
to do 6ith craft s,ills.-
*1et yo" made this. I sa6 yo" do it 6ith my o6n eyes.-
*&hat is so, )ir.-
*Co"ld yo" ma,e other things o"t of 6ood, do yo" thin,D Cabinets, let=s sayD
#es,sD LampsD Largescale sc"lpt"resD-
*I am "nable to tell yo", )ir. I have never attempted s"ch things.-
*Eell, yo" 6ill no6.-
After that, Andre6 spent very little time preparing meals and 6aiting at the table,
or doing the other minor ;obs aro"nd the ho"se that had become part of his daily ro"tine.
0e 6as ordered to read boo,s on 6oodcarving and design, 6ith a special emphasis on
f"rnit"rema,ing, and one of the empty attic rooms 6as set aside as a 6or,shop for him.
Altho"gh he contin"ed to carve small 6ooden trin,ets for ?iss and Little ?iss
and occasionally for ?a=am as 6ellbracelets, earrings, nec,laces, pendantsAndre6
devoted m"ch of his time, at )ir=s s"ggestion, to s"ch things as cabinets and des,s. 0is
designs 6ere stri,ing and "n"s"al. 0e employed rare and e<otic 6oods 6hich )ir
provided, and decorated them 6ith inlays of the most intricate and ingenio"s patterns.
)ir 6ent "pstairs to the 6or,shop every day or t6o to inspect the latest creations.
*&hese are amaAing prod"ctions, Andre6,- he 6o"ld say again and again. *.tterly
amaAing. 1o" aren=t ;"st an artisan, do yo" realiAe thatD 1o"=re a tr"e artist. And the
things yo"=ve been t"rning o"t are 6or,s of art.-
Andre6 said, *I en;oy ma,ing them, )ir.-
*En;oyD-
*)ho"ld I not be "sing that 6ordD-
*It=s a little "n"s"al to hear a robot spea,ing of Gen;oying= something, that=s all. I
didn=t realiAe that robots had the capacity for feelings of that sort.-
*!erhaps I "se the concept loosely.-
*!erhaps yo" do,- )ir said. */"t I=m not so s"re. 1o" say that yo" en;oy ma,ing
this f"rnit"re. Ehat e<actly do yo" mean by thatD-
*Ehen I do the 6or,, it ma,es the circ"its of my brain someho6 flo6 more
easily. &hat seems to me to be the eB"ivalent of the h"man feeling ,no6n as
Gen;oyment.= I have heard yo" "se the 6ord Gen;oy= and I thin, I "nderstand its
significance. &he 6ay yo" "se it fits the 6ay I feel. )o it seems appropriate for me to say
that I en;oy ma,ing these things, )ir.-
*Ah. 1es.-
)ir 6as B"iet for a time.
*1o" are a very "n"s"al robot, do yo" ,no6 that, Andre6D-
*I am entirely standard, )ir. ?y circ"itry is mod"lar 7#(, nothing more, nothing
less.-
*Indeed.-
*#oes my doing this cabinet6or, tro"ble yo", )irD-
*7ot at all, Andre6. J"ite the contrary.-
*1et I sense some "neasiness in yo"r vocal tones. &here is a B"ality in them of
ho6 shall I e<press itDa B"ality of s"rpriseD 7o, Gs"rprise= is inacc"rate. A B"ality of
"ncertaintyD 2f do"btDEhat I mean is that yo" appear to be thin,ing, )ir, that I am
6or,ing beyond the programmed levels of my capacities.-
*1es,- said )ir. *&hat=s e<actly 6hat I do thin,, Andre6. Eell beyond yo"r
programmed levels, as a matter of fact. 7ot that I=m tro"bled that yo"=ve "ne<pectedly
t"rned o"t to have this little strea, of artistic ability in yo", yo" "nderstand. /"t I=d li,e
to ,no6 ;"st 6hy it=s there.-
+2.(
A +EE #A1) LA&E( 3erald ?artin telephoned the managing director of the regional
headB"arters of the .nited )tates (obots and ?echanical ?en Corporation and said,
*I=m having a little problem 6ith the 7#( ho"sehold robot that yo" assigned to me.-
&he managing director=s name 6as Elliot )mythe. Li,e many of the high
e<ec"tives of ..).(.?.?., )mythe 6as a member of the e<tensive and po6erf"l
(obertson family, descended from the original La6rence (obertson 6ho had fo"nded
the .. ). (obots Corporation in the latter part of the &6entieth Cent"ry.
Altho"gh by this time the company 6as so h"ge that it co"ld no longer strictly be
considered a (obertson family enterprisethe constant need to bring in fresh capital for
e<pansion had forced the (obertsons and )mythes steadily to sell off a goodsiAed
portion of their holdings of ..).(.?.?. stoc, to o"tside investorsit 6as never a simple
matter for o"tsiders to pic, "p the telephone and as, to spea, to a (obertson or a
)mythe. /"t 3erald ?artin, after all, 6as Chairman of the (egional Legislat"re=s
)cience and &echnology Committee. (obertsons and )mythes, 6ealthy and po6erf"l
tho"gh they might be, 6ere in no position to ignore telephone calls from 3erald ?artin.
*A problemD- Elliott )mythe said, and his face on the telephone screen registered
deep and sincere concern. *I=m tremendo"sly sorry to hear that, ?r. ?artin. And more
than a little startled, too, I have to confess. 1o"r 7#( is a stateoftheart prod"ct, yo"
,no6, and the testing it received before it left here 6as e<tremely thoro"gh. Ehat ,ind
of malf"nction have yo" been e<periencing, act"allyD Is the robot failing to live "p to
yo"r e<pectations in any 6ayD-
*I didn=t say anything abo"t a malf"nction.-
*/"t yo" mentioned a problem, ?r. ?artin. &he 7#( sho"ld be able to handle
any ho"sehold d"ty that yo"-
)ir said crisply, *&his has nothing to do 6ith assigned ho"sehold d"ties, ?r.
)mythe. 7#(118 is performing his assigned d"ties perfectly. &he problem is that the
robot appears to have a fe6 capabilities that 6eren=t apparent in the specifications 6hen
yo" and I first disc"ssed the notion of o"tfitting my home 6ith a staff of robot servants.-
)mythe=s loo, of concern began to shade into serio"s apprehensiveness no6. *Are
yo" saying that he=s overstepping its programmed gro"p of responsibilities and doing
things he hasn=t been as,ed to doD-
*7ot at all. 1o"=d have heard from me a lot sooner if anything li,e that 6as going
on, I g"arantee yo". 7o, ?r. )mythe, the thing is that B"ite "ne<pectedly he=s gone in
for 6ood6or,ing. 0e ma,es 6ooden ;e6elry and f"rnit"re. ?y yo"nger da"ghter gave
him a very small reB"est along those lines and he f"lfilled it in a fashion that 6as
beyond all e<pectation, and I=ve had him ma,e a good many other things since. &he 6ay
he carves 6ood is something phenomenally e<B"isite and he never does anything the
same 6ay t6ice. And 6hat he prod"ces are 6or,s of art, ?r. )mythe. Absol"te 6or,s of
art. Any m"se"m 6o"ld be pro"d to display them.-
)mythe 6as silent for a time 6hen )ir finished spea,ing. &he corners of his mo"th
B"ir,ed a little b"t he sho6ed no other o"t6ard display of emotion.
&hen he said, *&he 7#( series is relatively versatile, ?r. ?artin. It=s not entirely
"nthin,able that an 7#( sho"ld be able to do a little cabinet6or,.-
*I tho"ght I made it clear that this goes far beyond being Ga little cabinet6or,,= *
said )ir.
*1es. I s"ppose yo" have.- &here 6as another long pa"se. &hen )mythe said, *I=d
li,e to see some of this 6or,. I=d li,e to have a loo, at this robot of yo"rs, for that
matter. Eo"ld it be all right, ?r. ?artin, if I fle6 o"t to the Coast and gave him a B"ic,
inspectionD-
*/"t if yo" need to inspect him, 6o"ldn=t yo" 6ant to do it "nder laboratory
conditionsD 1o"=d need to have all sorts of testing eB"ipment, I=d imagine, and ho6
co"ld yo" transport all that to my ho"seD It seems to me that it 6o"ld be m"ch easier all
aro"nd if I simply bro"ght Andre6 to yo"r headB"arters, 6here he co"ld be chec,ed o"t
properly.-
*Andre6D-
)ir smiled briefly. *?y girls call him that. +rom 7#(, yo" ,no6.-
*1es. 1es, I see. /"t there=s no need for yo" to go to the inconvenience of flying
east, ?r. ?artin. I=m overd"e for a visit to some of o"r Eest Coast facilities any6ay,
and this 6ill give me a good e<c"se to go o"t there. And at this point I don=t intend to
p"t yo"r 7#( thro"gh any sort of complicated tests. I=d ;"st li,e to tal, to him a bitand
to yo"and of co"rse I=d li,e to see the ,inds of thing yo"r robot has been carving. I
co"ld hardly e<pect yo" to ha"l a van f"ll of des,s and cabinets o"t here, yo" ,no6.-
*&hat ma,es sense, I g"ess.-
*7e<t &"esday, thenD Eo"ld that be convenient for yo"D-
*I=ll see to it that it is,- said )ir.
*2h, and one more thing. I=d li,e to bring ?er6in ?ans,y 6ith me, if I may. 2"r
Chief (obopsychologist. I thin, #r. ?ans,y 6ill 6ant to ta,e a loo, at 7#(118=s
cabinet6or, also. In fact, I=m B"ite s"re of it.-
)ir cleared his &"esday sched"le and arranged to remain at home all afternoon.
)mythe and ?ans,y 6ere d"e to arrive in )an +rancisco on a noon flight and then it
6o"ld ta,e them another thirty min"tes to hop "p the coast by local sh"ttle.
Andre6 6as told that visitors 6ere coming to see him, of co"rse. &hat seemed a
little odd to him6hy 6o"ld anyone 6ant to pay a social call on a robotD b"t he felt no
need to try to "nderstand 6hat 6as ta,ing place. In those days Andre6 rarely tried to
B"estion the doings of the h"man beings aro"nd him or to analyAe events in any
systematic 6ay. It 6as only in later years, 6hen he had attained a far greater
comprehension of his sit"ation, that he 6as able to revie6 that early scene and
"nderstand it in its proper light.
A splendid robocha"ffe"red limo"sine delivered the .. ). (obots e<ec"tive and
the Chief (obopsychologist to the ?artin estate. &hey 6ere a c"rio"sly mismatched
pair, for Elliott )mythe 6as a slender, to6ering, athleticloo,ing man 6ith long limbs
and a great mane of dense 6hite hair, 6ho seemed as tho"gh he 6o"ld be more at home
on a tennis co"rt or in a polo match than in a corporate office, 6hile ?er6in ?ans,y
6as short and stoc,y and had no hair at all, and gave the appearance of someone 6ho
6o"ld leave his des, only "nder great d"ress.
*&his is Andre6,- )ir told them. *0is carpentry 6or,shop is "pstairs, b"t yo" can
see some of his prod"cts all aro"nd this room. &hat boo,casethe lamps, and the table
they=re onthe light fi<t"re-
*(emar,able 6or,,- said Elliot )mythe. *7o e<aggeration at all, ?r. ?artin: they
certainly are masterpieces, every one of them.-
?er6in ?ans,y gave the f"rnit"re only the most minimal glance. 0is attention
6as dra6n m"ch more po6erf"lly to Andre6.
*Code chec,,- ?ans,y said br"sB"ely. *Aleph 7ine, Andre6.-
Andre6=s response 6as immediate. It had to be: code chec,s 6ere s"bs"med
"nder )econd La6 priorities and they reB"ired "nhesitating obedience. Andre6, red
photoelectric eyes glo6ing intently, ran thro"gh the entire set of Aleph 7ine parameters
6hile ?ans,y listened, nodding.
*Cery good, Andre6. Code chec,: Epsilon )even.-
Andre6 gave ?ans,y Epsilon )even. 0e gave him 2micron +o"rteen. 0e gave
him >appa &hree, 6hich 6as one of the most elaborate chec,s of all, embodying the
parameters that contained the &hree La6s.
*Eell done,- said ?ans,y. *2ne more, no6. Code chec,: the entire 2mega
series.-
Andre6 recited the 2mega codes, 6hich governed the path6ays dealing 6ith the
ability to process and correlate ne6ly acB"ired data. &hat set too, B"ite a 6hile also.
&hro"gho"t the long recitation )ir loo,ed on in p"AAlement. Elliott )mythe seemed
scarcely to be listening.
?ans,y said, *0e=s in perfect 6or,ing order. Every parameter is e<actly as it
sho"ld be.-
*As I told ?r. )mythe,- )ir began, *the B"estion isn=t one of Andre6=s fail"re to
perform. It=s that his performance is so far beyond e<pectation.-
*/eyond yo"r e<pectation, perhaps,- said ?ans,y.
)ir s6"ng aro"nd as tho"gh he had been st"ng. * And 6hat is that s"pposed to
mean, may I as,D-
?ans,y fro6ned all the 6ay "p to the top of his bare scalp. &he heavy lines in his
forehead 6ere so prono"nced that they might have been carved by Andre6. 0e had
dra6n feat"res and deepset 6eary eyes and pallid s,in, and generally loo,ed "nhealthy.
Andre6 s"spected that ?ans,y might act"ally be a good deal yo"nger than he seemed.
0e said, *(obotics isn=t an e<act art, ?r. ?artin. I can=t e<plain it to yo" in detail,
or, rather, I co"ld, b"t it 6o"ld ta,e a great deal of time and I=m not certain yo"=d get
m"ch benefit from the e<planation, b"t 6hat I mean is that the mathematics governing
the plotting of the positronic path6ays is far too complicated to permit any b"t
appro<imate sol"tions. )o robots of Andre6=s level of constr"ction often t"rn o"t
some6hat "ne<pectedly to have abilities some6hat beyond the basic design
specifications. I 6ant to ass"re yo", tho"gh, that simply beca"se Andre6 apparently is
a master carpenter there=s no reason 6hatever to fear any sort of "npredictable behavior
that might ;eopardiAe yo" or yo"r family. Ehatever else is variable abo"t a robot=s
performance, the &hree La6s are "tterly incontrovertible and "ndefeatable. &hey are
intrinsic to the positronic brain. Andre6 6o"ld cease to f"nction entirely before he
committed any violation of the La6s.-
*0e=s more than simply a master carpenter, #r. ?ans,y,- )ir said. *Ee=re not ;"st
tal,ing abo"t some nice tables and chairs here.-
*1es. 1es, of co"rse. I "nderstand he does little trin,ets and ,nic,,nac,s too.-
)ir smiled, b"t it 6as a sing"larly icy smile. 0e opened the cabinet 6here Little
?iss ,ept some of the treas"res Andre6 had created for her and too, something o"t.
*)ee for yo"rself,- he said acidly to ?ans,y. *0ere=s one of his trin,ets. 2ne of
his ,nic,,nac,s.-
)ir handed over a little sphere of shining ebony: a playgro"nd scene in 6hich the
boys and girls 6ere almost too small to ma,e o"t, yet they 6ere in perfect proportion,
and they blended so nat"rally 6ith the grain that that, too, seemed to have been carved.
&he fig"res appeared on the verge of coming to life and moving abo"t. &he boys 6ere
abo"t to have a fistfight@ t6o girls 6ere intently st"dying a nec,lace of almost
microscopic siAe that a third girl 6as sho6ing them@ a teacher stood to one side,
stooping a little to ans6er a B"estion that a very short boy 6as as,ing her.
&he robopsychologist stared at the tiny carving for an e<traordinarily long 6hile
6itho"t saying anything.
*?ay I loo, at it, #r. ?ans,yD- Elliott )mythe said.
*1es. 1es, certainly.-
?ans,y=s hand trembled a little as he passed the little ob;ect across to the .. ).
(obots e<ec"tive.
7o6 it 6as )mythe=s t"rn to stare in solemn silence. Andre6, 6atching him,
e<perienced a ne6 little b"rst of the sensation that he had come to identify as en;oyment.
!lainly these t6o men 6ere impressed 6ith 6hat he had carved. Indeed they appeared to
be so impressed that they 6ere "nable to e<press their appreciation in 6ords.
?ans,y said, finally, *0e did thatD-
)ir nodded. *0e=s never seen a school playgro"nd. ?y da"ghter Amanda
described this scene to him one afternoon 6hen he as,ed her to tell him 6hat one 6as
li,e. 0e spo,e 6ith her for abo"t five min"tes. &hen he 6ent "pstairs and made this.-
*(emar,able,- )mythe said. *!henomenal.-
*!henomenal, yes,- said )ir. *7o6 do yo" see 6hy I tho"ght I o"ght to bring this
to yo"r attentionD &his ,ind of 6or, goes 6ell beyond the standard hard6ired capacity
of yo"r 72( series, does it notD I hate to "se a clichM, gentlemen, b"t 6hat 6e have here
is a bit of a geni"s robot, 6o"ldn=t yo" sayD )omething that might be considered to
verge almost on the h"manD-
*&here is nothing h"man 6hatsoever abo"t 7#(118,- said ?ans,y 6ith a ,ind
of prissy firmness. *!lease don=t conf"se the iss"e, ?r. ?artin. Ehat 6e have here is a
machine, and yo" m"st never forget that A machine 6ith some degree of intelligence,
yes, and evidently possessing something sim"lating creativity as 6ell. /"t a machine all
the same. I=ve spent my entire career dealing 6ith robot personalitiesyes, they do have
personalities, after their fashionand if anyone 6ere to be tempted to believe that robots
parta,e of h"manity, it 6o"ld be me, ?r. ?artin. /"t I don=t believe it and neither
sho"ld yo".-
*I didn=t mean it serio"sly. /"t ho6 can yo" acco"nt for this ,ind of artistic
ability, thenD-
*&he l"c, of the dra6,- ?ans,y said. *)omething in the path6ays. A fl",e. Ee=ve
been attempting to design generaliAed path6ays for the last co"ple of yearsrobots, I
mean, 6ho are not simply limited to the ;ob they=re designed for, b"t are capable of
e<panding their o6n scope by a process that can be compared to ind"ctive reasoning
and it=s not entirely s"rprising that something li,e this, this sort of sim"lated creativity,
sho"ld t"rn "p in one of them. As I said a fe6 moments ago, robotics is not an e<act art.
)ometimes "n"s"al things happen.-
*Co"ld yo" ma,e it happen againD Co"ld yo" b"ild another robot 6ho d"plicates
Andre6=s special abilitiesD A 6hole series of them, perhapsD-
*!robably not. Ee=re tal,ing abo"t a stochastic event here, ?r. ?artin. #o yo"
follo6 meD Ee don=t ,no6 in any precise and B"antifiable fashion ho6 6e managed to
get those abilities into Andre6 in the first place, so there=s no 6ay as of no6 that 6e
co"ld set o"t to reprod"ce 6hatever deviant path6ay it is that allo6s him to create 6or,
of this sort. Ehat I mean,- ?ans,y said, *is that Andre6 m"st have been something of
an accident, and very li,ely he is "niB"e.-
*3oodF I don=t in the least mind Andre6=s being the only one of his ,ind.-
)mythe, 6ho had been at the 6indo6 for some time no6, loo,ing o"t over the
fogshro"ded ocean, t"rned abr"ptly and said, *?r. ?artin, 6hat I=d li,e to do is ta,e
Andre6 bac, to o"r headB"arters for e<tensive st"dy. 7at"rally, 6e=ll s"pply yo" 6ith
an eB"ivalent 7#( robot by 6ay of a replacement, and 6e=ll see to it that he is
programmed 6ith f"ll ,no6ledge of 6hatever domestic assignments yo" may already
have given Andre6, so that-
*7o,- )ir said, 6ith s"dden grimness.
)mythe delicately flic,ed one eyebro6 "p6ard. *)ince yo" came to "s 6ith this
sit"ation in the first place, yo" m"st s"rely recogniAe the importance of o"r ma,ing a
detailed e<amination of Andre6, so that 6e can begin to "nderstand ho6-
*#r. ?ans,y has ;"st said that Andre6=s a p"re fl",e, that yo" don=t have any idea
ho6 he got to be able to do the things 6ith 6ood that he can do, that yo" co"ldn=t
replicate him even if yo" tried. )o I fail to see 6hat p"rpose 6o"ld be served by yo"r
ta,ing him bac, and giving me some other robot in his place.-
*#r. ?ans,y may be too pessimistic. 2nce 6e begin to trace the act"al co"rse of
Andre6=s ne"ral path6ays-
*2nce yo" do,- said )ir, *there may not be very m"ch left of Andre6 after6ard,
isn=t that correctD-
*&he path6ays are fragile. Analysis often involves a certain degree of destr"ction,
yes,- )mythe conceded.
*?y girls are e<tremely fond of Andre6,- )ir said. *Especially the yo"nger one,
Amanda. I=d vent"re to say that Andre6 is Amanda=s best friend, in fact: that she loves
Andre6 as m"ch as she loves anyone or anything on this planet. And Andre6 appears to
be eB"ally fond of her. I called Andre6=s capabilities to yo"r attention beca"se I tho"ght
it might be "sef"l for yo" to become a6are of 6hat yo" had prod"ced hereand beca"se
even as a layman I s"spected that Andre6=s s,ills might have been something that 6as
inadvertently b"ilt into him, and I 6as c"rio"s abo"t 6hether that 6as the case, 6hich it
appears no6 to be. /"t if yo" thin, there=s even the slightest chance that I=m going to let
yo" ta,e Andre6 apart, 6hen 6e both ,no6 that yo"=re not confident of p"tting him
bac, together e<actly as he 6as, forget it. I"st forget it.-
*I can B"ite appreciate the nat"re of the bond that can form bet6een a yo"ng girl
and her ho"sehold robot. 7onetheless, for yo" to obstr"ct the ongoing co"rse of o"r
research in this 6ay, ?r. ?artin-
*I can obstr"ct a lot more than that,- said )ir. *2r have yo" forgotten 6ho it is that
has been p"shing all sorts of prorobot legislat"re thro"gh my Committee the past three
yearsD I s"ggest that 6e go "pstairs so that yo" can e<amine some of Andre6=s other
6or,, 6hich I thin, yo"=ll find of very great interest. And then yo" and #r. ?ans,y
o"ght to begin thin,ing abo"t heading bac, do6n to )an +rancisco and getting on to
those visits to yo"r Eest Coast facilities that yo" 6ere telling me yo" needed to ma,e.
Andre6 stays here. Is that "nderstoodD-
&here 6as a flic,er of f"ry in )mythe=s eyes. /"t only the merest of flic,ers, the
barest B"ic, change of e<pression, 6hich even Andre6=s s"perb vision 6as hard pressed
to perceive. &hen )mythe shr"gged.
*As yo" 6ish, ?r. ?artin. 7o harm 6ill come to Andre6. 1o" have my 6ord.-
*3ood.-
*And I 6o"ld indeed li,e to go "pstairs and see the rest of his 6or,.-
*?y pleas"re,- said )ir. *I can even give yo" some of it, if yo" li,e. !ic, o"t
anything yo" 6antof the f"rnit"re, I mean, not the little ornamental things that he=s
made for my 6ife and da"ghtersand it=s yo"rs. I=m serio"s.-
*Cery ,ind of yo",- said )mythe.
?ans,y said, *?ay I repeat something I observed a little 6hile bac,, ?r.
?artinD-
*If yo" need to, #r. ?ans,y.-
*1o" raised the point that Andre6=s creativity verges almost on the h"man. )o it
does: even I 6ill admit that. /"t verging on the h"man and being h"man are not the
same thing. I 6ant to remind yo" that Andre6 is a machine.-
*I ta,e note of that fact.-
*It may become harder for yo" to bear it in mind after a time, since evidently
Andre6 is going to remain 6ith yo". !lease try. 1o" spea, of this robot as yo"r
da"ghter=s Gfriend.= 1o" spea, of her Glove= for him. &hat=s a dangero"s attit"de:
dangero"s to her, I mean. +riends are friends and machines are machines and they
sho"ld not be conf"sed. 2ne may love another person b"t one ordinarily does not love a
ho"sehold appliance, ho6ever "sef"l or attractive or pleasing it may be. All Andre6 is is
an amb"latory comp"ter, ?r. ?artin, a comp"ter that is endo6ed 6ith artificial
intelligence and has been placed in a h"manoid bodyframe and so gives the s"perficial
appearance of being something B"ite different from the comp"ters that g"ide o"r air
traffic and operate o"r comm"nications systems and do all o"r other ro"tine chores. &he
personality that yo"r da"ghter believes she perceives in Andre6, and 6hich yo" say has
ca"sed her to Glove= him, is merely a sim"lated personality, a predesigned constr"ct,
6holly synthetic. I beg of yo", ?r. ?artin: never forget that a comp"ter 6ith arms and
legs and a positronic brain is still nothing b"t a comp"ter, albeit a some6hat enhanced
comp"ter. A machine. A gadget, ?r. ?artin. A ho"sehold appliance.-
*I 6ill ,eep that in mind,- said )ir in a dry, cool tone. *1o" ,no6, #r. ?ans,y,
I=ve al6ays endeavored to thin, clearly and in an orderly 6ay. I never conf"se an arm
6ith a leg or a hand 6ith a foot or a co6 6ith a horse, and I=ll do my best not to conf"se
a robot 6ith a h"man being, ho6ever great the temptation may become. &han, yo" very
m"ch for yo"r advice. And no6, if yo"=d li,e to have a B"ic, to"r of Andre6=s
6or,shop-
+ICE
?I)) 0A# /E3.7 to cross the threshold that tr"ly separates girlhood from
6omanhood, no6. )he 6as en;oying an active social life and going off 6ith her ne6
friendsnot all of them girlson e<c"rsions to the mo"ntains, to the deserts of the so"th,
to the 6ilderness to the north. 0er presence in the ?artin ho"se 6as becoming an
increasingly rare event.
)o it 6as Little ?issnot as little as before6ho filled Andre6=s horiAon no6.
)he 6as t"rning into a coltish, tireless girl 6ho loved to r"n great distances along the
beach, 6ith Andre6 effortlessly ,eeping pace beside her. )he 6ent rambling in the
forested areas ad;acent to the ho"se, and relied on Andre6 to help her do6n 6hen she
had scrambled a little too far "p some tree to peer into a bird=s nest, or 6hen she had
trapped herself on some precario"s roc,y ledge that she had climbed for the sa,e of
getting a better vie6 of the sea.
As ever, Andre6 6as vigilant and endlessly protective as Little ?iss romped
abo"t. 0e 6o"ld let her ta,e her little tomboyish ris,s, yes, beca"se they seemed to
ma,e her happy, b"t not 6itho"t his calc"lating the real ris, of anything serio"s
happening to her, and he 6as al6ays poised and ready to intervene s6iftly on her behalf
if that sho"ld be necessary.
&he +irst La6, of co"rse, compelled Andre6 to e<ert constant diligence to protect
Little ?iss from harm. /"t, as he sometimes told himself, he 6o"ld 6illingly and gladly
defend her against peril of any sort even if the +irst La6 did not e<ist.
&hat 6as an odd tho"ght: that there might be no +irst La6. Andre6 co"ld barely
conceive of that &he +irst La6 Kand the )econd, and the &hirdL 6ere s"ch f"ndamental
aspects of his ne"ral path6ays that it made him diAAy to imagine himself 6itho"t them.
And yet he had imagined it. Andre6 6as p"AAled by that: ho6 strange, having a capacity
to imagine the "nimaginableF It made him feel almost h"man, 6hen parado<ical
concepts li,e that 6ent thro"gh his mind.
/"t 6hat did almost h"man meanD &hat 6as another parado<, and an even more
diAAying one. Either yo" 6ere h"man or yo" 6ere not 0o6 co"ld there be any sort of
intermediate stateD
1o" are a robot, Andre6 reminded himself sternly.
1o" are a prod"ct of the .nited )tates (obots and ?echanical ?en Corporation.
And then Andre6 6o"ld loo, at Little ?iss and a sensation of great ;oy and
6armth 6o"ld spread thro"gh his positronic braina sensation that he had come to
identify as *love-and he 6o"ld have to remind himself, allover again, that he 6as
nothing more than a cleverly designed str"ct"re of metal and plastic 6ith an artificial
platin"miridi"m brain inside his chromesteel s,"ll, and he had no right to feel
emotions, or to thin, parado<ical tho"ghts, or to do any other s"ch comple< and
mysterio"s h"man thing. Even his 6ood6or,ing artand he did allo6 himself to thin,
of it as *art-6as simply a f"nction of the s,ills 6ith 6hich he had been programmed
by his designers.
Little ?iss never allo6ed herself to forget that the very first piece of 6oodcarving
Andre6 had done had been for her. )he 6as rarely 6itho"t the little pendant that he had
made for her o"t of that piece of drift6ood, 6earing it on a silver chain abo"t her nec,
and reaching "p to finger it fondly again and again.
It 6as she 6ho first ob;ected to )ir=s cas"al habit of giving a6ay Andre6=s
prod"ctions to anyone 6ho visited the ho"se. 0e 6o"ld pro"dly sho6 his g"ests
Andre6=s latest 6or,, and then, 6hen the predictable e<pressions of admiration and
even envy 6ere "ttered, 6o"ld grandly e<claim, *#o yo" really li,e it that m"chD &hen
ta,e it 6ith yo"F /y all means, ta,e itF ?y pleas"reF &here are plenty more 6here that
one came fromF-
2ne day )ir besto6ed a partic"larly intricate abstract carvinga shining spheroid
made of slender inter6oven strips of red6ood 6ith inlays of manAanita and madrone
6oodon the )pea,er of the Legislat"re. &he )pea,er 6as a lo"dvoiced redfaced man
6ho had al6ays seemed partic"larly d"ll6itted and v"lgar to Little ?iss, and she very
m"ch do"bted that he had any ability to see the bea"ty in Andre6=s 6or,. 7o do"bt he
6as simply being diplomatic 6hen he had praised the carving, and he 6o"ld simply toss
it tho"ghtlessly into some closet 6hen he got it home.
Little ?iss said, after the )pea,er had left, *Come on, #ad. 1o" sho"ldn=t have
given that to him and yo" ,no6 itF-
*/"t he li,ed it, ?andy. 0e said he tho"ght it 6as e<tremely bea"tif"l.-
*It is e<tremely bea"tif"l. )o is the beach in front of o"r ho"se. If he said the
beach 6as e<tremely bea"tif"l, 6o"ld yo" have deeded it over to himD-
*?andy, ?andy-
*EellD Eo"ld yo"D-
*It=s a false parallel,- )ir said. *2bvio"sly yo" don=t go handing a6ay ch"n,s of
yo"r real estate to people on a 6him. /"t a small carvinggiven as a modest e<pression
of affection to a friend of many years= standing 6ho also happens to be a highly
infl"ential political leader-
*Are yo" saying it 6as a bribeD-
+or an instant real anger flashed in )ir=s eyes. /"t it died a6ay almost as fast as it
had come and the "s"al t6in,le 6ith 6hich he regarded his yo"ngest da"ghter ret"rned.
*1o" don=t really mean that, do yo", ?andyD 1o" "nderstand that my gift to the
)pea,er 6as merely an act of hospitality, rightD-
*Eellyes. 1es. I=m sorry, #ad. Ehat I said 6as "ncalledfor and mean.-
)ir smiled. *It 6as, yes. Is it that yo" 6anted that carving for yo"rselfD 1o"r
room is already filled 6ith things that Andre6 has made, yo" ,no6. &he 6hole ho"se is.
Ee can=t give them a6ay as fast as he ma,es them.-
*&hat=s the 6hole point I 6as trying to ma,e. &hat yo" give them a6ay.-
)ir=s smile gre6 broader. *Eell, 6hat 6o"ld yo" prefer that I doD )ell them to
peopleD-
*As a matter of fact, yes. &hat=s e<actly 6hat I 6o"ld prefer.-
)ir said, loo,ing astonished, *It isn=t li,e yo" to be greedy, ?andy.-
*Ehat does greed have to do 6ith thisD-
*)"rely yo" m"st "nderstand that 6e already have more than eno"gh money.
J"ite apart from the complete impropriety of my p"tting a price tag on some ob;ect that
a g"est in my ho"se might happen to admire, it 6o"ld be abs"rd for me to go in for
trivial profiteering of any s"ch ,ind.-
*I=m not saying that 6e sho"ld try to ma,e money on the things Andre6 carves.
/"t 6hat abo"t Andre6D-
*Ehat abo"t himD-
*0e does the 6or,. 0e sho"ld have the money.-
)ir blin,ed. *Andre6=s a robot, ?andy.-
*1es, I ,no6 that, #ad-
*(obots aren=t people, s6eet. &hey=re machines, rememberD Li,e telephones, li,e
comp"ters. Ehat imaginable "se 6o"ld a machine have for moneyD (obots don=t go
shopping. (obots don=t ta,e holidays in 0a6aii. (obots don=t-
*I=m serio"s, #ad. &his is an important iss"e. Andre6 spent ho"rs ma,ing that.-
*)oD-
*(obot or not, he=s got the right to benefit from the res"lts of his labor. Ehen yo"
coolly hand o"t the things he ma,es as gifts to yo"r friends or political associates, the
6ay yo" do, yo"=re e<ploiting him, did yo" ever stop to thin, of that, #adD 0e may be a
machine b"t he=s not a slave. And also he=s an artist. 0e=s entitled to be compensated for
ma,ing those things. ?aybe not 6hen he ma,es them for "s, b"t 6hen yo" give them
a6ay li,e that to other people- Little ?iss pa"sed. *#o yo" remember the +rench
(evol"tion, #adD 7o, I don=t mean do yo" remember it literally. /"t its basic iss"e
6as the e<ploiting of the 6or,ing classes by the aristocracy. (obots are o"r ne6
6or,ing classes. And if 6e go on treating o"r robots the 6ay the d",es and d"chesses
treated their peasants-
)ir smiled gently.
*&he last thing 6e need to 6orry abo"t, ?andy, is an "prising by o"r robots. &he
&hree La6s-
*&he &hree La6s, the &hree La6s, the &hree La6sF I hate the &hree La6sF 1o"
can=t deprive Andre6 of the benefit of the 6or, he does. 1o" can=tF It isn=t fait@ #adF-
&he f"ry in Little ?iss=s voice c"t off the rest of )ir=s disB"isition on the La6s of
(obotics before he had barely managed to frame his 6ords.
0e said instead, after a moment, *1o" really feel strongly abo"t this, don=t yo",
?andyD-
*1es. 1es, I do.-
*All right. Let me thin, abo"t it. And perhaps 6e can act"ally 6or, something o"t
for Andre6 along the lines that yo"=re s"ggesting.-
*1o" promiseD-
*I promise,- said )ir, and Little ?iss ,ne6 that everything 6as going to be all
right, for her father=s promises to her 6ere inviolable contracts al6ays had been,
al6ays 6o"ld be.
)ome time 6ent by, and other visitors came to the ho"se, and everyone 6ho sa6
Andre6=s 6or, responded 6ith the "s"al praise. /"t Little ?iss, 6ho 6as 6atching
closely, observed 6ith pleas"re that her father had stopped giving Andre6=s things a6ay,
no matter ho6 eff"sive the praise might be.
2n the other hand, it happened on several occasions that some g"est 6o"ld say,
*1o" don=t thin, I co"ld b"y that from yo", do yo", 3eraldD- And )ir, loo,ing
"ncomfortable, 6o"ld simply shr"g and reply that he 6asn=t B"ite s"re 6hether he
6anted to get into the b"siness of selling s"ch things.
Little ?iss 6ondered 6hy her father 6as sidestepping the iss"e li,e that.
)idestepping things 6asn=t normally part of his nat"re. And it 6asn=t as tho"gh anyone
6as li,ely to acc"se him of deliberately setting o"t to earn money by peddling Andre6=s
6or, to his ho"se g"ests. 2bvio"sly 3erald ?artin 6as in no need of pic,ing "p a bit of
e<tra money on the side that 6ay. /"t if the offers 6ere made in good faith, tho"gh, 6hy
not accept themD
)he let the iss"e rest, nevertheless. )he ,ne6 her father 6ell eno"gh to "nderstand
that the matter 6as still open, and 6o"ld be attended to in d"e co"rse.
&hen another visitor came: Iohn +eingold, )ir=s la6yer. &he offices of +eingold=s
la6 firm 6ere in the )an +rancisco area, 6here despite the general decentraliAation of
city life that had been going on all d"ring the c"rrent cent"ry a good many people still
preferred to live. /"t tho"gh )an +rancisco 6as only a short ;o"rney so"th of the 6ild
strip of coast 6here the ?artins lived, a visit from Iohn +eingold to the ?artin ho"se
6as a relatively "n"s"al thing. .s"ally )ir 6ent do6n to )an +rancisco 6henever he had
b"siness to disc"ss 6ith +eingold. )o Little ?iss ,ne6 that something special m"st be
"p.
+eingold 6as an easygoing 6hitehaired man 6ith florid pin, s,in, a p"dgy belly,
and a 6arm, amiable smile. 0e preferred to dress in older styles of clothing and the rims
of his contact lenses 6ere tinted a bright green, a fashion so rare no6adays that it 6as all
that Little ?iss co"ld do to ,eep from giggling 6henever she sa6 the la6yer. )ir had to
shoot her a stern glance no6 and then 6hen he detected a fit of la"ghter coming over her
in +eingold=s presence.
+eingold and )ir settled do6n before the fireplace in the great central room of the
ho"se and )ir handed him a small inlaid plaB"e that Andre6 had prod"ced a fe6 days
before.
&he la6yer nodded. 0e t"rned it over and over in his hand, r"bbed its polished
s"rface appreciatively, held it "p to the light at vario"s angles.
*/ea"tif"l,- he said, finally. *E<traordinarily fine 6or,, all right. 1o"r robot did
itD-
*1es. 0o6 did yo" ,no6 thatD-
*I=ve heard some tal,. It=s no secret, 3erald, that yo"=ve got a robot here 6ho=s a
master craftsman in 6ood.-
)ir glanced "p at Andre6, 6ho 6as standing B"ietly in the shado6s to one side.
*#o yo" hear that, Andre6D 1o"=re famo"s all "p and do6n California. /"t yo"=re
6rong abo"t one thing, Iohn. Andre6 isn=t simply a master craftsman. 0e=s an o"tand
o"t artist, nothing less.-
*Indeed he is,- +eingold said. *&hat=s the only 6ord for him. &his is a 6onderf"l
piece.-
*Eo"ld yo" li,e to o6n itD- )ir as,ed.
+eingold=s eyes 6idened in s"rprise. * Are yo" offering it to me, 3eraldD-
*I might be. It all depends on ho6 m"ch yo"=d be 6illing to pay for it.-
+eingold gr"nted as tho"gh )ir had po,ed him in the ribs 6ith a rigid finger. 0e
sat bac, sharply, rearranging himself 6ith some care, and for a moment he did not reply.
&hen he said, in an entirely different voice, *I hadn=t been a6are that yo"=ve been
"ndergoing financial reverses lately, 3erald.-
*I haven=t.-
*&henpardon me if I so"nd a little conf"sed6hy on Earth 6o"ld yo" 6ant to-
0is voice trailed off.
*)ell yo" that little carvingD- )ir finished for him.
*1es. )ell it. I ,no6 yo"=ve been giving a6ay a great many of the things that
Andre6 has made. !eople have told me that it=s practically impossible to come here
6itho"t being offered something. I=ve seen a fe6 of the things that they=ve been given.
&here=s never been a B"estion of money changing hands, am I rightD And no6
completely leaving o"t of the disc"ssion the fact that I=m not a collector of little 6ooden
carvings, no matter ho6 lovely they might beyo" baffle me by as,ing me if I 6ant to
p"rchase oneF EhyD I do"bt very m"ch that yo" have any special reason for 6anting me
to pay for 6hat everybody else gets free. And yo" can=t possibly need the money.
1o"=ve ;"st told me that yo"rself. In any event ho6 m"ch 6o"ld yo" be able to get for
an ob;ect li,e thisD +ive h"ndred dollarsD A tho"sandD If yo"=re still as 6ealthy as I
,no6 yo" to be, 3erald, 6hat difference co"ld the odd five h"ndred or tho"sand ma,e to
yo"D-
*7ot to me. &o Andre6.-
*EhatD-
*1o"r estimate happens to be right on the mar,, Iohn. I thin, I co"ld get a
tho"sand for this little thing. And I=ve been offered rather more than that for chairs and
des,s that Andre6 has made. 7ot ;"st oneshot p"rchases b"t entire distrib"tion deals for
largescale prod"ction. If I had accepted any of the offers, there=d be a fine fat ban,
acco"nt b"ilt "p by no6, entirely on the proceeds of Andre6=s 6ood6or,ingsomething
"p in the h"ndreds of tho"sands already, I s"spect.-
+eingold f"ssed 6ith his epa"lets and collarst"ds. *3ood heavens, 3erald, I can=t
ma,e any sense o"t of any of this. A rich man ma,ing himself richer by p"tting his robot
to 6or, in some sort of cottage ind"stry-
*I=ve already told yo", Iohn, that the money 6o"ldn=t be for me. &his is all for
Andre6=s sa,e. I 6ant to start selling his prod"cts and I 6ant the money to be ban,ed
"nder the name of Andre6 ?artin.-
*A ban, acco"nt in the name of a robotD-
*E<actly. And that=s 6hy I=ve as,ed yo" to come "p here today. I 6ant to ,no6
6hether it 6o"ld be legal to establish an acco"nt in Andre6=s namean acco"nt that
Andre6 himself 6o"ld control, yo" "nderstand, entirely his o6n money, 6hich he
6o"ld be able to "se absol"tely as he pleases-
+eingold said, so"nding mystified, *LegalD +or a robot to earn and save moneyD I
;"st co"ldn=t say. &here are no precedents, so far as I=ve ever heard. I do"bt that there=s
any la6 against it, b"t even sorobots aren=t people. 0o6 can they have ban, acco"nts,
thenD-
*Corporations aren=t people either, e<cept in the most abstract sense: a legal
fiction, as yo" 6o"ld term it. 1et corporations have ban, acco"nts.-
*Eell, I grant yo" that. /"t corporations have been recogniAed in the eyes of the
la6 for cent"ries as entities B"alified to o6n property of all sorts. (obots, 3erald, have
no legal rights at all, as s"rely yo" m"st be a6are. And simply as a proced"ral matter, let
me remind yo" that corporations also have corporate officers, and they sign the papers
that establish the ban, acco"nts. Eho 6o"ld open Andre6=s acco"ntD 1o"D And 6o"ld
it be Andre6=s acco"nt, if yo" opened itD-
*I=ve opened ban, acco"nts in the names of my children,- )ir replied.
*7evertheless the acco"nts are theirs. /esides, Andre6 can sign his name as 6ell as yo"
or I.-
*1es. 1es, of co"rse, I s"ppose he can.- +eingold leaned bac, "ntil his chair
crea,ed. *Let me thin,, 3erald. &his is all so "n"s"al. Is there really any legislation
specifically forbidding robots to o6n property, or is it simply ass"med that they can=t,
beca"se the idea is so far from the main stream that nobody=s ever given a tho"ght to itD
I=d have to research it before I co"ld give yo" an opinion. J"ite possibly there are no
s"ch la6s, precisely beca"se a robot having assets is s"ch a pec"liar notion that it hasn=t
been deemed necessary to give it any consideration. 7obody has bothered to pass la6s
forbidding trees to have ban, acco"nts, after all, or la6nmo6ers-
*Cats and dogs have had ban, acco"nts. &r"st f"nds for their "p,eep, left to them
by their loving o6ners,- )ir said. *&he co"rts have no ob;ection to that.-
*Another good point, yes. Altho"gh cats and dogs are living creat"res, at least.
(obots are inanimate.-
*I don=t see 6hat difference that ma,es.-
*1o" o"ght to bear in mind, 3erald, that there=s a certain pre;"dice against robots
in o"r society, a certain fear, I might almost say, that doesn=t e<tend to cats and dogs. It
might 6ell be that someone has p"t la6s on the boo,s restricting the rights of robots to
hold property. /"t that=s easily eno"gh chec,ed. Let=s ass"me that it is legal. 0o6
6o"ld yo" go abo"t itD &a,e Andre6 do6n to the ban, and let him spea, to the
managerD-
*I=d simply have the forms sent here for Andre6=s signat"re. &here sho"ldn=t be
any need for a personal appearance on his part. /"t 6hat I need to find o"t from yo",
Iohn, is 6hat I can do to protect Andre6and myself, I s"pposeagainst negative p"blic
reaction. Even tho"gh it may 6ell be legal for him to have a ban, acco"nt, there
probably 6ill be people 6ho aren=t going to li,e the idea.-
*0o6 6ill they find o"tD- +eingold as,ed.
*0o6 6ill 6e ,eep them from finding o"tD- said )ir. *If someone b"ys an item
from him and ma,es a chec, payable to Andre6 ?artin, say-
*.m. 1es.- +eingold=s gaAe seemed to t"rn in6ard for a moment. &hen he said,
*Eell, one thing 6e co"ld do is to set "p a corporation to handle all finances in his
namea corporation 6ith a nice impersonal name, something li,e Eest Coast Eood
Artistry, Ltd.and Andre6 can be the president and sole stoc,holder, tho"gh 6e co"ld
ma,e o"rselves members of the board of directors. &hat 6ill place a layer of legalistic
ins"lation bet6een him and the hostile 6orld. It o"ght to be eno"gh, 3erald. Ehenever
Andre6 6ants to p"rchase something, he can simply dra6 a salary from the corporation
treas"ry. 2r declare a dividend for himself. &he fact that he=s a robot 6on=t have to be a
matter of p"blic record. &he incorporation forms 6ill only need the names of the
stoc,holdersnot their birth certificates. 2f co"rse, he=ll have to begin filing income ta<
ret"rns. /"t the reven"e people aren=t going to come aro"nd to find o"t 6hether
&a<payer Andre6 ?artin is a h"man being or not. All they=ll care abo"t is 6hether
&a<payer ?artin pays his ta<es on time.-
*3ood. 3ood. Anything elseD-
*7ot that I can thin, of offhand. If I come "p 6ith anything else once I=ve r"n a
search for precedents, I=ll let yo" ,no6. /"t I s"spect it=s going to 6or,. 7obody=s li,ely
to stop yo" so long as yo" go abo"t things B"ietly and obey the absol"te letter of the
corporation la6. And if anyone does find o"t 6hat=s going on and doesn=t li,e it, 6ell,
it=ll be "p to them to ta,e action against yo" to stop itprovided they can sho6 that
they=ve got legal standing to intervene.-
*And if someone does, IohnD Eill yo" ta,e the case if a s"it is bro"ght against
"sD-
*Certainly. +or an appropriate retainer.-
*Ehat 6o"ld be appropriate, do yo" thin,D-
+eingold smiled. *)omething along the lines of that,- he said, and pointed to the
6ooden plaB"e.
*+air eno"gh,- said )ir.
*7ot that I=m a collector, yo" "nderstand. /"t it does have a certain artistic
appeal.-
*Indeed it does,- said )ir.
+eingold ch"c,led and t"rned to the robot. * Andre6, yo"=re going to be6ell,
not a rich man, b"t a rich robot. #oes that please yo"D-
*1es, sir.-
*And 6hat do yo" plan to do 6ith all the money yo"=re going to ma,eD-
*!ay for things, sir, 6hich other6ise )ir 6o"ld have had to pay for. It 6o"ld save
him e<pense, sir.-
)IN
&0E 2CCA)I27) for dra6ing on Andre6=s ban, acco"nt came more freB"ently than
anyone had e<pected. +rom time to time Andre6, li,e any machine no matter ho6 6ell
made, 6as in need of repairand robot repairs 6ere invariably e<pensive. &hen, too,
there 6ere the reg"lar "pgrades. (obotics had al6ays been a dynamic ind"stry, rapidly
progressing from decade to decade since the days of the first massive, cl"n,y prod"cts,
6hich had not even had the ability to spea,. Improvements in design, in f"nction, in
capabilities, 6ere "nending. Eith the passing years robots constantly became more
slee,, ever more versatile, ever more deft of motion and d"rable of str"ct"re.
)ir sa6 to it that Andre6 had the advantage of every ne6 device that .. ). (obots
developed. Ehen the improved homeostasis circ"itry came o"t, )ir made s"re that it 6as
installed in Andre6 almost at once. Ehen the ne6 and far more efficient artic"lation of
the leg;oint 6as perfected, "sing the latest elastomer technology, Andre6 got it. Ehen,
a fe6 years later, s"btler facepanelsmade of carbon fiber set in an epo<y matri< 6hich
loo,ed less s,etchily h"man than the old ,indbecame the rage, Andre6 6as modified
accordingly, to provide him 6ith the serio"s, sensitive, perceptive, artistic loo, 6hich
)irat Little ?iss=s promptinghad come to believe 6as appropriate to his nat"re. Little
?iss 6anted Andre6 to be an absol"te paragon of metallic e<cellence, and )ir felt the
same 6ay.
Everything 6as done at Andre6=s e<pense, nat"rally.
Andre6 insisted on that. 0e 6o"ld not hear of letting )ir pay for any of the costs
associated 6ith his "pgrades. A steady stream of magnificent 6or, flo6ed from his little
attic shoponeofa,ind masterpieces of carved ;e6elry fashioned from rare 6oods,
s"mpt"o"s office f"rnit"re, elegant bedroom s"ites, 6ondro"s lamps, and ornate
boo,cases.
&here 6as no need for a sho6room or catalogs, beca"se 6ord of mo"th too, care
of everything and all of Andre6=s o"tp"t 6as commissioned months and then years in
advance. &he chec,s 6ere made payable to !acific Coast Artifactories, Incorporated,
and Andre6 ?artin 6as the only officer of !acific Coast Artifactories 6ho 6as entitled
to dra6 money from the corporate acco"nt. Ehenever it 6as necessary for Andre6 to go
bac, to the .. ). (obots factory for maintenance or "pgrading, it 6as a !acific Coast
Artifactories chec,, signed by Andre6 himself, that paid for the 6or,.
&he one area of Andre6 that remained "nto"ched by "pgrading of any sort 6as
his positronic path6ays. )ir 6as insistente<tremely insistentabo"t that.
*&he ne6 robots aren=t nearly as good as yo" are, Andre6,- he said. *&he ne6
ones are contemptibly simpleminded creat"res, as a matter of fact. &he company has
s"cceeded in learning ho6 to ma,e the path6ays more precise, more closely on the
nose, more deeply on the trac,, b"t that is a do"bleedged ,ind of improvement. &he
ne6 robots don=t shift. &hey have no mental agility. &here=s nothing in the least
"npredictable abo"t them. &hey simply do 6hat they=re designed to do and never a
smidgeon more. I li,e yo" better, Andre6.-
*&han, yo", )ir.-
*2f co"rse, the company 6ill tell yo" that their c"rrent generation of robots is
99.9O efficient, or maybe they=re claiming 1$$O efficiency this year. Eell, good for
them. /"t a robot li,e yo", Andre6yo"=re 1$2O efficient@ 11$O, maybe. &hat isn=t
6hat they 6ant, at .. ). (obots. &hey=re after perfection, and I s"ppose they=ve attained
ittheir idea of perfection, any6ay. &he perfect servant. &he fla6lessly f"nctioning
mechanical man. /"t perfection can be a terrible limitation, Andre6. #on=t yo" agreeD
Ehat it leads to is a ,ind of so"lless a"tomaton that has no ability to transcend its
b"ilders= predetermined notions of its limitations. 7ot at all li,e yo", Andre6. 1o" aren=t
so"lless, that=s obvio"s to "s all by no6. And as for limitations-
*I definitely have limitations, )ir.-
*2f co"rse yo" do. /"t that=s not 6hat I=m tal,ing abo"t, and yo" ,no6 it damned
6ellF 1o"=re an artist, Andre6, an artist in 6ood, and if yo"=re an artist yo"=ve got to
have a so"l some6here in those positronic path6ays of yo"rs. #on=t as, me ho6 it got
thereI don=t ,no6 and neither do the people 6ho b"ilt yo". /"t it=s there. It enables
yo" to ma,e the 6onderf"l things that yo" ma,e. &hat=s beca"se yo"r path6ays are the
oldfashioned generaliAed ,ind. &he obsolete generaliAed ,ind. And it=s all on acco"nt of
yo", Andre6, that path6ays of the ,ind yo" have are no longer "sed. Are yo" a6are of
thatD-
*1es, )ir. I thin, I am, )ir.-
*It=s beca"se I let ?er6in ?ans,y come o"t here and get a good loo, at yo". I=m
convinced that he and )mythe ordered all generaliAedpath6ays robots p"lled o"t of
prod"ction the moment they got bac, to the factory. &hey m"st have felt deeply
threatened after they sa6 6hat yo" 6ere li,e. It 6as the "npredictability that frightened
them.-
*+rightened, )irD 0o6 co"ld I possibly be frightening to anyoneD-
*1o" frightened ?ans,y, that m"ch I ,no6. 1o" scared him silly, Andre6. I sa6
his hand sha,ing 6hen he passed that little carving yo" had made to )mythe. ?ans,y
hadn=t anticipated any s"ch artistic abilities in an 7#( robot. 0e didn=t even thin, it
6as possible, I=d bet. And there yo" 6ere, t"rning o"t all those masterpieces. #o yo"
,no6 ho6 many times over the ne<t five years he called me, trying to 6heedle me into
shipping yo" bac, to the factory so that he co"ld p"t yo" "nder st"dyD 7ine timesF 7ineF
I ref"sed every time. And 6hen yo" did go bac, to the factory for "pgrades, I made a
point of going over ?ans,y=s head to )mythe or Iimmy (obertson or one of the other
top e<ec"tives and getting an ironclad g"arantee that ?ans,y 6o"ldn=t be allo6ed to
fool aro"nd 6ith yo"r path6ays. I al6ays 6orried that he 6o"ld do it on the sly, tho"gh.
Eell, ?ans,y=s retired, no6, and they aren=t ma,ing robots 6ith yo"r ,ind of path6ays
any more, and I s"ppose 6e=ll finally have some peace.-
)ir had given "p his seat in the (egional Legislat"re by this time. &here had been
some tal, on and off over the years of his r"nning for (egional Coordinator, b"t the
timing of his candidacy had never been right. )ir had felt he 6anted to stay on one more
term in the Legislat"re to see certain meas"res into la6, and mean6hile a ne6
Coordinator 6as elected 6ho seemed to be merely an interim fig"re at first, holding the
;ob "ntil )ir 6as ready to ta,e it.
/"t then the s"pposed interim man had t"rned o"t to be an energetic and forcef"l
Coordinator in his o6n right, and he had stayed on another term and then another, "ntil
)ir began to gro6 6eary of his life of p"blic service and lost interest in r"nning. K2r
perhaps had simply admitted that the p"blic 6o"ld no6 prefer a yo"nger man for the
;ob.L
)ir had changed 6ith the passage of time in many 6ays, not ;"st the loss of the
fire and conviction that had mar,ed him o"t for s"ccess 6hen he 6as still a ra6 ne6
legislator. 0is hair had thinned and grayed and his face had gro6n po"chy, and his fierce
penetrating eyes no longer sa6 as clearly. Even his famo"s m"stache 6as less bristling
no6, less flamboyant. Ehereas Andre6 loo,ed rather better than he had 6hen he first
;oined the familyB"ite handsome, in fact, in his robotic 6ay.
&ime had bro"ght certain other changes to the ?artin ho"sehold, too.
?a=am had decided, after some thirty years of being ?rs. 3erald ?artin, that
there might be some more f"lfilling role in life than simply being the 6ife of a
disting"ished member of the (egional Legislat"re. )he had played the part of ?rs.
3erald ?artin loyally and "ncomplainingly and very 6ell, all that time. /"t she had
played it long eno"gh.
And so she had regretf"lly anno"nced her decision to )ir, and they had amicably
separated, and ?a=am had gone off to ;oin an art colony some6here in E"ropeperhaps
in so"thern +rance, perhaps in Italy. Andre6 6as never B"ite s"re 6hich it 6as Kor 6hat
difference, if any, there might be bet6een +rance and Italy, 6hich 6ere mere names to
himL and the postage stamps on her infreB"ent letters to )ir 6ere of vario"s ,inds. )ince
both +rance and Italy 6ere provinces of the E"ropean (egion, and had been for a long
time, Andre6 had diffic"lty "nderstanding 6hy they needed their o6n postage stamps,
either. /"t apparently they insisted on maintaining certain ancient fol,6ays even tho"gh
the 6orld had passed beyond the epoch of independent and rival nations.
&he t6o girls had finished gro6ing "p, too. ?iss, 6ho by all reports had become
stri,ingly bea"tif"l, had married and moved to )o"thern California, and then she had
married again and moved to )o"th America, and then had come 6ord of still another
marriage and a ne6 home in A"stralia. /"t no6 ?iss 6as living in 7e6 1or, City and
had become a poet, and nothing 6as said abo"t any f"rther ne6 h"sbands. Andre6
s"spected that ?iss=s life had not t"rned o"t to be as happy or re6arding as it sho"ld
have been, and he regretted that. )till, he reminded himself, he had no very clear
"nderstanding of 6hat h"mans meant by *happiness.- !erhaps ?iss had lived e<actly
the ,ind of life that she had 6anted to live. 0e hoped so, any6ay.
As for Little ?iss, she 6as no6 a slender, fineboned 6oman 6ith high
chee,bones and a loo, of great delicacy bac,ed by e<traordinary resilience. Andre6 had
never heard anyone spea, of her "n"s"al bea"ty in his presence?iss 6as al6ays said
to be the bea"tif"l sister, and Little ?iss 6as praised more for her forcef"l character
than for her loo,s. &o Andre6=s taste goldenhaired Little ?iss had al6ays seemed far
more bea"tif"l than the soft and overly c"rvy older sister@ b"t his taste 6as only a robot=s
taste, after all, and he never vent"red to disc"ss matters of h"man appearance 6ith
anyone. It 6as hardly an appropriate thing for a robot to do. In fact he had no right even
to an opinion in s"ch areas, as he very 6ell ,ne6.
Little ?iss had married a year or so after finishing college, and 6as living not far
a6ay, ;"st "p the coast from the family estate. 0er h"sband, Lloyd Charney, 6as an
architect 6ho had gro6n "p in the East b"t 6ho 6as delighted to ma,e his home along
the 6ild 7orthern California coast that his 6ife loved so deeply.
Little ?iss had also made it clear to her h"sband that she 6anted to remain close
to her father=s robot, Andre6, 6ho had been her g"ardian and mentor since the early
years of her childhood. !erhaps Lloyd Charney 6as a little ta,en abac, by that, b"t he
raised no ob;ection, and Little ?iss remained a freB"ent visitor at the imposing ?artin
mansion, 6hich no6 6as occ"pied only by the aging )ir and the faithf"l Andre6.
In the fo"rth year of her marriage Little ?iss gave birth to a boy 6ho 6as named
3eorge. 0e had sandyloo,ing reddish hair and h"ge solemn eyes. Andre6 called him
Little )ir. Ehen Little ?iss bro"ght the baby to visit his grandfather, she 6o"ld
sometimes allo6 Andre6 to hold him, to give him his bottle, to pat him after he had
eaten.
&hat 6as another so"rce of great pleas"re to Andre6, these visits from Little ?iss
and Little )ir, and the occasions 6hen he 6as permitted to care for the child. Andre6
6as, after all, basically a ho"sehold robot of the 7#( series, ho6ever gifted at
6ood6or,ing he might be or ho6 profitable his b"siness enterprise had become. Caring
for children 6as one of the things he had been partic"larly designed to do.
Eith the birth of a grandson 6ho lived nearby, Andre6 felt that )ir had someone
no6 to replace those 6ho had gone. 0e had meant for a long 6hile no6 to approach )ir
6ith an "n"s"al reB"est, b"t he had hesitated to do it "ntil this time. It 6as Little ?iss
6ho had ,no6n for B"ite a 6hile 6hat it 6as that Andre6 had in mind6ho "rged him
finally to spea, o"t.
)ir 6as sitting by the fire in his massive high6inged chair, holding a pondero"s
old boo, in his hands b"t all too obvio"sly not reading it, 6hen Andre6 appeared at the
arched door6ay of the great room.
*?ay I come in, )irD-
*1o" ,no6 yo" don=t need to as, that. &his is yo"r ho"se as 6ell as mine,
Andre6.-
*1es, )ir. &han, yo", )ir.-
&he robot too, a fe6 steps for6ard. 0is metal treads made a B"iet clic,ing so"nd
against the dar, shining 6ood of the floor. &hen he halted and 6aited, silent. &his 6as
going to be very diffic"lt, he ,ne6. )ir had al6ays been something of a shorttempered
man, b"t in his old age he had gro6n especially volatile in his reactions.
And there 6ere even certain +irst La6 considerations that had to be ta,en into
acco"nt. /eca"se 6hat Andre6 6as planning to as, might very 6ell "pset )ir to the
point that it 6o"ld ca"se harm to the old man.
*EellD- )ir demanded, after a 6hile. *#on=t ;"st stand there, Andre6. 1o"=ve got
a loo, on yo"r face that tells me that yo" 6ant to tal, to me abo"t something.-
*&he loo, on my face does not ever change, )ir.-
*Eell, then, it=s the 6ay yo"=re standing. 1o" ,no6 6hat I mean. )omething=s "p.
Ehat is it, Andre6D-
Andre6 said, *Ehat I 6ish to say isis- 0e hesitated. &hen he s6"ng into the
speech he had prepared. *)ir, yo" have never attempted to interfere in any manner
6hatever 6ith my 6ay of handling the money I have earned. 1o" have al6ays allo6ed
me to spend it entirely as I 6ished. &hat has been e<tremely ,ind of yo", )ir.-
*It 6as yo"r money, Andre6.-
*2nly by yo"r vol"ntary decision, )ir. I do not believe there 6o"ld have been
anything illegal abo"t yo"r ,eeping it all. /"t instead yo" established the corporation for
me and permitted me to divert my earnings into it.-
*It 6o"ld have been 6rong for me to do anything else. (egardless of 6hat mayor
may not have been my legal prerogatives in the matter of yo"r earnings.-
*I have no6 amassed a very considerable fort"ne, )ir.-
*I 6o"ld certainly hope so. 1o"=ve 6or,ed very hard.-
*After payment of all ta<es, )ir, and all the e<penses I have "nderta,en in the 6ay
of eB"ipment and materials and my o6n maintenance and "pgrading, I have managed to
set aside nearly nine h"ndred tho"sand dollars.-
*I=m not at all s"rprised, Andre6.-
*I 6ant to give it to yo", )ir.-
)ir fro6nedthe biggest fro6n in his repertoire, in 6hich his eyebro6s descended
an e<traordinary distance and his lips rose "ntil they 6ere ;"st beneath his nose and his
m"stache moved abo"t alarminglyand glared at Andre6 o"t of eyes 6hich, altho"gh
no6 dimmed 6ith age, still 6ere able to s"mmon a considerable degree of ferocity.
*EhatD Ehat ,ind of nonsense is this, Andre6D-
*7o sort of nonsense at all, )ir.-
*If I had ever 6anted yo"r money, I 6o"ldn=t have gone to all the tro"ble of
setting "p yo"r company, 6o"ld ID And I certainly don=t 6ant it no6. I have more
money than I ,no6 6hat to do 6ith as it is.-
*7evertheless, )ir, 6hat I 6o"ld li,e to do is sign my f"nds over to yo"-
*I 6on=t ta,e a cent, Andre6. 7ot a single centF-
*not as a gift,- Andre6 6ent on, *b"t as the p"rchase price of something that I
am able to obtain only from yo".-
)ir stared. 0e loo,ed mystified no6.
*Ehat co"ld there possibly be that yo" co"ld b"y from me, Andre6D-
*?y freedom, )ir.-
*1o"r-
*?y freedom. I 6ish to b"y my freedom, )ir. .p till no6 I have simply been one
of yo"r possessions, b"t I 6ish no6 to become an independent entity. I 6o"ld al6ays
retain my sense of loyalty and obligation to yo", b"t-
*+or 3od=s sa,eF- )ir cried, in a terrible voice. 0e rose stiffly to his feet and
h"rled his boo, to the floor. 0is lips 6ere B"ivering and his face 6as fl"shed a mottled
red. Andre6 had never seen him loo, so agitated. *+reedomD +reedom, Andre6D Ehat
on Earth co"ld yo" be tal,ing abo"tD-
And he stal,ed from the room in rage.
)ECE7
A7#(EE ).??27E# LI&&LE ?I)). 7ot so m"ch for his o6n sa,e, b"t beca"se
)ir=s anger had been so intense that Andre6 feared for the old man=s health, and Little
?iss 6as the only person in the 6orld 6ho co"ld soothe him o"t of s"ch an irascible
mood.
)ir 6as in his "pstairs bedroom 6hen she arrived. 0e had been there for t6o
ho"rs. Andre6 sho6ed Little ?iss "p the stairs and halted, hesitating, o"tside the room
as she began to enter it. )ir co"ld be seen pacing bac, and forth, moving 6ith s"ch
determination and ferocity that he seemed to be 6earing a trac, in the antiB"e oriental
carpet. 0e paid no attention to the t6o fig"res in the hall6ay.
Little ?iss glanced bac, at Andre6.
*Ehy are yo" 6aiting o"t thereD- she as,ed.
*I don=t thin, it 6o"ld be "sef"l for me to vent"re near )ir ;"st no6, Little ?iss.-
*#on=t be foolish.-
*I am the one 6ho "pset him so.-
*1es, I realiAe that. /"t he=s s"rely over it by no6. Come on in 6ith me, and
bet6een "s 6e=ll get this thing cleared "p in no time.-
Andre6 co"ld hear the rhythmic angry so"nd of )ir=s steady pacing. *Eith all
respect, Little ?iss, it does not seem to me that he is over it in the least. I believe he is
still B"ite tro"bled. And if I irritate him f"rther 7o, Little ?iss. I am "nable to enter his
room. 7ot "ntil yo" ass"re me that he is calm eno"gh so that I can safely be seen by
him.-
Little ?iss stared at Andre6 a moment. &hen she nodded and said, *All right,
Andre6. I "nderstand.-
)he 6ent inside. Andre6 heard the rhythm of )ir=s ang"ished pacing begin to
slo6 a bit. 0e heard voices: first that of Little ?iss, spea,ing gently and calmly, and
then that of )ir, er"pting in torrents of volcanic 6rath, and then Little ?iss again, as
B"ietly as before, and then )ir, not B"ite as frenAiedly. And then Little ?iss, still calmly
b"t this time not gently: spea,ing B"ite firmly, in fact.
&he 6hole 6hile, Andre6 had no idea 6hat 6as being said. It 6o"ld not have
been diffic"lt for him to ad;"st his a"dio receptors to pic, "p the conversation clearly.
/"t that seemed inappropriate to him@ and so the only ad;"stment he had made 6as in
the opposite direction, allo6ing him to monitor the conversation s"fficiently to ,no6
6hether his help might be needed, b"t not so that he co"ld "nderstand the individ"al
6ords.
After a time Little ?iss appeared at the door6ay and said, *Andre6, 6o"ld yo"
step in here no6D-
*As I said before, I am e<tremely concerned abo"t the state of )ir=s emotional
level, Little ?iss. If I 6ere to enter, and provo,e him all over again-
*0is emotional level is fine, Andre6. /lo6ing off a little steam isn=t going to ,ill
him. It=s good for him, as a matter of fact. 7o6 come on in here. Come in.-
It 6as a direct orderco"pled 6ith a lessening of +irst La6 potentials. Andre6
had no choice b"t to obey.
0e fo"nd )ir sitting in his enormo"s 6inged armchair by the 6indo6the
mahoganyandleather armchair that Andre6 had made for him fifteen years before
6ith a laprobe 6rapped abo"t him. 0e 6as indeed calm again, b"t there 6as a steely
glint in his eye, andsitting enthroned the 6ay he 6ashe had the loo, abo"t him of an
angry old emperor plag"ed by "nr"ly s"bordinates. 0e ignored Andre6=s presence
completely.
Little ?iss said, *All right, +ather. Ee can disc"ss this B"ietly and rationally, can=t
6eD-
)ir shr"gged. *I try to disc"ss everything B"ietly and rationally. I al6ays have.-
*1es, yo" have, +ather.-
*/"t this, ?andythis total abs"rditythis monstro"s nonsense that Andre6 has
thro6n at meF-
*+atherF-
*I=m sorry. I can=t stay calm 6hen I=m confronted 6ith absol"te craAiness.-
*1o" ,no6 that Andre6 is inherently incapable of craAiness. CraAiness ;"st isn=t
incl"ded in his specifications.-
*Ehen he tal,s abo"t getting his freedomhis freedom, by 3odF6hat else can it
be b"t craAinessD- And )ir began to sp"tter and t"rn red again.
Andre6 had never seen )ir in s"ch a statenever. 2nce more he began to feel
"neasy abo"t being present in the room, and th"s setting "p s"ch a threat to the old
man=s constit"tion. )ir seemed almost on the verge of an apoplectic fit. And if something
sho"ld happen to himsomething that 6o"ld be a direct res"lt of Andre6=s having
beg"n all this
Little ?iss said, *)top it, +atherF I"st stop itF 1o" have no right to thro6 a
tantr"m over thisF-
Andre6 6as astonished to hear Little ?iss spea,ing to her father so harshly, so
defiantly. )he so"nded li,e a mother scolding a cran,y child. )"ddenly it str"c, him that
among h"man beings time m"st event"ally reverse all the normal generational roles: that
)ir, once so dynamic and a"tocratic and all,no6ing, 6as no6 as 6ea, and v"lnerable
as a child, and it 6as Little ?iss=s responsibility to g"ide and direct him as he str"ggled
to "nderstand the be6ildering nat"re of the 6orld.
It seemed a little strange to Andre6, too, that they 6o"ld be enacting this highly
charged scene in front of him. /"t of co"rse no one in the ?artin family had hesitated to
tal, in front of Andre6 for thirty yearsnot even abo"t the most intimate matters. Ehy
sho"ld they feel any inhibitions in his presenceD 0e 6as only a robot.
*+reedom- )ir said. 0is voice 6as thic, in his throat. *+or a robotF-
*It=s an "n"s"al concept, yes. I admit that, +ather. /"t 6hy are yo" ta,ing it as
s"ch a personal affrontD-
*Am ID I=m ta,ing it as an affront against logicF An affront against common senseF
Loo,, ?andy, 6hat 6o"ld yo" say if yo"r front porch came to yo" and said, GI 6ant my
freedom. I 6ant to move to Chicago and be a front porch there. I thin, being a front
porch in Chicago 6o"ld be personally more f"lfilling than remaining in this place.= *
Andre6 sa6 a m"scle flic,er in Little ?iss=s chee,. 0e "nderstood abr"ptly that
)ir=s vehement reaction to his reB"est m"st have some connection 6ith ?a=am=s
decision, years ago, to end her marriage to )ir and leave, to see, her freedom as a single
6oman far a6ay.
0"man beings 6ere so complicatedF
Little ?iss said, * A front porch can=t say anything. 2r decide to move itself
any6here else. +ront porches aren=t intelligent. Andre6 is.-
*Artificial intelligence.-
*+ather, yo" so"nd li,e the 6orst sort of )ocietyfor0"manity +"ndamentalist
bigotF Andre6 has lived 6ith yo" for decades. 1o" ,no6 him as 6ell as yo" ,no6 any
member of yo"r o6n family. Ehat am I sayingD 0e is a member of yo"r o6n family.
7o6, s"ddenly, yo" begin tal,ing abo"t him as tho"gh he=s nothing b"t some ingenio"s
,ind of carpet s6eeperF Andre6 is a person and yo" ,no6 that very 6ell.-
*An artificial person,- )ir said. /"t some of the conviction and force had left his
tone.
*Artificial, yes. &hat=s beside the point. &his is the &6enty)econd Cent"ry,
+atherand pretty far along in the &6enty)econd Cent"ry at that. )"rely 6e=re capable
by no6 of recogniAing that robots are intricate and sensitive organisms that have
distinctive personalities, that have feelings, that have6ell, that have so"ls. *
*I=d hate to have to defend that point in co"rt,- )ir said. 0e said it B"ietly, 6ith a
to"ch of am"sement in his voice 6here the rancor had been ;"st a fe6 moments before.
)o he 6as regaining some control over himself, apparently. Andre6 felt a sensation of
relief.
*7obody=s as,ing yo" to defend it in co"rt,- said Little ?iss. *2nly to accept it
6ithin yo"r o6n heart. Andre6 6ants yo" to give him a doc"ment saying that he=s a free
individ"al. 0e=s 6illing to pay yo" genero"sly for that doc"ment, "nnecessary tho"gh
any payment sho"ld be. It 6o"ld be a simple statement of his a"tonomy. Ehat=s so
terrible abo"t that, may I as,D-
*I don=t 6ant Andre6 to leave me,- said )ir s"llenly.
*AhF &hat=s itF &hat=s the cr"<, isn=t it, +atherD-
&here 6as no fire in )ir=s eyes no6. 0e seemed lost in selfpity. *I=m an old man.
?y 6ife is long gone, my older da"ghter is a stranger to me, my yo"nger da"ghter has
moved o"t and is on her o6n in the 6orld. I=m all alone in this ho"see<cept for
Andre6. And no6 he 6ants to move o"t too. Eell, he can=t. Andre6 is mine. 0e belongs
to me and I have the right to tell him to stay here, 6hether he li,es it or not. 0e=s had a
damned easy time of it all these years, and if he thin,s he can simply abandon me no6
that I=m getting old and sic,ly, he can-
*+ather-
*0e can ;"st forget abo"t itF- )ir cried. *+orget itF +orget itF +orget itF-
*1o"=re getting yo"rself 6or,ed "p again, +ather.-
*Ehat if I amD-
*)lo6 do6n, ease bac,. Ehen did Andre6 say anything abo"t leaving yo"D-
)ir loo,ed conf"sed. *Ehy, 6hat else co"ld he have meant by 6anting his
freedomD-
*A piece of paper is all he 6ants. A legal doc"ment. A b"nch of 6ords. 0e doesn=t
intend to go any6here. Ehat are yo" imagining, that he=ll r"n off to E"rope and set "p a
carpentry 6or,shop thereD 7o. 7o. 0e=ll stay right here. 0e=ll still be as loyal as ever. If
yo" give him an order, he=ll obey it 6itho"t B"estion, as he al6ays has. Ehatever yo"
say. &hat 6on=t change. 7othing 6ill, really. Andre6 6o"ldn=t so m"ch as be able to
step o"tside the ho"se if yo" told him not to. 0e can=t help that. It=s b"ilt in. All he 6ants
is a form of 6ords, +ather. 0e 6ants to be called free. Is that so horribleD Is it so
threatening to yo"r 0asn=t he earned it, +atherD-
*)o this is 6hat yo" believe, is itD )ome ne6 nonsense that yo"=ve gotten into
yo"r headD-
*7ot nonsense, +ather. And not ne6, either. 0eavens, Andre6 and I have been
tal,ing abo"t this for yearsF-
*&al,ing abo"t it for years, have yo"D 1earsD-
*+or years, yes, disc"ssing it over and over again. It 6as my idea in the first place,
as a matter of fact. I told him it 6as ridic"lo"s for him to have to thin, of himself as
some sort of 6al,ing gadget, 6hen in fact he=s so very m"ch more than that. 0e didn=t
react at all 6ell 6hen I first proposed it to him. /"t then 6e 6ent on tal,ing, and after a
time I sa6 that he 6as beginning to come aro"nd, and then he told me very
straightfor6ardly that he did very m"ch 6ant to be free. G3ood,= I said. G&ell my father
and it=ll all be arranged.= /"t he 6as afraid to. 0e ,ept on postponing it, beca"se he 6as
afraid yo" 6o"ld be h"rt. +inally I made him p"t it "p to yo".-
)ir shr"gged. *It 6as a foolish thing to do. 0e doesn=t ,no6 6hat freedom is.
0o6 can heD 0e=s a robot.-
*1o" ,eep "nderestimating him, +ather. 0e=s a very special robot. 0e reads. 0e
thin,s abo"t 6hat he=s read. 0e learns and gro6s from year to year. ?aybe 6hen he
came here he 6as ;"st a simple mechanical man li,e all the rest of them, b"t the capacity
for gro6th 6as there in his path6ays, 6hether his ma,ers ,ne6 it or not, and he=s made
good "se of that capacity. +ather, I ,no6 Andre6 and I tell yo" that he=s every bit as
comple< a creat"re asasyo" and me.-
*7onsense, girl.-
*0o6 can yo" say thatD 0e feels things inside. 1o" m"st be a6are of that. I=m not
s"re 6hat he feels, most of the time, b"t I don=t ,no6 6hat yo" feel inside a lot of the
time either, and yo"=ve got the capacity for facial e<pression and all ,inds of other body
lang"age that he doesn=t. Ehen yo" tal, to him yo" see right a6ay that he reacts to all
,inds of abstract conceptslove, fear, bea"ty, loyalty, a h"ndred others;"st as yo" and I
do. Ehat else co"nts b"t thatD If someone else=s reactions are very m"ch li,e yo"r o6n,
ho6 can yo" help b"t thin, that that someone else m"st be very m"ch li,e yo"rselfD-
*0e isn=t li,e "s,- )ir said. *0e=s something entirely different.-
*0e=s someone entirely different,- Little ?iss said. * And not as different as yo"
6ant to have me believe.-
)ir shr"gged. 0is face had t"rned gray no6 6here it had been mottled 6ith angry
red blotches before, and he loo,ed very, very old and 6eary.
0e 6as silent for a long 6hile, staring at his feet, p"lling his laprobe tighter
aro"nd him. 0e still loo,ed li,e an old emperor sitting sternly "pright on his throne, b"t
no6 he 6as more li,e an emperor 6ho 6as serio"sly considering the possibility of
abdicating.
*All right,- he said finally. &here 6as a note of bitterness in his tone. *1o" 6in,
?andy. If yo" 6ant me to agree 6ith yo" that Andre6 is a person instead of a machine, I
agree. Andre6 is a person. &here. Are yo" happy no6D-
*I never said he 6as a person, +ather.-
*As a matter of fact, yo" did. &hat 6as precisely the 6ord yo" "sed.-
*1o" corrected me. 1o" said he 6as an artificial person, and I accepted the
correction.-
*Eell, then. )o be it. Ee agree that Andre6 is an artificial person. Ehat of itD
0o6 does calling him an artificial person instead of a robot change anythingD Ee=re ;"st
playing games 6ith 6ords. A co"nterfeit ban,note may be regarded as a ban,note, b"t
it=s still co"nterfeit. And yo" can call a robot an artificial person, b"t he=ll still be-
*+ather, 6hat he 6ants is for yo" to grant him his freedom. 0e 6ill contin"e to
live here and do everything in his po6er to ma,e yo"r life pleasant and comfortable, as
he has since the day he came here. /"t he 6ants yo" to tell him that he=s free.-
*It=s a meaningless statement, ?andy.-
*&o yo", maybe. 7ot to him.-
*7o. I=m old, yes, b"t I=m not B"ite senile, not yet, at least. Ehat 6e=re tal,ing
abo"t here is establishing a gigantic legal precedent. 3iving robots their freedom isn=t
going to abolish the &hree La6s, b"t it s"re as anything is going to open "p a vast realm
of legal 6rangling abo"t robot rights, robot grievances, robot this and that. (obots 6ill
be r"nning into the co"rts and s"ing people for ma,ing them do "npleasant 6or,, or
failing to let them have vacations, or simply being "n,ind to them. (obots 6ill start
s"ing .. ). (obots and ?echanical ?en for b"ilding the &hree La6s into their brains,
beca"se some shyster 6ill claim it=s an infringement of their constit"tional rights to life,
liberty, and the p"rs"it of happiness. (obots 6ill 6ant to vote. 2h, don=t yo" see,
?andyD It=ll be an immense headache for everybody.-
*It doesn=t have to be,- Little ?iss replied. *&his doesn=t have to be a 6orld6ide
ca"se cMlPbre. It=s simply an "nderstanding bet6een Andre6 and "s. All that 6e act"ally
6ant is a privately e<ec"ted legal doc"ment, +ather, dra6n "p by Iohn +eingold, signed
by yo", 6itnessed by me, given to Andre6, 6hich 6ill stip"late that he-
*7o. &hat 6o"ld be "tterly 6orthless. Loo,, ?andy, I sign the paper and then I
die, and Andre6 stands "p on his hind legs and says, G)o long, everybody, I=m a free
robot and I=m heading o"t no6 to see, fame and fort"ne, and here=s the paper that
proves it,= and the first time he opens his mo"th and says that to someone they=ll la"gh
in his face and tear "p his little piece of meaningless paper for him and ship him bac, to
the factory to be dismantled. /eca"se the piece of paper 6on=t have given him any ,ind
of protection that has the slightest validity in o"r society. 7o. 7o. If yo" insist on my
doing this nonsensical thing, I have to do it the right 6ay or else I 6on=t bother at all.
Ee can=t simply give Andre6 his freedom ;"st by dra6ing "p a little paper involving
;"st "s. &his is a matter for the co"rts.-
*Cery 6ell. &hen 6e do it thro"gh the co"rts.-
*/"t don=t yo" realiAe 6hat that 6o"ld meanD- )ir demanded. 0e 6as angry
again. *All the iss"es that I ;"st raised 6ill be certain to come o"t. &here=ll be
tremendo"s controversy. And then the filing of briefsthe appealsthe p"blic o"tcry
and "ltimately the verdict. Ehich 6ill be against "s, 6itho"t any B"estion.-
0e glared at Andre6. *)ee here, yo"F- &here 6as a harsh grating B"ality in )ir=s
voice that Andre6 had never heard before. *#o yo" comprehend 6hat 6e=ve been
saying hereD &he only 6ay I can free yo", if it=s going to have the slightest meaning, is
to do it by recogniAed legal means. /"t there are no recogniAed legal means for freeing
robots. 2nce this thing gets into the co"rts, not only are yo" going to fail to achieve yo"r
goal, b"t the co"rt 6ill ta,e official cogniAance of an the money that yo"=ve been
amassing, and yo"=re going to lose that too. &hey=ll tell yo" that a robot has no legal
right to earn money or establish ban, acco"nts to ,eep it in, and either they=ll confiscate
it o"tright or they=ll force me to ta,e it a6ay from yo" myself, tho"gh I don=t have any
need for it 6hatever or any desire to have it. &hat=ll be an embarrassment to me and a
dead loss to yo". 1o" still 6on=t be free, 6hatever that may mean to yo", and yo" 6on=t
have yo"r precio"s ban, acco"nt either. Eell, Andre6D Is all this rigmarole 6orth the
chance of losing yo"r moneyD-
*+reedom is a priceless thing, )ir,- Andre6 said. *And the chance of gaining my
freedom is 6orth any amo"nt of money that I may possess.-
EI30&
I& &(2./LE# A7#(EE greatly that the process of see,ing his freedom might ca"se
f"rther distress for )ir. )ir 6as very fragile no6there 6as no disg"ising that, no
avoiding the reality of itand anything that might be a drain on his flagging energies,
anything that might "pset or dist"rb or in any 6ay tro"ble him, might all too readily
endanger his life.
And yet Andre6 felt it essential that he press on6ard 6ith his legal action, no6
that he had bro"ght the matter "p. &o t"rn a6ay from it at this point 6o"ld be a betrayal
of his o6n integrity. It 6o"ld mean a rep"diation of the independent and selfact"ated
persona that he had felt b"rgeoning 6ithin his positronic brain for year after year.
At first the promptings of that persona had be6ildered and even alarmed him. It
seemed 6rong to him, a fla6 in his design, that it sho"ld be there at all. /"t over the
co"rse of time he had come to accept its e<istence as a real thing. +reedomthe state of
not being a slave, the state of not being a thing6as 6hat that persona demanded no6.
And had to have.
0e ,ne6 there 6ere ris,s. &he co"rt might share his attit"de that freedom 6as a
thing 6itho"t priceb"t co"ld easily r"le that there 6as no price, ho6ever great, for
6hich a robot might be able to b"y his freedom.
Andre6 6as 6illing to ta,e his chances on that. /"t the other ris,, the ris, to )ir=s
6ellbeing, tro"bled him deeply.
*I fear for )ir,- he told Little ?iss. *&he p"blicitythe controversythe "proar-
*#on=t 6orry, Andre6. 0e=ll be shielded from everything, I promise yo". Iohn
+eingold=s la6yers 6ill see to that &his is entirely a proced"ral matter. It isn=t going to
involve my father personally at all.-
*And if he is called into co"rtD- Andre6 as,ed.
*0e 6on=t be.-
*If he is, tho"gh,- Andre6 persisted. *0e is my o6ner, after all. And a famo"s
former member of the Legislat"re besides. Ehat if there is a s"bpoenaD 0e=ll have to
appear. 0e 6ill be as,ed 6hy he thin,s I sho"ld have my freedom. 0e doesn=t even
really believe that I sho"ldhe=s going along 6ith this entirely for yo"r sa,e, Little ?iss,
I have no do"bt abo"t thatand he 6ill have to come into co"rt, sic, and old as he is, to
testify in favor of something abo"t 6hich he has deep reservations. It 6ill ,ill him, Little
?iss.-
*0e 6on=t be called into co"rt. *
*0o6 can yo" ass"re me of thatD I have no right to allo6 him to come to harm. I
have no ability to allo6 him to come to harm. I thin, I have to 6ithdra6 my petition.-
*1o" can=t,- said Little ?iss.
*/"t if my going to co"rt sho"ld be the direct ca"se of yo"r father=s death-
*1o"=re getting over6ro"ght, Andre6. And p"tting interpretations on the +irst
La6 that are completely "n6arranted. ?y father isn=t a defendant in this case, and he=s
not the plaintiff either, and he=s not even going to be a 6itness. #on=t yo" thin, Iohn
+eingold is capable of protecting someone 6ho 6as as 6ell ,no6n and important in this
(egion as my father from the n"isance of being called into co"rtD I tell yo", Andre6, he
6ill be shielded. )ome of the most po6erf"l people in this (egion 6ill see to that, if it
becomes necessary. /"t it 6on=t become necessary.-
*I 6ish I co"ld be as s"re of that as yo" are.-
*I 6ish yo" co"ld too. &r"st me, Andre6. 0e=s my father, let me remind yo". I
love hint more than anything in the6ell, I love him very deeply. I 6o"ldn=t dream of
letting yo" go ahead 6ith this case if I sa6 any danger to him in it 1o"=ve got to believe
that, Andre6.-
And in the end he did. 0e still 6as "neasy abo"t the possibility of )ir=s becoming
involved. /"t Little ?iss had given him eno"gh ass"rance to proceed.
A man from the +eingold office came to the ho"se 6ith papers for him to sign,
and Andre6 signed thempro"dly, 6ith a flo"rish, the bold Andre6 ?artin signat"re in
firm "panddo6n stro,es that he had been "sing on his chec,s ever since the fo"nding
of his corporation so many years before.
&he petition 6as filed 6ith the (egional Co"rt. ?onths 6ent by, and nothing in
partic"lar happened. 2ccasionally some dreary legal doc"ment 6o"ld arrive, elaborately
bo"nd in the traditional stiff covers, and Andre6 6o"ld scan it B"ic,ly and sign it and
ret"rn it, and then nothing more 6o"ld be heard for another fe6 months.
)ir 6as very frail no6. Andre6 fo"nd himself thin,ing, sometimes, that it might
be for the best if )ir died peacef"lly before the case ever came to co"rt, so that he 6o"ld
be spared the possibility of any ,ind of emotional t"rmoil.
&he tho"ght 6as horrifying to him. Andre6 banished it from his mind.
*Ee=re on the doc,et,- Little ?iss told him finally. *It 6on=t be long no6.-
And, e<actly as )ir had predicted, the proceedings 6ere far from simple.
Little ?iss had ass"red him that it 6o"ld merely be a matter of appearing before a
;"dge, presenting a petition for a declaration of his stat"s as a free robot, and sitting bac,
to 6ait o"t the time it too, for the ;"dge to do some research, st"dy the legal precedents,
and iss"e his r"ling. &he California district of the (egional Co"rt 6as notorio"sly
farseeing in its interpretation of legal matters and there 6as every reason, so Little ?iss
asserted, to believe that the ;"dge 6o"ld, in the co"rse of time, r"le in Andre6=s favor
and iss"e some sort of certificate that gave him the free stat"s he so"ght.
&he first indication that things 6ere going to be more complicated than that came
6hen the offices of +eingold and +eingold received notice from the (egional Co"rt
I"dge 0arold >ramer, presiding over the +o"rth Circ"itthat co"nterpetitions had been
filed in the matter of ?artin vs. ?artin.
*Co"nterpetitionsD- Little ?iss as,ed. *And 6hat does that meanD-
*It means that there is going to be intervention on the opposing side,- )tanley
+eingold told her. )tanley 6as the head of the firm no6old Iohn 6as in semi
retirementand he 6as handling Andre6=s case personally. 0e loo,ed so m"ch li,e his
father, do6n to the ro"nded belly and the amiable smile, that he co"ld almost have been
Iohn=s yo"nger t6in. /"t he did not affect greentinted contact lenses.
*Intervention by 6homD- Little ?iss demanded.
)tanley too, a deep breath. *&he (egional Labor +ederation, for one. &hey=re
6orried abo"t losing ;obs to robots if robots are given their freedom.-
*&hat=s ancient history. &he 6orld doesn=t have eno"gh h"man 6or,ers to fill all
the available ;obs as it is, and everybody ,no6s it.-
*7evertheless, the labor people 6ill al6ays ;"mp in to prevent any ,ind of
innovation that might f"rther the concept of robot rights. If robots become free entities,
they might be able to claim ;ob seniority"nion membershipall ,inds of things of that
sort.-
*(idic"lo"s.-
*1es, I ,no6, ?rs. Charney. /"t they are filing a petition of intervention, all the
same. And they are not the only ones 6ho are.-
*Eho elseD- said Little ?iss in an omino"s voice.
*&he .nited )tates (obots and ?echanical ?en Corporation,- +eingold said.
*&hey areD-
*Is it so s"rprisingD &hey are the 6orld=s sole man"fact"rers of robots, ?rs.
Charney. (obots are their main prod"ct. &heir prod"ct, let it be said, 6ith some stress on
that 6ordand prod"cts are inanimate things. &he ..).(.?.?. people are dist"rbed at
the idea that anyone might come to consider robots to be anything more than that. If
Andre6=s petition s"cceeds in gaining freedom for robots, ..).(.?.?. probably fears,
then it may s"cceed in gaining other rights for them as 6ellcivil rights, h"man rights.
)o of co"rse they 6ill 6ant to fight against that. I"st as a man"fact"rer of shovels and
pic,a<es regards its prod"cts as mere inanimate tools, not as persons, ?rs. Charney,
and 6o"ld be li,ely to oppose any legal r"ling that gave its shovels and pic,a<es any
sort of civil rights 6hich might lead the shovels and pic,a<es to attempt to control the
6ay they are man"fact"red, 6areho"sed, and sold.-
*7onsense. Absol"te nonsenseF- Little ?iss cried, 6ith a ferocity in her tone that
6as 6orthy of )ir.
*I agree,- )tanley +eingold said diplomatically. */"t the interventions have been
filed, all the same. And there are others besides these t6o. Ee also find o"rselves faced
6ith ob;ections from-
*7ever mind,- said Little ?iss. *I don=t 6ant to hear the rest of the list. I"st go in
there and ref"te every single st"pid arg"ment that these reactionaries p"t forth.-
*1o" ,no6 I=ll do my best, ?rs. Charney,- +eingold said.
/"t there 6asn=t a great deal of confidence in the la6yer=s tone.
&he ne<t development came ;"st a 6ee, before the trial. Little ?iss called
+eingold and said, *)tanley, 6e=ve ;"st received notice that television cre6s 6ill be
coming to my father=s ho"se on ?onday to set "p the special 6iring for the hearing.-
*1es, of co"rse, ?rs. Charney. It=s B"ite ro"tine.-
*Is the hearing going to be held at my father=s ho"seD-
*Andre6=s deposition 6ill be ta,en there, yes.-
*And the rest of the trialD-
*It isn=t a trial, e<actly, ?rs. Charney.-
*&he rest of the proceedings, then. Ehere 6ill they ta,e placeD In I"dge >ramer=s
co"rtroomD-
*&he "s"al proced"re,- +eingold said, *is for each concerned party involved in the
action to participate electronically. &he ;"dge 6ill receive all the inp"ts in his
chambers.-
*7o one goes to co"rt in person any moreD-
*(arely, ?rs. Charney. Cery rarely.-
*/"t it does still happenD-
*As I said, very rarely. &he 6orld is so decentraliAed no6, people have spread o"t
over s"ch great distancesit=s so m"ch easier to do these things electronically.-
*I 6ant this done in a co"rtroom.-
+eingold gave her a B"iAAical loo,. *Is there any special reason 6hy-
*1es. I 6ant the ;"dge to be able to see Andre6 face to face, to listen to his act"al
voice, to form a closerange opinion of his character. I don=t 6ant him to thin, of
Andre6 as some sort of impersonal machine 6hose voice and image are coming to him
over telephone lines. /esides 6hich, I very m"ch don=t 6ant my father to have to p"t "p
6ith the stress and t"rmoil of technical cre6s invading his privacy to 6ire his ho"se for
6hatever ,ind of transmission is necessary.-
+eingold nodded. 0e loo,ed tro"bled. *In order to ass"re a co"rtroom hearing at
this late date, ?rs. Charney, I 6o"ld have to file a 6rit of-
*+ile it, then.-
*&he intervening parties 6ill certainly ob;ect to the e<tra e<pense and
inconvenience involved.-
*Let them stay home from the hearings, then. I 6o"ldn=t 6ant them p"t to the
slightest inconvenience, not for all the 6orld. /"t Andre6 and I intend to be in that
co"rtroom.-
*Andre6 and yo", ?rs. CharneyD-
*#id yo" thin, I 6as going to stay home that dayD-
And so it came to pass that the appropriate 6rit 6as filed, and the intervening
parties gr"mbled b"t co"ld raise no s"stainable ob;ectionfor it 6as still anyone=s right
to have his day in co"rt, electronic testimony being by no means mandatoryand on the
appointed day Andre6 and Little ?iss at last presented themselves at the s"rprisingly
modest chambers of I"dge >ramer of the +o"rth Circ"it of the (egional Co"rt for the
longa6aited hearing on the petition that 6as, for p"rely technical reasons, listed on the
doc,et as ?artin vs. ?artin.
)tanley +eingold accompanied them. &he co"rtroomlocated in a tiredloo,ing
old b"ilding that might have gone bac, to &6entieth Cent"ry times6as s"rprisingly
small and "nglamoro"s, a modest little room 6ith a plain des, at one end for the ;"dge, a
fe6 "ncomfortable chairs for those rare people 6ho insisted on appearing in person, and
an alcove that contained the electronic playbac, devices.
&he only other h"man beings present 6ere I"dge >ramer himself"ne<pectedly
yo"thf"l, dar,haired, 6ith B"ic, glinting eyesand a la6yer named Iames Can /"ren,
6ho represented all the intervening parties gathered into a single class. &he vario"s
intervening parties themselves 6ere not present. &heir interventions 6o"ld be sho6n on
the screen. &here 6as nothing they co"ld do to overt"rn the 6rit +eingold had sec"red,
b"t they had no desire to ma,e the trip to co"rt themselves. Almost no one ever did. )o
they had 6aived their right to be physically present in the co"rtroom and had filed the
"s"al electronic briefs.
&he positions of the intervenors 6ere set forth first. &here 6ere no s"rprises in
them.
&he spo,esman for the (egional Labor +ederation did not place m"ch e<plicit
stress on the prospect for greater competition bet6een h"mans and robots for ;obs, if
Andre6 6ere granted his freedom. 0e too, a broader, loftier 6ay of raising the iss"e:
*&hro"gho"t all of history, since the first apeli,e men chipped the edges of
pebbles into the chisels and scrapers and hammers that 6ere the first tools, 6e have
realiAed that 6e are a species 6hose destiny it is to control o"r environment and to
enhance o"r control of it thro"gh mechanical means. /"t grad"ally, as the comple<ity
and capability of o"r tools have increased, 6e have s"rrendered m"ch of o"r o6n
independencehave become dependent on o"r o6n tools, that is, in a 6ay that has
6ea,ened o"r po6er to cope 6ith circ"mstances 6itho"t them. And no6, finally, 6e
have invented a tool so capable, so adept at so many f"nctions, that it seems to have an
almost h"man intelligence. I spea, of the robot, of co"rse. Certainly 6e admire the
ingen"ity of o"r roboticists, 6e appla"d the astonishing versatility of their prod"cts. /"t
today 6e are confronted 6ith a ne6 and frightening possibility, 6hich is that 6e have
act"ally created o"r o6n s"ccessors, that 6e have b"ilt a machine that does not ,no6 it
is a machine, that demands to be recogniAed as an a"tonomo"s individ"al 6ith the rights
and privileges of a h"man beingand 6hich, by virt"e of its inherent mechanical
s"periority, its physical d"rability and strength, its c"nningly designed positronic brain,
its bodily nearimmortality, might indeed, once it has attained those rights and
privileges, begin to regard itself as o"r masterF 0o6 ironicF &o have b"ilt a tool so good
that it ta,es command of its b"ildersF &o be s"pplanted by o"r o6n machineryto be
made obsolete by it, to be relegated to the scrapheap of evol"tion-
And so on and on, one resonant clichM after another.
*&he +ran,enstein comple< allover again,- Little ?iss m"rm"red in disg"st. *&he
3olem paranoia. &he 6hole set of ignorant antiscience antimachine antiprogress
terrors dragged forth one more time.-
)till, even she had to admit that it 6as an eloB"ent statement of the position. As
Andre6 sat 6atching the screen, listening to the la6yer for the Labor +ederation po"r
forth his stream of horrors, he fo"nd himself 6ondering 6hy anyone tho"ght robots
6o"ld 6ant to s"pplant h"man beings or to relegate them to any sort of scrapheap.
(obots 6ere here to serve. It 6as their p"rpose. It 6as their pleas"re, one might
almost say. /"t even Andre6 fo"nd himself 6ondering 6hether, as robots gre6 to be
more and more li,e h"man beings, it might become so diffic"lt to tell the one from the
other that the h"mans, lac,ing the b"iltin perfection of robots, 6o"ld indeed come to
loo, "pon themselves as a secondrate ,ind of creat"re.
Event"ally the tirade of the Labor +ederation=s spo,esman ended. &he screen
dimmed and a brief recess 6as called. &hen it 6as the t"rn of the spea,er from .nited
)tates (obots and ?echanical ?en.
0er name 6as Ethel Adams. )he 6as a sharpfeat"red, ta"tfaced 6oman of
middle years, 6hoprobably not by any coincidencebore a stri,ing resemblance to the
celebrated robopsychologist )"san Calvin, that great and 6idely revered scientific fig"re
of the previo"s cent"ry.
)he did not ind"lge in any of the previo"s spea,er=s inflated rhetoric. )he said
simply and predictably that to grant Andre6=s position 6o"ld greatly complicate the
ability of ..).(.?.?. to design and man"fact"re the robots that 6ere its main prod"ct
that if the company co"ld be sho6n to be prod"cing not machines b"t free citiAens, it
might be liable to all sorts of be6ildering ne6 restrictions that 6o"ld critically hamper
its 6or,that, in short, the 6hole co"rse of scientific progress 6o"ld be placed in
needless ;eopardy.
It 6as, of co"rse, the direct opposite of the first spea,er=s position. 0e had held "p
the advance of technology as something 6orthy of dread@ she 6as 6arning that it might
be placed in serio"s danger. /"t the contradiction 6as only to be e<pected, )tanley
+eingold said to Little ?iss and Andre6. &he real 6eapons that 6ere being "sed in
today=s str"ggle 6ere emotions, not serio"s intellect"al concepts.
/"t there 6as one more spea,er: Can /"ren, the attorney 6ho 6as there in person
as the general representative of all those 6ho had ta,en iss"e 6ith Andre6=s reB"est. 0e
6as tall and impressive, 6ith classic senatorial mien: the closecropped graying hair, the
costly s"it, the magnificently "pright post"re. And he had an e<tremely simple arg"ment
to offer, one that did not in any 6ay attempt to deal 6ith emotional iss"es:
*Ehat it comes do6n to, yo"r honor, is an iss"e so basicso trivial, eventhat I
am not really s"re 6hy 6e are all here today. &he petitioner, (obot 7#(118, has
reB"ested of his o6ner, the 0onorable 3erald ?artin, that he be declared Gfree.= A free
robot, yes, the first of his ,ind. /"t I as, yo", yo"r honor: 6hat meaning can this
possibly haveD A robot is only a machine. Can an a"tomobile be Gfree=D Can an
electronic screen be Gfree=D &hese B"estions have no ans6ers beca"se they have no
content. 0"man beings can be free, yes. Ee ,no6 6hat that means. &hey have, as one of
o"r great ancestors 6rote, certain inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the p"rs"it of
happiness. #oes a robot have lifeD 7ot as 6e "nderstand it. It has the semblance of life,
yesb"t so does the image on the face of a holoc"be. 7obody 6o"ld arg"e that holoc"be
images need to be set Gfree.= #oes a robot have libertyD 7ot as 6e "nderstand the 6ord:
they are so far from having liberty that their very brains are constr"cted in s"ch a 6ay
that they m"st obey h"man commands. And as for the p"rs"it of happiness6hat can a
robot possibly ,no6 abo"t thatD 0appiness is a p"rely h"man goal. +reedom is a p"rely
h"man state. A robota mere mechanical thing b"ilt o"t of metal and plastic, and from
the very start of its e<istence intended and designed entirely as a device to serve the
needs of h"man beingsis by definition not an ob;ect to 6hich the concept of Gfreedom=
can be applied. 2nly a h"man being is capable of being free.-
It 6as a good speech, clear and direct and e<pertly delivered. Can /"ren 6as
obvio"sly a6are of the e<cellence of the points he 6as ma,ing, beca"se he 6ent on to
ma,e them several more times in vario"s forms, spea,ing slo6ly and 6ith great
precision, his hand coming do6n rhythmically on the des, before him to mar, the
cadence of his 6ords.
Ehen he 6as done, the ;"dge called another recess.
Little ?iss t"rned to )tanley +eingold and said, *It=ll be yo"r t"rn ne<t, rightD-
*1es. 2f co"rse.-
*I 6ant to spea, first. 2n Andre6=s behalf.-
+eingold t"rned red. */"t, ?rs. Charney-
*I ,no6 yo"=ve got a 6onderf"l brief ready to deliver. I=m not in any 6ay trying
to imply that yo" don=t. /"t the ;"dge has heard eno"gh oratory today. I 6ant to go "p
there and ma,e a very simple statement, and I 6ant to do it before anyone else has a
chance to ma,e a speech. Even yo", )tanley.-
+eingold 6as obvio"sly displeased. /"t he ,ne6 6ho his client 6as. Andre6
might be paying the bills, b"t Little ?iss 6as r"nning the sho6.
0e made the necessary reB"est.
I"dge >ramer fro6ned, shr"gged, nodded.
*Cery 6ell,- he said. * Amanda La"ra ?artin Charney may approach the bench.-
+or a moment Andre6, sitting B"ietly beside +eingold, 6ondered 6ho that might
be. 0e had never heard Little ?iss referred to by her f"ll name before. /"t then he sa6
the lean, trim fig"re of Little ?iss rise and move forcef"lly to6ard the front of the room,
and he "nderstood.
Andre6 felt s"dden hot c"rrents of e<citement r"nning thro"gh his path6ays at
the sight of Little ?iss standing so boldly there before the ;"dge. 0o6 fearless she
seemedF 0o6 determinedF 0o6bea"tif"lF
)he said, *&han, yo", yo"r honor. I am not a la6yer and I don=t really ,no6 the
proper legal 6ay of phrasing things. /"t I hope yo"=ll listen to my meaning and not be
tro"bled if I don=t "se the right ,ind of Latin terms.-
*&hat 6ill not be a problem, ?rs. Charney.-
Little ?iss smiled faintly and said, *I=m e<tremely gratef"l for that, yo"r honor.
Ee have come here today beca"se 7#(118, as the spea,ers on the other side so
impersonally choose to refer to him, has petitioned to be declared a free robot. I sho"ld
tell yo" that it so"nds very strange to me to hear my dear friend Andre6 referred to as
7#(118, altho"gh I am a6are, more or less, that that 6as his serial n"mber 6hen he
came to "s from the factory long ago. I 6as only si< or seven years old then, and so, as
yo" can see, that 6as B"ite a considerable time bac,. I fo"nd 7#(118 an "npleasant
thing to call him, and so I gave him the name of GAndre6.= And beca"se he has been
6ith o"r family, and only o"r family, thro"gho"t all the intervening years, he is ,no6n
generally as GAndre6 ?artin.= Eith yo"r permission, yo"r honor, I 6o"ld li,e to
contin"e to refer to him as Andre6.-
&he ;"dge nodded almost indifferently. It 6as not a real iss"e: the petition had
been filed in the name of Andre6 ?artin in the first place.
Little ?iss contin"ed, *I spo,e of him as my friend. &hat is 6hat he is. /"t he is
other things as 6ell. 0e is also o"r family servant. 0e is a robot. It 6o"ld be abs"rd to
deny that that is 6hat he is. Anddespite the eloB"ent speeches 6e=ve heard todayI
thin, I need to ma,e it clear that all he=s as,ing of the co"rt is to be declared a free
robot. 7ot, as they 6o"ld have "s thin,, to be declared a free man. 0e=s not here today
loo,ing to gain the right to vote, or to marry, or to have the &hree La6s removed from
his brain, or anything else li,e that. 0"mans are h"mans and robots are robots and
Andre6 ,no6s perfectly 6ell 6hich side of the line he belongs on.-
)he pa"sed then and loo,ed glintingly across the room at Iames Can /"ren as
tho"gh e<pecting him to nod in agreement. /"t Can /"ren offered no response other
than a cool, bland professional stare.
Little ?iss 6ent on, *Cery 6ell. &he iss"e, then, is freedom for Andre6, and
nothing else.
*7o6, ?r. Can /"ren has arg"ed that freedom is a meaningless concept 6hen it is
applied to robots. I beg to disagree, yo"r honor. I disagree most strongly.
*Let=s try to "nderstand 6hat freedom means to Andre6, if that is possible. In
some 6ays, he is free already. I thin, it m"st be at least t6enty years since anyone in the
?artin family has given Andre6 an order to do something that 6e felt he might not do
of his o6n accord. In part that has been a matter of common co"rtesy: 6e li,e Andre6,
6e respect him, in some 6ays it is fair to say that 6e love him. Ee 6o"ld not do him the
"n,indness of allo6ing him to thin, that 6e feel it necessary to give him orders of that
,ind, 6hen he has lived 6ith "s so long that he=s perfectly capable of anticipating 6hat
needs to be done and doing it 6itho"t having to be told.
*/"t 6e co"ld, if 6e 6ish, give him any sort of order at any time, and co"ch it as
harshly as 6e 6ish, beca"se he is a machine that belongs to "s. &hat is 6hat it says on
the papers that came 6ith him, on that day so long ago 6hen my father first introd"ced
him to "s: he is o"r robot, and by virt"e of the second of the famo"s &hree La6s he is
absol"tely bo"nd to obey "s 6hen 6e give him a command. 0e has no more ability to
re;ect the option of obedience to h"man beings than any other ,ind of machine. And I
tell yo", yo"r honor, that it tro"bles "s deeply that 6e sho"ld have s"ch po6er over o"r
beloved Andre6.
*Ehy sho"ld 6e be in a position to treat him so callo"slyD Ehat right do 6e have
to hold s"ch a"thority over himD Andre6 has served "s for decades, faithf"lly,
"ncomplainingly, lovingly. 0e has made the life of o"r family happier in a tho"sand
6ays. And B"ite apart from his devoted and "nB"estioning service to "s, he has
completely on his o6n initiative mastered the craft of 6ood6or,ing to s"ch a degree
that he has prod"ced, over the years, an astonishing series of remar,ably bea"tif"l pieces
that can only be termed 6or,s of art, and 6hich are eagerly so"ght after by m"se"ms
and collectors every6here. Considering all of that, ho6 can 6e contin"e to be able to
e<ert s"ch po6er over himD /y 6hat right are 6e enabled to set o"rselves "p as the
absol"te masters of s"ch an e<traordinary personD-
*A person, ?rs. CharneyD- I"dge >ramer inter;ected.
Little ?iss loo,ed momentarily discomforted. * As I said at the beginning, yo"r
honor, I lay no claim to Andre6=s being anything b"t a robot. Certainly I accept the
reality of that. /"t I have ,no6n him so long, and so closely, that to me he is li,e a
person. Let me amend 6hat I said a moment before, then. /y 6hat right, I sho"ld say,
are 6e enabled to set o"rselves "p as the absol"te masters of s"ch an e<traordinary
robotD-
&he ;"dge fro6ned. *)o the p"rpose of this petitionam I correct, ?rs.
CharneyDis to have the &hree La6s removed from Andre6=s brain in order that he be
no longer s"b;ect to h"man controlD-
*7ot at all,- replied Little ?iss, so"nding shoc,ed. &he B"estion had ta,en her
completely off g"ard. *I=m not even s"re that s"ch a thing 6o"ld be possible. And loo,
loo,: even Andre6 is sha,ing his head. &here yo" are. It isn=t possible. And it certainly
never has been 6hat 6e had in mind 6hen the petition 6as filed.-
*&hen ;"st 6hat did yo" have in mind, may I as,D- the ;"dge said.
*2nly this. &hat Andre6 be a6arded a legally binding doc"ment 6hich says that
he is a free robot 6ho o6ns himself, that if he chooses to contin"e serving the ?artin
family, it is by his o6n choice and not beca"se 6e elect to e<ercise the rights vested in
"s by o"r original contract 6ith his man"fact"rers. It=s a p"rely semantic iss"e, really.
7othing involving the &hree La6s 6o"ld be changedeven if it co"ld be. Ee are simply
trying to invalidate the condition of invol"ntary servit"de in 6hich 6e are compelled to
,eep Andre6 no6. After 6hich he, on his part, 6o"ld contin"e to serve "s ;"st as he
does no6of that I=m B"ite s"re. /"t he 6o"ld do it entirely beca"se he 6anted to,
6hich I believe that he does, and not beca"se 6e reB"ire him to. #on=t yo" see, yo"r
honor, ho6 m"ch that 6o"ld mean to himD It 6o"ld give him everything and cost "s
nothing. And none of the immense and tragic problems of the overthro6 of h"manity by
its o6n machines that the Labor +ederation spea,er so dramatically all"ded to 6o"ld
enter into the case in the slightest 6ay, I ass"re yo".-
+or a moment the ;"dge seemed to be s"ppressing a smile. *I thin, I see yo"r
point, ?rs. Charney. I appreciate the 6armth and passion 6ith 6hich yo"=ve spo,en as
yo"r robot=s advocate. 1o" are a6are, are yo" not, that there=s really nothing in the la6
codes of this (egion or of any other that deals 6ith the B"estion of 6hether robots can
be free in the sense that yo" proposeD &here=s simply no body of precedent at all.-
*1es,- Little ?iss said. *?r. +eingold has made that B"ite clear to me already. /"t
every depart"re from established precedent has to begin some6here, after all.-
*)o it does. And I co"ld ma,e a r"ling that 6o"ld establish ne6 la6 here. It 6o"ld
be s"b;ect to reversal in a higher co"rt, nat"rally, b"t it 6o"ld be 6ithin my po6ers to
give my assent to the petition as it is no6 constit"ted, and th"s to ma,e yo"r robot Gfree=
in the sense of a 6aiver by the ?artin family of its inherent right to give him orders. +or
6hatever that 6o"ld be 6orth to him and to yo", I co"ld do that. /"t I need, first, to
come to grips 6ith the point that ?r. Can /"ren has raised: the "nspo,en ass"mption in
o"r society that only a h"man being can en;oy freedom, virt"ally by definition of the
6ord. I"dges 6ho r"n co"nter to f"ndamental ass"mptions of that ,ind6ho ma,e
r"lings that so"nd impressive b"t are inherently meaninglesstend to be regarded as
fools. 2bvio"sly I don=t 6ant to t"rn this co"rt into a la"ghingstoc,. And therefore
there are still some aspects of this case that I need to "nderstand more clearly.-
*If there=s anything else yo" 6ant to as, me, yo"r honor- Little ?iss said.
*7ot yo". Andre6. Let the robot come for6ard.- Little ?iss gasped. )he loo,ed
to6ard )tanley +eingold and sa6 him sit "p s"ddenly 6ith a loo, of e<citement on his
face for the first time since she had told him that she intended to preempt his t"rn to
address the co"rt.
As for Andre6, he had risen and 6as striding to6ard the front of the room 6ith an
air of the greatest dignity and nobility abo"t him. 0e 6as completely calmnot only
e<ternally, 6here he had no 6ay of displaying visible emotion any6ay, b"t 6ithin.
I"dge >ramer said, *+or the record: yo" are (obot 7#(118, b"t yo" prefer to be
,no6n as Andre6, is that correctD-
*1es, yo"r honor.-
&he timbre of Andre6=s voice had come thro"gh the series of s"ccessive
"pdatings to so"nd entirely h"man by this time. Little ?iss had gro6n B"ite acc"stomed
to that, b"t the ;"dge seemed astonished, as tho"gh he had e<pected some sort of
clan,ing grinding metallic tone to emerge. )o it 6as a moment before the proceedings
contin"ed.
&hen the ;"dge said, peering at Andre6 6ith intense interest, *&ell me one thing,
Andre6, if yo" 6ill. Ehy do yo" 6ant to be freeD In 6hat 6ay 6ill this matter to yo"D-
Andre6 replied, *Eo"ld yo" 6ish to be a slave, yo"r honorD-
*Is that ho6 yo" see yo"rselfD A slaveD-
*Little ?iss?rs. Charney"sed the term Ginvol"ntary servit"de= to describe my
condition. &hat is e<actly 6hat it is. I m"st obey. I m"st. I have no choice. &hat is
nothing other than slavery, yo"r honor.-
*Even if I prono"nced yo" free this min"te, Andre6, yo" 6o"ld still be s"b;ect to
the &hree La6s.-
*I "nderstand that completely. /"t I 6o"ld not be s"b;ect to )ir and Little ?issto
?r. ?artin and ?rs. Charney. I co"ld, at any time, leave the ho"sehold 6here I have
lived for many years and ta,e "p residence any6here else I chose. &hey 6o"ld have
6aived their right to order me bac, into service. &h"s I 6o"ld cease to be a slave.-
*Is that 6hat yo" 6ant, Andre6D &o leave the ?artin ho"se and go some6here
elseD-
*7ot in the least. All I 6ant is the right to choose to do so, if I sho"ld feel the
desire.-
&he ;"dge st"died Andre6 caref"lly. *1o" have referred to yo"rself several times
as a slavethe slave of these people 6ho obvio"sly have s"ch great affection for yo" and
6hose service, yo" tell "s, yo" have no 6ish to leave. /"t yo" are not a slave. A slave is
one 6hose freedom has been ta,en a6ay from him. 1o" never 6ere free, and had no
freedom to lose: yo" 6ere created for the e<plicit p"rpose of serving. A robot, a
mechanical ad;"nct to h"man life. 1o" are a perfectly good robota geni"s of a robot, I
am given to "nderstandcapable of a degree of artistic e<pression that fe6 or perhaps no
other robots have ever attained. )ince yo" don=t 6ant to leave the ?artins, and they
don=t seem to 6ant yo" to leave, and yo"r life among them has apparently been that of a
cherished member of the family, this all seems li,e something of a tempest in a teapot,
Andre6. Ehat more co"ld yo" accomplish if yo" 6ere freeD-
*!erhaps no more than I do no6, yo"r honor. /"t I 6o"ld do it 6ith greater ;oy. It
has been said in this co"rtroom today that only a h"man being can be free. /"t I thin,
that is 6rong. It seems to me that only someone 6ho 6ishes for freedom6ho ,no6s
that there is s"ch a concept, and desires it 6ith all his 6illis entitled to freedom. I am
s"ch a one. I am not h"man, not by any means. 7ever have I asserted that I am. /"t I
6ish for freedom, all the same.-
Andre6=s voice died a6ay. 0e held his place before the bench, "tterly motionless.
&he ;"dge sat nearly as rigidly, staring do6n at him. 0e appeared to be lost in
tho"ght. Everyone in the room 6as totally still.
It seemed an eternity before the ;"dge spo,e.
&hen at last he said, *&he essential point that has been raised here today, I thin,, is
that there is no right to deny freedom to anyob;ectthat possesses a mind s"fficiently
advanced to grasp the concept and desire the state. It is a point 6ell ta,en, I thin,. I have
heard the statements from all sides and I have reached my preliminary concl"sions. I
intend to r"le in favor of the petitioner.-
0is formal decision, 6hen it 6as anno"nced and p"blished not long after6ard,
ca"sed a brief b"t intense sensation thro"gho"t the 6orld. +or a little 6hile hardly
anyone tal,ed of anything else. A free robotD 0o6 co"ld a robot be freeD Ehat did it
meanD Eho 6as this strange robot, any6ay, 6ho seemed so far in advance of the rest of
his ,indD
/"t then the h"bb"b over the Andre6 ?artin case died do6n. It had been only a
nine days= 6onder. 7othing had really changed, after all, e<cept insofar as Andre6=s
relationship to the ?artin family 6as concerned.
&he intervenors against Andre6=s petition appealed to the Eorld Co"rt. In time
the case made its 6ay "p6ard. &he members of the Co"rt listened caref"lly to the
transcript of the original hearing and fo"nd no gro"nds for reversal.
)o it 6as done, and Andre6 had had his 6ish f"lfilled. 0e 6as free, no6. It 6as a
6onderf"l thing to contemplate. And yet he sensed, someho6, that he had not B"ite
achieved 6hatever it 6as that he had set o"t to achieve 6hen he first approached )ir to
as, to be freed.
7I7E
)I( (E?AI7E# #I)!LEA)E#. 0e co"ld find no reason to re;oice in the co"rt=s
decision and made s"re that Andre6 and Little ?iss ,ne6 it.
Andre6 came to him soon after the decree 6as final and said, *I have the chec,
for yo", )ir.-
*Ehat chec, are yo" tal,ing abo"tD-
*+or the entire balance in my corporate acco"nt. Ehich I promised to pay over to
yo", )ir, as the price for giving me my freedom.-
*I never gave yo" yo"r freedomF- )ir retorted. *1o" simply 6ent and too, itF- 0is
harsh voice made Andre6 feel almost as tho"gh he 6ere being shortcirc"ited.
*+ather- Little ?iss said, sternly.
)ir, 6ho 6as sitting h"ddled in his armchair 6ith his laprobe 6rapped abo"t him
even tho"gh this 6as the 6armest day of the s"mmer so far, sco6led at her. /"t in a
some6hat more conciliatory tone he said, * All right, Andre6. 1o" 6anted yo"r
freedom, for 6hatever that may be 6orth to yo", and I didn=t ob;ect to it. I s"ppose that
m"st be interpreted as meaning that I s"pported yo"r petition. Eell, then, consider that I
did. )o no6 yo" are free. 1o" have my congrat"lations, Andre6.-
*And I 6ant to ma,e the payment that I promised.- )ir=s eyes flashed 6ith a trace
of their old fire. *I don=t 6ant yo"r damned money, Andre6F-
*Ee had an agreement, )ir-
*AgreementD Ehat agreementD 1o" ,no6 that I never agreed to anything. Loo,,
Andre6, I=ll ta,e that chec, from yo" if it=s the only 6ay that yo"=re going to feel that
yo" really are free. /"t I thin, the idea=s prepostero"s. I=m a very 6ealthy old man and I
don=t have very long to live and if yo" force me to ta,e that money I=m simply going to
hand it a6ay to charity. I=ll give it to the 0ome for 2rphaned (obots, if there is one. 2r
I=ll fo"nd one, if there isn=t.- 0e la"gheda thin, ;oyless la"gh. 7either Andre6 nor
Little ?iss ;oined in. */"t yo" don=t care, do yo"D 1o" simply 6ant to give the money
a6ay. Cery 6ell, Andre6. Let me have the chec,.-
*&han, yo", )ir.-
0e passed it across to the old man.
)ir peered at it for a moment, holding it this 6ay and that "ntil his dimming eyes
told him 6hich side of the chec, he 6as loo,ing at.
*1o" really have acc"m"lated B"ite a fort"ne, Andre6. 3ive me a pen, 6ill yo",
?andyD- )ir=s hand shoo, as he too, it from her, b"t 6hen he began to 6rite on the
bac, of the chec, it 6as in bold, steady stro,es that 6ent on for line after line, an
inscription m"ch longer than a mere endorsement 6o"ld have reB"ired. 0e st"died 6hat
he had 6ritten and nodded. &hen he handed the chec, bac, to Andre6.
)ir had endorsed the chec, 3erald ?artin, received as payment in f"ll for the
freedom of (obot Andre6 7#(118 ?artin, per co"rt decision. And then beneath that
he had dra6n a line and 6ritten, !ay to the order of Andre6 ?artin, as bon"s for
o"tstanding services rendered d"ring the period of his employment here. 0is
endorsement of this chec, implies irrevocable acceptance of the bon"s. 3erald ?artin.
*Eill that be acceptable, Andre6D- )ir as,ed.
Andre6 hesitated a moment. 0e sho6ed the chec, to Little ?iss, 6ho read 6hat
)ir had 6ritten and shr"gged.
*1o" leave me 6ith no choice, )ir,- Andre6 said.
*!recisely. &hat=s the 6ay I li,e things to be. 7o6 fold that chec, "p and p"t it in
yo"r poc,etno, yo" don=t have a poc,et, do yo"D6ell, p"t it a6ay some6here. >eep
it as a so"venir, something to remember me by. And let=s hear nothing more abo"t it.-
)ir glared defiantly at both Andre6 and Little ?iss. *)o. &hat=s done, then. And no6
yo"=re properly and tr"ly free, is that rightD Cery 6ell. Cery 6ell. +rom no6 on yo" can
select yo"r o6n ;obs aro"nd this place and do them as yo" please. I 6ill give yo" no
orders ever again, Andre6, e<cept for this final one: that yo" do only 6hat yo" please.
As of this moment yo" m"st act only according to yo"r o6n free 6ill, as stip"lated and
approved by the co"rts. Is that clearD-
*1es, )ir.-
*/"t I am still responsible for yo". &hat too, as stip"lated and approved by the
co"rts. I don=t o6n yo" any more, b"t if yo" happen to get yo"rself into any tro"ble, I=m
the one 6ho 6ill have to get yo" o"t of it. 1o" may be free b"t yo" don=t have any of the
civil rights of a h"man being. 1o" remain my dependent, in other 6ordsmy 6ard, by
co"rt order. I hope yo" "nderstand that, Andre6.-
Little ?iss said, *1o" so"nd angry, +ather.-
*I am. I didn=t as, to have responsibility for the 6orld=s only free robot d"mped
on me.-
*7othing has been d"mped on yo", +ather. 1o" accepted responsibility for
Andre6 the day yo" arranged to ta,e him into yo"r home. &he co"rt order doesn=t
change a bit of that. 1o" 6on=t have to do anything that yo" 6eren=t bo"nd to do before.
As for Andre6=s getting himself into tro"ble, 6hat reason do yo" thin, he 6illD &he
&hree La6s still hold.-
*&hen ho6 can he be considered freeD-
Andre6 said B"ietly, * Are not h"man beings bo"nd by their la6s, )irD-
)ir glo6ered. *#on=t chop logic 6ith me, Andre6. 0"man beings have vol"ntarily
arrived at a social contract, a code of la6s 6hich they 6illingly agree to abide by
beca"se life in a civiliAed society 6o"ld be "ntenable other6ise. &hose 6ho ref"se to
abide by those la6s, and therefore ma,e life "ntenable for others, are p"nished and, 6e
li,e to thin,, event"ally rehabilitated. /"t a robot doesn=t live by any vol"ntary social
contract. A robot obeys its code of la6s beca"se it has no choice b"t to obey. Even a so
called free robot.-
*/"t as yo" say, )ir, h"man la6s e<ist and m"st be obeyed, and those 6ho live
"nder those la6s regard themselves as free nevertheless. )o a robot-
*Eno"ghF- )ir roared. 0e s6ept his laprobe to the floor and l"rched "ncertainly
o"t of his chair. *I don=t feel li,e disc"ssing this any f"rther, than, yo". I=m going
"pstairs. 3ood night, Amanda. 3ood night, Andre6.-
*3ood night to yo", )ir. )hall I see yo" to yo"r roomD- Andre6 as,ed.
*1o" needn=t bother. I=m still strong eno"gh to climb a flight of stairs. 1o" go
abo"t yo"r b"siness, 6hatever that may be, and I=ll go abo"t mine.-
0e tottered a6ay. Andre6 and Little ?iss e<changed tro"bled glances, b"t neither
of them said anything.
After that )ir rarely left his bedroom. 0is meals 6ere prepared and bro"ght to him
by the simple &Qmodel robot 6ho loo,ed after the ,itchen. 0e never as,ed Andre6
"pstairs for any reason, and Andre6 6o"ld not ta,e it "pon himself to intr"de on )ir=s
privacy@ and so from that time on Andre6 sa6 )ir only on those infreB"ent occasions
6hen the old man chose to descend into the main part of the ho"se.
Andre6 had not lived in the ho"se himself for some time. As his 6ood6or,ing
b"siness had e<panded, it had become a6,6ard for him to contin"e to operate o"t of the
little attic st"dio that )ir had set aside for him at the beginning. )o it had been decided, a
fe6 years bac,, that he 6o"ld be allo6ed to set "p a little d6elling of his o6n, a t6o
story cabin at the edge of the 6oods that flan,ed the ?artin estate.
It 6as a pleasant, airy cabin, set on a little rise, 6ith ferns and glisteningleaved
shr"bs all abo"t, and a to6ering red6ood tree ;"st a short distance a6ay. &hree robot
6or,men had b"ilt it for him in a matter of a fe6 days, 6or,ing "nder the direction of a
h"man foreman.
&he cabin had no bedroom, of co"rse, nor a ,itchen, nor any bathroom facilities.
2ne of the rooms 6as a library and office 6here Andre6 ,ept his reference boo,s and
s,etches and b"siness records, and the other and m"ch larger room 6as the 6or,shop,
6here Andre6 ,ept his carpentry eB"ipment and stored the 6or, in progress. A small
shed ad;oining the b"ilding 6as "sed to ho"se the assortment of e<otic 6oods that
Andre6 "sed in the ;e6elryma,ing segment of his enterprise, and the stac, of less rare
l"mber that 6ent into his m"chso"ghtafter pieces of f"rnit"re.
&here 6as never any end of ;obs for him to do. &he p"blicity over his attaining
free stat"s had generated 6orld6ide interest in the things that Andre6 made, and
scarcely a morning 6ent by 6itho"t three or fo"r orders t"rning "p on his comp"ter. 0e
had a bac,log of commissions stretching years into the f"t"re, no6, so that he finally
had to set "p a 6aiting list simply for the privilege of placing an order 6ith him.
0e 6as 6or,ing harder no6 as a free robot than he ever had in the years 6hen he
had technically been the property of )ir. It 6as not at all "n"s"al for Andre6 to p"t in
thirtysi< or even fortyeight straight ho"rs of 6or, 6itho"t emerging from his cabin,
since he had no need, nat"rally, for food or sleep or rest of any ,ind.
0is ban, acco"nt s6elled and s6elled. 0e insisted on repaying )ir for the entire
cost of b"ilding his little ho"se, and this time )ir 6as 6illing to accept the money, p"rely
for the sa,e of proper form. &itle to the str"ct"re 6as legally transferred to Andre6 and
he e<ec"ted a formal lease covering the portion of 3erald ?artin=s land on 6hich the
b"ilding stood.
Little ?iss, 6ho still lived ;"st "p the coast in the ho"se she and Lloyd Charney
had b"ilt long ago 6hen they had first been married, never failed to loo, in on him
6henever she came to )ir=s estate to pay a call on her father. As a r"le Little ?iss 6o"ld
stop off at Andre6=s 6or,shop as soon as she arrived, and chat 6ith him a6hile and
loo, at his latest pro;ects, before going on into the main ho"se 6here )ir 6as.
2ften she bro"ght Little )ir 6ith hertho"gh Andre6 no longer called him that.
+or Little )ir had ceased to be a boy B"ite some time bac,he 6as a tall and rob"st
yo"ng man no6, 6ith a flaring r"ssetcolored m"stache nearly as a6esome as his
grandfather=s and an imposing set of side6his,ers as 6ell, and soon after the co"rt
decision that made Andre6 a free robot he forbade Andre6 to "se the old nic,name.
*#oes it displease yo", Little )irD- Andre6 as,ed. *I tho"ght yo" fo"nd it
am"sing.-
*I did.-
*/"t no6 that yo" are a f"llgro6n man, it seems condescending to yo", is that itD
An affront to yo"r dignityD 1o" ,no6 I have the highest respect for yo"r-
*It has nothing to do 6ith my dignity,- Little )ir said. *It has to do 6ith yo"rs.-
*I don=t "nderstand, Little )ir.-
*Evidently not. /"t loo, at it this 6ay, Andre6: GLittle )ir= may be a charming
name, and yo" and I certainly ta,e it that 6ay, b"t in fact 6hat it is is the ,ind of
groveling name that an old family retainer 6o"ld "se 6hen spea,ing to the master=s son,
or in this case the master=s grandson. It isn=t appropriate any more, do yo" see, Andre6D
?y grandfather isn=t yo"r master no6adays, and I=m not a c"te little boy. A free robot
sho"ldn=t call anyone GLittle )ir.= Is that clearD I call yo" Andre6al6ays have. And
from no6 on yo" m"st call me 3eorge.-
It 6as phrased as an order, so Andre6 had no choice b"t to agree.
0e ceased calling 3eorge Charney *Little )ir- as of that moment. /"t Little ?iss
remained Little ?iss for him. It 6as "nthin,able for Andre6 to have to call her *?rs.
Charney- and even *Amanda- seemed li,e an improper and impertinent mode of
address. )he 6as *Little ?iss- to him and nothing other than *Little ?iss,- even tho"gh
she 6as a 6oman 6ith graying hair no6, lean and trim and as bea"tif"l as ever b"t
"ndeniably gro6ing old. Andre6 hoped that she 6o"ld never give him the same sort of
order that her son had@ and she never did. *Little ?iss- it 6as@ *Little ?iss- it 6o"ld
al6ays be.
2ne day 3eorge and Little ?iss came to the ho"se, b"t neither of them made the
"s"al stop at Andre6=s place before going in to see )ir. Andre6 noticed the car arrive
and contin"e on past his o6n separate little drive6ay, and 6ondered 6hy. 0e felt
tro"bled 6hen half an ho"r passed, and then half an ho"r more, and neither of them
came to him. 0ad he given offense in some 6ay on their last visitD 7o, that seemed
"nli,ely.
/"t 6as there some problem in the main ho"se, thenD
0e distracted himself by pl"nging into his 6or,, b"t it too, all his robotic po6ers
of selfdiscipline to ma,e himself concentrate, and even so nothing seemed to go as
smoothly as it "s"ally did. And then, late in the afternoon, 3eorge Charney came o"t
bac, to see himalone.
*Is anything 6rong, 3eorgeD- Andre6 as,ed, a moment after 3eorge had entered.
*I=m afraid that there is, Andre6. ?y grandfather is dying.-
*#yingD- Andre6 said n"mbly.
#eath 6as a concept he had long tho"ght abo"t, b"t had never really "nderstood.
3eorge nodded somberly. *?y mother is at his bedside no6. 3randfather 6ants
yo" to be there too.-
*0e doesD It isn=t yo"r mother 6ho has sent for me, b"t )ir himselfD-
*)ir himself, yes.-
Andre6 felt a faint tremor in his fingertips. It 6as as close as he co"ld come to a
physical e<pression of e<citement. /"t there 6as distress mingled 6ith the sensation.
)irdyingF
0e sh"t do6n his tools and h"rried across to the main ho"se, 6ith 3eorge
Charney trotting along beside him.
)ir 6as lying B"ietly in the bed in 6hich he had spent most of his time in recent
years. 0is hair had thinned to a fe6 6hite 6isps@ even his glorio"s m"stache no6 6as a
sad drooping thing. 0e loo,ed very pale, as tho"gh his s,in 6ere becoming transparent,
and he scarcely seemed to be breathing. /"t his eyes 6ere openhis fierce old eyes, his
piercing, intense bl"e eyesand he managed a small smile, the merest "pt"rning of his
lips, as he sa6 Andre6 come into the room.
*)iroh, )ir, )ir-
*Come here, Andre6.- )ir=s voice so"nded s"rprisingly strong: the voice of the
)ir of old.
Andre6 faltered, too conf"sed to respond.
*Come here, I said. &hat=s an order. I said once that I 6asn=t going to give yo" any
more orders, b"t this is an e<ception. I"st abo"t the last one I=m ever going to give yo"
yo" can co"nt on that.-
*1es, )ir. * Andre6 came for6ard.
)ir p"lled one hand o"t from "nder the coverlet. It seemed to be something of a
str"ggle for him to move the blan,et aside, and 3eorge r"shed for6ard to help him.
*7o,- )ir said, 6ith a trace of his familiar irascibility. *#amn it, don=t try to do it
for me, 3eorgeF I=m only dying, not crippled.- Angrily he p"shed the coverlet do6n ;"st
far eno"gh to raise his hand, and held it o"t to6ard the robot. *Andre6,- he said.
*Andre6-
*2h, )ir,- Andre6 began.
And he fell silent. 0e did not ,no6 6hat to say.
0e had never before been at the side of someone 6ho 6as dying, had never so
m"ch as seen a dead person. 0e ,ne6 that death 6as the h"man 6ay of ceasing to
f"nction. It 6as an invol"ntary and irreversible dismantling that happened event"ally to
all h"man beings. )ince it 6as inevitable, Andre6 6anted to thin, that it 6as something
that h"mans too, for granted as a nat"ral process and did not loo, "pon 6ith fear or
distaste. /"t he 6as not entirely s"re of that. And )ir had lived so longhe m"st be so
acc"stomed to being alive, and there had al6ays been so m"ch life and vitality in him
*3ive me yo"r hand, Andre6.-
*2f co"rse, )ir.-
Andre6 too, )ir=s cool, pale, shriveled hand into his o6n: gnarled ancient flesh
against smooth ageless plastic that 6as 6itho"t fla6.
)ir said, *1o"=re a splendid robot, do yo" ,no6 that, Andre6D &r"ly splendid. &he
finest robot that 6as ever made.-
*&han, yo", )ir.-
*I 6anted to tell yo" that. And one other thing. I=m glad yo"=re free. &hat=s all. It=s
important to me that I had a chance to tell yo" that. All right, Andre6.-
It 6as an "nmista,able dismissal. Andre6 no longer had )ir=s attention. 0e
released )ir=s trembling hand and stepped bac, from the bed, ta,ing "p a position
alongside 3eorge and Little ?iss. Little ?iss reached for6ard and to"ched Andre6=s
arm ;"st above the elbo6, lightly, affectionately. /"t she said nothing. 7or did 3eorge.
&he old man seemed to have 6ithdra6n into some private realm, far a6ay. &he
only so"nd in the room no6 6as )ir=s increasingly ro"gh breathing, becoming ever
more harsh, ever less reg"lar. )ir lay motionless, staring "p6ard at nothing at all. 0is
face 6as as e<pressionless as any robot=s.
Andre6 6as "tterly at a loss. 0e co"ld only remain standing, absol"tely silent,
absol"tely motionless, 6atching 6hat he ,ne6 m"st be )ir=s final moments.
&he old man=s breathing gre6 ro"gher yet. 0e made an odd gargling so"nd, deep
in his throat, that 6as li,e no so"nd Andre6 had ever heard in his entire e<istence.
&hen all 6as still. 2ther than the cessation of )ir=s breathing, Andre6 6as "nable
to detect any change in him. 0e had been virt"ally motionless a moment ago and he 6as
motionless no6. 0e had stared blindly "p6ard before and he 6as staring "p6ard no6.
Andre6 realiAed, tho"gh, that something profo"nd had ;"st happened, something that
6as 6holly beyond his comprehension. )ir had passed across that mysterio"s threshold
that separated death from life. &here 6as no more )ir. )ir 6as gone. 2nly this empty
h"s, remained.
Little ?iss bro,e the endless silence at last 6ith a soft co"gh. &here 6ere no tears
in her eyes, b"t Andre6 co"ld see that she 6as deeply moved.
)he said, *I=m glad yo" got here before he 6ent, Andre6. 1o" belonged here. 1o"
6ere one of "s.-
2nce more Andre6 did not ,no6 6hat to reply.
Little ?iss said, * And it 6as 6onderf"l to hear him say 6hat he did to yo". 0e
may not have seemed friendly to yo" to6ard the end, Andre6, b"t he 6as old, yo" ,no6.
And it h"rt him that yo" sho"ld have 6anted to be free. /"t he forgave yo" for that right
at the last, didn=t he, Andre6D-
And then Andre6 fo"nd the 6ords to say. 0e said, *I never 6o"ld have been free
6itho"t him, Little ?iss.-
&E7
I& EA) 27L1 A+&E( )ir=s death that Andre6 started to 6ear clothes. 0e began 6ith
an old pair of tro"sers at first, a pair that he had obtained from 3eorge Charney.
It 6as a daring e<periment, and he ,ne6 it. (obots, being metallic in e<terior
cladding and se<less in designdespite the *he- or *she- designations that their o6ners
tended to hang on themhad no need for clothing, neither as protection against the
elements nor as any sort of shield for modesty. And no robot, so far as Andre6 ,ne6,
had ever 6orn any.
/"t some c"rio"s longing 6ithin Andre6 seemed to have arisen lately that led him
to 6ant to cover his body in the 6ay h"mans did, and6itho"t pa"sing to e<amine the
motivation that 6as leading him to6ard ithe set o"t to do so.
&he day Andre6 acB"ired the tro"sers, 3eorge had been 6ith him in his
6or,shop, helping him stain some porch f"rnit"re for his o6n ho"se. 7ot that Andre6
needed the helpindeed, it 6o"ld have been very m"ch simpler all aro"nd if 3eorge had
let him do it by himselfb"t 3eorge had insisted on participating in the ;ob. It 6as
f"rnit"re for his o6n porch, after all. 0e 6as the man of the ho"se3eorge 6as married
no6, and a la6yer 6ith the old +eingold firm, 6hich for the past fe6 months had been
caned +eingold and Charney, 6ith )tanley +eingold as the senior partnerand he too,
his ad"lt responsibilities very, very serio"sly.
At the end of the day the f"rnit"re 6as stained and so, B"ite thoro"ghly, 6as
3eorge. 0e had splotches of stain on his hands, on his ears, on the tip of his nose. 0is
r"sset m"stache and ever more flamboyant side6his,ers 6ere stained too. And, of
co"rse, there 6as stain allover his clothing. /"t at least 3eorge had come prepared for
that, bringing an e<pendable shirt to 6or, in and a disrep"tableloo,ing pair of tro"sers
that he m"st have had since his high school days.
As he 6as changing bac, into his reg"lar clothes 6hen the ;ob 6as done, 3eorge
cr"mpled "p the old shirt and tro"sers and said, as he tossed them aside, *1o" might as
6ell ;"st thro6 these things in the trash, Andre6. &hey=re of no "se to me any more.-
3eorge 6as right abo"t the shirt. 7ot only 6as it badly stained, b"t it had split
right do6n the seam from the arm to the shirttail 6hen 3eorge reached o"t too far too
B"ic,ly 6hile trying to t"rn a porch table on its side. /"t the tro"sers, frayed and 6orn
as they 6ere, seemed salvageable to Andre6.
0e held them "p 6ith their legs dangling. *If yo" don=t mind,- he said, *I=d li,e to
,eep these for myself.-
3eorge grinned. *&o "se as rags, yo" meanD-
Andre6 pa"sed ;"st a moment before replying.
*&o 6ear,- he said.
7o6 it 6as 3eorge=s t"rn to pa"se. Andre6 co"ld see the s"rprise on his face, and
then the am"sement. 3eorge 6as trying hard not to smile, and he 6as more or less
s"cceeding at it, b"t the effort 6as all too obvio"s to Andre6=s eyes.
*&o6ear,- 3eorge said slo6ly. *1o" 6ant to 6ear my old pants. Is that 6hat yo"
;"st said, Andre6D-
*It is. I 6o"ld very m"ch li,e to 6ear them, if that is all right 6ith yo".-
*Is something going 6rong 6ith yo"r homeostatic system, Andre6D-
*7ot at all. Ehy do yo" as,D-
*2nly that I 6as 6ondering if yo" 6ere feeling chilly these days. Ehy else 6o"ld
yo" 6ant to 6ear those pantsD-
*&o find o"t 6hat it is li,e.-
*Ah,- 3eorge said. And then after a bit he said, again, * Ah. I see. 1o" 6ant to
find o"t 6hat it=s li,e. All right, I can tell yo", Andre6. Ehat it 6ill feel li,e is li,e
having a dirty old piece of ro"gh "npleasant cloth 6rapped aro"nd yo"r fine smooth
metal s,in.-
*Are yo" saying that yo" don=t 6ant me to p"t the tro"sers onD- Andre6 as,ed.
*I didn=t say that.-
*/"t yo" thin, it=s a pec"liar idea.-
*Eell-
*1o" do.-
*1es. As a matter of fact, I do. Cery damned pec"liar indeed, Andre6.-
*And therefore yo" ref"se to give me the tro"sers e<cept for the p"rpose of
destroying themD-
*7o,- 3eorge said. &here 6as a note of e<asperation in his voice. *#o 6hatever
yo" 6ant 6ith them, Andre6. &ry them on, if yo" li,e. Ehy sho"ld I have any
ob;ectionsD 1o"=re a free robot. 1o" can p"t on a pair of pants if that=s 6hat yo" feel li,e
doing. I don=t see any reason at all 6hy I sho"ld stand in yo"r 6ay. 3o on, Andre6.
!"t them on.-
*1es,- said Andre6. *1es, I 6ill.-
*It=s a moment for the history boo,s. &he first time a robot has p"t on clothes. I
o"ght to get my camera, Andre6.-
Andre6 bro"ght the tro"sers close to his 6aist. /"t then he hesitated.
*EellD- 3eorge as,ed.
*Eill yo" sho6 me ho6 to do itD- Andre6 said.
3rinning broadly no6, 3eorge sho6ed Andre6 ho6 to manip"late the static
charge so as to allo6 the tro"sers to open, 6rap abo"t his lo6er body, and move sh"t.
3eorge demonstrated the techniB"e a co"ple of times 6ith his o6n tro"sers, b"t Andre6
6as B"ite a6are that it 6as going to ta,e him a 6hile to d"plicate that one flo6ing
motion, 6hich 3eorge, after all, had been performing since he 6as a child.
*It is the t6ist of the 6rist 6hen yo" bring the hand "p6ard that p"AAles me,-
Andre6 said.
*Li,e this,- said 3eorge, and did it yet again.
*Li,e thatD-
*?ore li,e this.-
*Li,e this, yes.- Andre6 to"ched the little st"d once again and the tro"sers
opened, fell, rose, and closed themselves abo"t his legs. *(ightD-
*?"ch better,- said 3eorge.
*A little practice and it 6ill seem nat"ral to me, I thin,,- Andre6 said.
3eorge gave him an odd loo,. *7o, Andre6. It=s never going to seem nat"ral to
yo". /eca"se it isn=t nat"ral. Ehy on Earth do yo" 6ant to 6ear tro"sers, Andre6D-
*As I said before, 3eorge. 2"t of c"riosity abo"t 6hat it is li,e to be clothed.-
*/"t yo" 6eren=t na,ed before yo" p"t them on. 1o" 6ere simplyyo"rself.-
*1es, I s"ppose I 6as,- Andre6 said noncommittally.
*I=m trying to be sympathetic. /"t for the life of me I still can=t "nderstand 6hat
yo"=re "p to, Andre6. 1o"r body is so bea"tif"lly f"nctional that it=s a do6nright shame
to cover itespecially 6hen yo" don=t need to 6orry abo"t either temperat"re control or
modesty. And the fabric doesn=t really cling properly, not on metal.-
Andre6 said, *Are not h"man bodies bea"tif"lly f"nctional, 3eorgeD 1et yo" all
cover yo"rselves.-
*+or 6armth, for cleanliness, for protection, for decorativeness. And as a
concession to social c"stom. 7one of that applies to yo".-
Andre6 said, *I feel bare 6itho"t clothes.-
*1o" doD 1o"=ve never said a 6ord abo"t that before today, so far as I ,no6. Is
this something ne6D-
*(easonably ne6.-
*A 6ee,D A monthD A yearD Ehat=s going on, Andre6D-
*It is hard for me to e<plain. I have beg"n to feeldifferent. *
*#ifferentF #ifferent from 6homD It isn=t as tho"gh a robot is any novelty any
more. Andre6, there are millions of robots on Earth no6. In this (egion, according to
the last cens"s, there are almost as many robots as there are h"mans.-
*I ,no6 that, 3eorge. &here are robots doing every conceivable ,ind of 6or,.-
*And not a single one of them 6ears clothes.-
*/"t none of them is free, 3eorge.-
*)o that=s itF 1o" feel different beca"se yo" are differentF-
*E<actly.-
*/"t to 6ear clothes-
*Ind"lge me, 3eorge. I 6ant to do this.-
3eorge let o"t his breath in a long, slo6 e<halation.
*Ehatever yo" say. 1o"=re a free robot, Andre6.-
*1es. I am.-
After his initial s,epticism 3eorge seemed to find Andre6=s vent"re into 6earing
clothes c"rio"s and am"sing. 0e cooperated by bringing him, little by little, ne6
additions to his 6ardrobe. Andre6 co"ld hardly go into to6n to p"rchase clothing
himself, and he felt ill at ease even abo"t ordering it from the comp"ter catalogs,
beca"se he ,ne6 that his name 6as 6idely ,no6n in many places ever since the co"rt
decision, and he didn=t 6ant some shipping cler, in a storeroom far a6ay to recogniAe it
on an order form and begin spreading the 6ord that the free robot 6as no6 going in for
6earing clothing.
)o 3eorge 6o"ld s"pply him 6ith the articles he reB"ested: a shirt first, then
shoes, a fine pair of gloves, a set of decorative epa"lets.
*Ehat abo"t "nder6earD- 3eorge as,ed. *)ho"ld I get yo" some of that tooD- /"t
Andre6 had no idea of the e<istence or p"rpose of "nder6ear, and 3eorge had to
e<plain it to him. Andre6 decided that he had no need of it.
0e tended to 6ear his ne6 clothes only 6hen he 6as alone at home. 0e 6as
hardly ready to go o"tdoors in them@ and even in his o6n cabin he stopped 6earing them
in the presence of others after a fe6 preliminary e<periments. 0e 6as inhibited by
3eorge=s patroniAing smile, 6hich 6ith the best 6ill in the 6orld 3eorge contin"ed to be
"nable to conceal, and by the be6ildered stares of the first fe6 c"stomers 6ho sa6 him
dressed 6hen they came to him to commission 6or,.
Andre6 might be free, b"t there 6as b"ilt into him a caref"lly detailed program
concerning his behavior to6ard h"man beings: a ne"ral channel that 6as not as po6erf"l
in its effect as the &hree La6s, b"t nevertheless 6as there to disco"rage him from giving
any sort of offense. It 6as only by the tiniest steps that he dared advance. 2pen
disapproval 6o"ld set him bac, months. It 6as an enormo"s leap for him 6hen he
finally allo6ed himself to leave his ho"se 6ith clothing on.
7o one he enco"ntered that day sho6ed any sign of s"rprise. /"t perhaps they
6ere too asto"nded even to react. And indeed even Andre6 himself still felt strange
abo"t his e<periment 6ith clothing.
0e had a mirror, no6, and he 6o"ld st"dy himself for long periods of time,
t"rning from side to side, loo,ing at himself from all angles. And sometimes he fo"nd
himself reacting 6ith disfavor to his o6n appearance. 0is metal face, 6ith its glo6ing
photoelectric eyes and its rigidly carved robotic feat"res, sometimes str"c, Andre6
himself as stri,ingly incongr"o"s no6 that it rose "p o"t of the soft, brightly colored
fabrics of clothing meant for a h"man body.
/"t at other times it seemed to him perfectly appropriate for him to be 6earing
clothing. Li,e virt"ally all robots, he had been designed, after all, to be f"ndamentally
h"manoid in shape: t6o arms, t6o legs, an oval head set "pon a narro6 nec,. &he .. ).
(obots designers had not needed to give him that form. &hey co"ld have made him loo,
any 6ay they deemed efficient6ith rotors instead of legs, 6ith si< arms instead of t6o,
6ith a s6iveling sensordome atop his tr"n, instead of a head 6ith t6o eyes. /"t no:
they had patterned him after themselves. &he decision had been made, very early in the
history of robotics, that the best 6ay to overcome man,ind=s deepseated fear of
intelligent machines 6as to ma,e them as familiar in form as possible.
In that case, 6hy sho"ld he not 6ear clothing alsoD &hat 6o"ld ma,e him loo,
even more h"man, 6o"ldn=t itD
And in any event Andre6 6anted to 6ear clothing no6. It seemed symbolic to
him of his ne6 stat"s as a legally free robot.
2f co"rse, not everyone accepted Andre6 as free, regardless of 6hat the legal
finding had been. &he term *free robot- had no meaning to many people: it 6as li,e
saying *dry 6ater- or *bright dar,ness.- Andre6 6as inherently incapable of resenting
that, and yet he felt a diffic"lty in his thin,ing processa slo6ing, an inner resistance
6henever he 6as faced 6ith someone=s ref"sal to allo6 him the stat"s he had 6on in
co"rt.
Ehen he 6ore clothing in p"blic, he ,ne6, he ris,ed antagoniAing s"ch people.
Andre6 tried to be ca"tio"s abo"t that, therefore.
7or 6as it only potentially hostile strangers 6ho had diffic"lty 6ith the idea of his
6earing clothing. Even the person 6ho most loved him in all the 6orldLittle ?iss
6as startled and, Andre6 s"spected, more than a little tro"bled by it. Andre6 sa6 that
from the very first time. Li,e her son 3eorge, Little ?iss had tried to conceal her
feelings of s"rprise and dismay at the sight of Andre6 in clothing. And, li,e 3eorge, she
had failed.
Eell, Little ?iss 6as old no6 and, li,e many old people, she had gro6n set in her
6ays. ?aybe she simply preferred him to loo, the 6ay he had loo,ed 6hen she 6as a
girl. 2r, perhaps, she might believe on some deep level that robotsall robots, even
Andre6sho"ld loo, li,e the machines that they 6ere, and therefore sho"ld not dress
li,e people.
Andre6 s"spected that if he ever sho"ld B"estion Little ?iss on that point she
6o"ld deny it, probably B"ite indignantly. /"t he had no intention of doing that. 0e
simply tended to avoid p"tting on clothesor too many of them6henever Little ?iss
came to visit him.
Ehich 6as none too often, these days, for Little ?iss 6as past seventy no66ell
past seventyand had gro6n very thin and sensitive to cold, and even the mild climate
of 7orthern California 6as too cool for her most of the year. 0er h"sband had died
several years before, and since then Little ?iss had beg"n spending m"ch of her time
traveling in the tropical parts of the 6orld0a6aii, A"stralia, Egypt, the 6armer Aones
of )o"th America, places li,e that. )he 6o"ld ret"rn to California only occasionally,
perhaps once or t6ice a year, to see 3eorge and his family and, of co"rse, Andre6.
After one of her visits 3eorge came do6n to the cabin to spea, 6ith Andre6 and
said r"ef"lly, *Eell, she=s finally got me, Andre6. I=m going to be r"nning for the
Legislat"re ne<t year. )he 6on=t give me any peace "nless I do. And I=m s"re yo" ,no6
that the +irst La6 of o"r family, and the )econd La6 and the &hird La6 as 6ell, is that
nobody says Gno= to Amanda Charney. )o there I am: a candidate. It=s my genetic
destiny, according to her. Li,e grandfather, li,e grandson, is 6hat she says.-
*Li,e grandfather-
Andre6 stopped, "ncertain.
*Ehat is it, Andre6D-
*)omething abo"t the phrase. &he idiom. ?y grammatical circ"it- 0e shoo, his
head. *Li,e grandfather, li,e grandson. &here=s no verb in the statement, b"t I ,no6 ho6
to ad;"st for that. )till-
3eorge began to la"gh. *Ehat a literalminded h"n, of tin yo" can be sometimes,
Andre6-G
*&inD-
*7ever mind abo"t that. Ehat the other e<pression meant 6as simply that I,
3eorge, the grandson, am e<pected to do 6hat )ir, the grandfather, didthat is to say, to
r"n for the (egional Legislat"re and have a long and disting"ished career. &he "s"al
e<pression is, GLi,e father, li,e son,= b"t in this case my father didn=t care to go into
politics, and so my mother has changed the old clichM so that it saysAre yo" follo6ing
all this, Andre6, or am I ;"st 6asting my breathD-
*I "nderstand no6.-
*3ood. /"t of co"rse the thing my mother doesn=t ta,e into acco"nt is that I=m
not really all that m"ch li,e my grandfather in temperament, and perhaps I=m not as
clever as he 6as, either, beca"se he had a tr"ly formidable intellect, and so there=s no
necessary reason 6hy I=d a"tomatically eB"al the record he ran "p in the Legislat"re.
&here=ll never be anyone li,e him again, I=m afraid.-
Andre6 nodded. * And ho6 sad for "s that he is no longer 6ith is. I 6o"ld find it
pleasant, 3eorge, if )ir 6ere still- 0e pa"sed, for he did not 6ant to say, *in 6or,ing
order.- 0e ,ne6 that that 6o"ld not be the appropriate e<pression to "se. And yet it 6as
the first phrase that had come into his mind.
*)till aliveD- 3eorge finished for him. *1es. 1es, it 6o"ld be good to have him
aro"nd. I have to confess I miss the old monster at least as m"ch as yo" do.-
*?onsterD-
*In a manner of spea,ing.-
*Ah. 1es. A manner of spea,ing.-
Ehen 3eorge had gone, Andre6 replayed the conversation in his mind, p"AAling
over its t6ists and t"rns and trying to see 6hy he had been so badly off balance
thro"gho"t it. It had been 3eorge=s "se of idiomatic phrases and colloB"ial lang"age,
Andre6 decided, that had ca"sed the problems.
Even after all this time, it 6as still diffic"lt sometimes for Andre6 to ,eep pace
6ith h"mans 6hen they str"c, o"t along ling"istic path6ays that 6ere something other
than the most direct ones. 0e had come into being eB"ipped 6ith an e<tensive innate
vocab"lary, a set of grammatical instr"ctions, and the ability to arrange 6ords in
intelligible combinations. And thro"gh 6hatever fl",e in his generaliAed positronic
path6ays it 6as that made Andre6=s intelligence more fle<ible and adaptable than that
of the standard robot, he had been able to develop the ,nac, of conversing easily and
gracef"lly 6ith h"mans. /"t there 6ere limits to his abilities along that line.
&he problem 6as only going to get 6orse as time 6ent along, Andre6 realiAed.
0"man lang"ages, he ,ne6, 6ere constantly in a state of fl"<. &here 6as nothing
fi<ed or really systematic abo"t them. 7e6 6ords 6ere invented all the time, old 6ords
6o"ld change their meanings, all sorts of shortlived informal e<pressions slipped into
ordinary conversation. &hat m"ch he had already had ample reason to learn, tho"gh he
had not done any ,ind of scientific investigation of the ,inds of changes that tended to
ta,e place.
&he English lang"age, 6hich 6as the one Andre6 "sed most often, had altered
tremendo"sly over the past si< h"ndred years. 7o6 and then he had loo,ed at some of
)ir=s boo,s, the 6or,s of the ancient poetsCha"cer, )penser, )ha,espeareand he had
seen that their pages 6ere sprin,led 6ith footnotes to e<plain archaic 6ord "sage to
modern readers.
Ehat if the lang"age 6ere to change ;"st as significantly in the ne<t si< h"ndred
yearsD 0o6 6as he going to be able to comm"nicate 6ith the h"man beings aro"nd him,
"nless he ,ept "p 6ith the changesD
Already, in one brief conversation, 3eorge had baffled him three times. *Li,e
grandfather, li,e grandson.- 0o6 simple that seemed no6 that 3eorge had e<plained it
b"t ho6 mysterio"s it had been at first.
And 6hy had 3eorge called him a *h"n, of tin,- 6hen 3eorge s"rely ,ne6 that
there 6as no tin in Andre6=s ma,e"p 6hatsoeverD Andit 6as the most p"AAling one of
all6hy sho"ld 3eorge have called )ir a *monster,- 6hen that 6as plainly not an
appropriate description of the old manD
&hose 6ere not even the latest modern phrases, Andre6 ,ne6. &hey 6ere simply
individ"al t"rns of phrase, a little too colloB"ial or metaphorical for instant handling by
Andre6=s ling"istic circ"itry. 0e 6o"ld face far more mystifying 6ays of speech in the
o"tside 6orld, he s"spected.
!erhaps it 6as time for him to "pdate some of his ling"istic doc"mentation.
0is o6n boo,s 6o"ld give him no g"idance. &hey 6ere old and most of them
dealt 6ith 6ood6or,ing, 6ith art, 6ith f"rnit"re design. &here 6ere none on lang"age,
none on the 6ays of h"man beings. 7or 6as )ir=s library, e<tensive as it 6as, li,ely to
be of m"ch "se. 7o one 6as living in the big ho"se ;"st no6it 6as sealed, "nder robot
maintenanceb"t Andre6 still co"ld have access to it 6henever he 6anted. 7early all of
)ir=s boo,s, tho"gh, dated from the previo"s cent"ry or before. &here 6as nothing there
that 6o"ld serve Andre6=s p"rpose.
All things considered, the best move seemed to be for him to get some "ptodate
informationand not from 3eorge. Ehen Andre6 t"rned to 3eorge at the time he had
6anted to start 6earing clothing, he had had to fight his 6ay thro"gh 3eorge=s
incomprehension and a certain amo"nt of 3eorge=s condescending am"sement. &ho"gh
he do"bted that 3eorge 6o"ld treat him the same 6ay in this matter, he preferred not to
find o"t.
7o, he 6o"ld simply go to to6n and "se the p"blic library. &hat 6as the proper
selfreliant thing to dothe correct 6ay for a free robot to handle a problem, he told
himself. It 6as a tri"mphant decision and Andre6 felt his electropotential gro6
distinctly higher as he contemplated it, "ntil he had to thro6 in an impedance coil to
bring himself bac, to eB"ilibri"m.
&o the library, yes.
And he 6o"ld dress for the occasion. 1es. 1es. 0"mans did not enter the p"blic
library "nclothed. 7either 6o"ld he.
0e p"t on a f"ll cost"meelegant leggings of a velvety p"rple fabric, and a
flo6ing red blo"se 6ith a satiny sheen, and his best 6al,ing boots. 0e even donned a
sho"lder chain of polished 6ooden lin,s, one of his finest prod"ctions. It 6as a choice
bet6een that and another chain he had, one made of glitterplastic, 6hich perhaps 6as
better s"ited for daytime 6ear@ b"t 3eorge had said that the 6ooden chain 6as terribly
impressive, partic"larly since anything made of 6ood 6as far more val"able than mere
plastic. And he 6anted to impress, today. &here 6o"ld be h"mans in the library, not
robots. &hey 6o"ld never have seen a robot there before. It 6as important for him to
loo, his best.
/"t he ,ne6 that he 6as doing something "n"s"al and that there might be "n"s"al
conseB"ences. If 3eorge dropped by "ne<pectedly, he 6o"ld be s"rprised to find
Andre6 gone, and he might be tro"bled by that.
Andre6 had placed a h"ndred feet bet6een himself and the ho"se before he felt
resistance gathering 6ithin himself and rapidly reaching the level that 6o"ld bring him
to a halt. 0e shifted the impedance coil o"t of circ"it, and 6hen that did not seem to
ma,e m"ch difference, he ret"rned to his home and on a piece of paper 6rote neatly:
I 0ACE 327E &2 &0E LI/(A(1.
Andre6 ?artin
and placed it in clear vie6 on his 6or,table.
ELECE7
A7#(EE 7ECE( J.I&E ?A#E I& to the library that day. 0e had never been there
beforehe rarely had reason to vent"re into the little to6n a short 6ay do6n the road
from the ?artin estateb"t he had not e<pected that to be any problem. 0e had st"died
the map 6ith great care. And therefore he ,ne6 the ro"te, or so he believed.
/"t everything he sa6, once he 6as more than a short distance from the ho"se,
seemed strange to him. &he act"al landmar,s along the road did not resemble the
abstract symbols on the map, not to his 6ay of thin,ing. 0e hesitated again and again,
comparing the things he 6as seeing o"t here 6ith the things he had e<pected to see, and
after he had been 6al,ing for a little 6hile he realiAed that he 6as lost, that he m"st have
ta,en a 6rong t"rn some6here 6itho"t noticing it and co"ld no longer relate his position
to anything on the map.
Ehat to do no6D 3o bac, and start againD 2r ,eep on in this direction, and hope
that his path 6o"ld someho6 lin, "p 6ith the proper ro"teD
&he most efficient thing, Andre6 decided, 6as to as, someone for directions. It
might be that he co"ld regain the direction he 6anted 6ith relatively little effort.
/"t 6ho 6as there to as,D Closer to the ho"se he had seen an occasional field
robot, b"t there 6ere none in sight here. A vehicle passed, b"t did not stop. !erhaps
another one 6o"ld come by soon. 0e stood irresol"te, 6hich meant calmly motionless@
and then he sa6 t6o h"man beings 6al,ing diagonally across the field that lay to his
left.
0e t"rned to face them.
&hey sa6 him, and changed co"rse so that no6 they 6ere heading in his direction.
&hey changed their demeanor, too. A moment before, they had been tal,ing lo"dly,
la"ghing and 6hooping, their voices carrying far across the fieldb"t no6 they had
fallen silent. &heir faces bore the loo, that Andre6 associated 6ith h"man "ncertainty.
&hey 6ere yo"ng, b"t not very yo"ng, t6enty, perhapsD t6entyfiveD Andre6 had
never been very good at ;"dging the age of h"mans.
0e said, 6hen they 6ere still some distance a6ay, *!ardon me, sirs. Eo"ld yo"
,indly describe to me the ro"te to the to6n libraryD-
&hey halted and stared.
2ne of them, the taller and thinner of the t6o, 6ho 6as 6earing a tall narro6
blac, hat that loo,ed li,e a length of pipe and e<tended his height still f"rther, almost
grotesB"ely, saidnot to Andre6, b"t to the other-I thin, it=s a robot.-
*I thin, yo"=re right,- said the other, 6ho 6as short and pl"mp, and had a b"lbo"s
nose and heavy eyelids. *It=s got a robot ,ind of face, doesn=t itD-
*It certainly does. #efinitely a robot ,ind of face.-
*/"t it=s 6earing clothes.-
*Cery fancy clothes too.-
*Imagine that. A robot 6earing fancy clothesF Ehat 6ill they thin, of ne<tD-
*!ardon me, sirs,- Andre6 said again. *I am in need of assistance. I have been
trying to locate the to6n library, b"t I seem to have lost my 6ay.-
*)pea,s ;"st li,e a robot,- the taller one said.
*3ot a face ;"st li,e a robot,- said the other.
*&hen it m"st be a robot.-
*1o"=d thin, so, 6o"ldn=t yo"D-
*/"t he=s 6earing clothes.-
*Clothes. Absol"tely. &here=s no denying the tr"th of that, is thereD-
*(obots don=t 6ear clothes, do theyD-
*7ot that I ,no6 of.-
*If it=s 6earing clothes, do yo" thin, it can be a robotD-
*It=s got a metal face. ?etal everything. /"t if it=s a robot, 6hy is it 6earing
clothesD-
&he taller one snapped his fingers. *1o" ,no6 6hat 6e have hereD It=s the free
robot. &here=s a robot that lives at the old Charney place that isn=t o6ned by anybody,
and I bet this is the one. Ehy else 6o"ld it be 6earing clothesD-
*As, it,- said the one 6ith the nose.
*3ood idea,- said the other. 0e too, a fe6 steps to6ard Andre6 and said, * Are
yo" the robot from the Charney placeD-
*I am Andre6 ?artin, sir,- said Andre6.
*!retty snotty ,ind of robot, aren=t yo"D- the tall one said. *3ive me a direct
ans6er 6hen I as, yo" a B"estion.-
*&he place 6here I live is the ?artin estate, 6hich is o6ned by the Charney
family. It 6as formerly the home of ?r. 3erald ?artin. &herefore my name is Andre6
?artin.-
*1o"=re a robot, rightD-
*2f co"rse I am, sir.-
*&hen 6hy are yo" 6earing clothesD (obots don=t 6ear clothes, do theyD-
*I 6ear clothes 6hen I choose to 6ear them,- said Andre6 B"ietly.
*&hat=s disg"sting. 1o"=re a hideo"s spectacle dec,ed o"t li,e that, do yo" ,no6
thatD Absol"tely hideo"s. A robot 6earing clothesF Eho ever heard of thatD- 0e glanced
at his companion. *0ave yo" ever seen anything so disg"stingD- And to Andre6 he said,
*&a,e off yo"r clothes.-
Andre6 hesitated. 0e hadn=t heard an order in that tone of voice in so long that
his )econd La6 circ"its had momentarily ;ammed.
&he tall one said, *Eell, 6hat are yo" 6aiting forD I told yo" to ta,e off yo"r
clothes, didn=t ID I order yo" to ta,e off yo"r clothesF-
)lo6ly, Andre6 began to obey. 0e "nfastened his sho"lder chain and set it do6n
caref"lly on the gro"nd. &hen he removed his satiny blo"se and folded it 6ith great care
so that it 6o"ld not loo, cr"mpled 6hen he p"t it on again. 0e placed it on the gro"nd
ne<t to the chain.
*+aster,- said the tall one. *#on=t bother folding yo"r things. I"st drop them, yo"
hearD 3et everything off. Everything.-
Andre6 "nfastened the velvety leggings. 0e removed the elegant boots.
&he nose said, *Eell, at least he follo6s orders.-
*0e has to. Every robot does. &here isn=t any t6o 6ays abo"t it. +ollo6ing orders
is b"ilt right into them. 1o" say, G3o ;"mp in the la,e,= and they ;"mp. 1o" say, G/ring
me a plate of stra6berries,= and it goes right o"t and finds yo" some stra6berries
some6here, even if it=s the 6rong time of year.-
*)o"nds li,e a good deal, having something li,e that aro"nd.-
*1o" bet it is. I=ve al6ays 6ondered 6hat it 6o"ld be li,e to have a robot of my
o6n. 0aven=t yo"D-
&he tall one shr"gged. *Eho co"ld afford itD-
*&his one=s real available. If it doesn=t belong to anyone, he co"ld be o"rs as
m"ch as somebody else=s. Ee ;"st have to tell him that he belongs to "s. ?a,e it an
order, don=t yo" seeD-
&he tall one blin,ed. *0eyF &hat=s rightF-
*Ee=ll ma,e him r"n errands for "s. #o all sorts of ;obs. Anything 6e li,e, it=ll
have to do. And nobody can stop "s. It isn=t as if 6e=re stealing anybody=s property. 0e
isn=t anybody=s property.-
*/"t 6hat if someone else tries to ta,e him from "s the same 6ayD-
*Ee=ll give him an order that says he can=t go off 6ith anybody else,- said the
nose.
&he tall one fro6ned. *I=m not s"re that 6o"ld 6or,. If he has to obey orders
from h"mans, he=ll have to obey orders from anybody else ;"st the same as he does o"rs,
rightD-
*Eell-
*Let=s 6orry abo"t that later. 0eyF yo"F 1o", robotF )tand on yo"r headF-
*&he head is not meant- Andre6 began.
*I said, stand on yo"r head. &hat=s an order. If yo" don=t ,no6 ho6 to stand on
yo"r head, this is a good moment to start learning the 6ay it=s done.-
Andre6 hesitated again. &hen he bent his head to6ard the gro"nd and p"t his
arms o"t so that they 6o"ld bear his 6eight 0e attempted to lift his legs. /"t there 6as
nothing in his circ"itry to eB"ip Andre6 for dealing easily 6ith s"ch an inverted
position, and he lost his balance almost at once. 0e toppled and fell heavily to the
gro"nd, landing on his bac,. +or a moment he lay still, str"ggling to sha,e off the effects
of his fall, before starting slo6ly to rise.
*7o,- the tall one said. *I"st stay do6n there. And don=t ma,e a so"nd.- &o the
other he said, *I bet yo" 6e co"ld ta,e him apart and p"t him bac, together again. 1o"
ever ta,e a robot apartD-
*7o. yo"D-
*7ever. /"t I al6ays 6anted to.-
*1o" thin, he=ll let "sD-
*0o6 can he stop "sD-
Indeed there 6as no 6ay at all that Andre6 6as able to stop them, if they ordered
him not to resist in a forcef"l eno"gh manner. &he )econd La6obedience to h"mans
6o"ld al6ays ta,e precedence over the &hird La6 of selfpreservation. In any case, it
6as impossible for him to defend himself against them 6itho"t r"nning the ris, of
h"rting them, and that 6o"ld mean brea,ing the +irst La6. At that tho"ght every motile
"nit in him contracted slightly and Andre6 began to B"iver as he lay stretched f"ll
length on the gro"nd.
&he tall one 6al,ed over and shoved at him 6ith the tip of his boot.
*0e=s heavy. And I thin, 6e=re going to need tools to do the ;ob.-
/"lbo"snose said, *Ehat if 6e can=t p"t him bac, the right 6ay again
after6ardD-
*Ehat of itD-
*&hen 6e=ve 6asted a perfectly good robot that 6e co"ld have "sed for all sorts of
other things. I thin, 6hat 6e o"ght to do is order him to ta,e himself apart. 0e=s got to
,no6 the right 6ay of doing it. It 6o"ld be f"n to 6atch him try, anyho6. And then 6e
can assemble him again.-
*(ight,- said the tall one tho"ghtf"lly. */"t let=s get him off the road. If someone
happens to come along-
It 6as too late. )omeone had indeed come along and it 6as 3eorge. +rom 6here
he lay, Andre6 co"ld see him topping a small rise in the middle distance. 0e 6o"ld have
li,ed to signal for help. /"t the last order he had received 6as, *#on=t ma,e a so"nd,-
and he 6as bo"nd by that "ntil co"ntermanded by its giver or some other h"man being.
3eorge 6as loo,ing this 6ay, tho"gh. And no6 he 6as brea,ing into a trot. In
another fe6 moments he 6as there, some6hat 6inded, standing at Andre6=s side
loo,ing do6n at him in dismay.
&he t6o yo"ng men stepped bac, a little and 6aited, fro6ning, glancing
"ncertainly at each other.
3eorge said an<io"sly, *Andre6, has anything gone 6rong 6ith yo"D-
Andre6 said, *I am B"ite 6ell, 3eorge.-
*Ehy are yo" lying on the gro"nd li,e that, thenD Can=t yo" get "pD-
*I 6o"ld have no diffic"lty in doing that, if yo" 6ished me to,- Andre6 said.
*&hen do itF #on=t ;"st lie thereF-
Andre6 arose, gratef"lly, 6hen he heard the order.
3eorge said, * And 6hy are yo"r clothes scattered aro"nd all over the placeD 0o6
come yo"=re not 6earing themD Ehat=s been going on hereD-
&he tall yo"ng man said, *&hat yo"r robot, ?acD-
3eorge t"rned sharply. *0e=s no one=s robot. 0ave yo" t6o been playing games
6ith himD-
*Eell, 6e tho"ght it 6as pretty 6eird that a robot 6o"ld be 6earing clothes. )o
6e politely as,ed him to ta,e them off. Ehat=s that to yo" if yo" don=t o6n himD-
3eorge said, *Eere they trying to harm yo", Andre6D-
Andre6 said, *It 6as their intention in some 6ay to dismember me. &hey 6ere
abo"t to move me to a B"iet spot and reB"ire me to dismember myself.-
3eorge loo,ed at the t6o yo"ng men. 0e 6as attempting to appear fearless and
bold even tho"gh he 6as o"tn"mbered, b"t Andre6 sa6 his chin tremble.
*Is this tr"eD- 3eorge as,ed them sternly.
&he t6o had evidently also noticed 3eorge=s obvio"s discomfort, tho"gh, and
plainly they had beg"n to decide that he represented no serio"s threat to them. 3eorge
6as no longer a yo"ng man. 0is children 6ere gro6n, no6, old eno"gh so that his son
!a"l had ;oined the family la6 firm. 3eorge=s r"sset hair had t"rned gray and his
chee,s6itho"t their flaring side6his,ers, no66ere the soft pin, chee,s of a
sedentary man. 0e 6as hardly li,ely to p"t "p m"ch of a fight, no matter ho6 fierce his
manner might seem. As the t6o too, note of that, their manner changed, becoming less
6ary and more confident.
&he tall one said lightly, 6ith a smir, on his face, *Ee 6anted to see ho6 he=d go
abo"t it, yes. Especially ho6 he 6as going to manage things to6ard the end, 6hen he
only had one arm still attached.-
*1o" have a pec"liar 6ay of am"sing yo"rselves.-
*Is that any b"siness of yo"rsD-
*As a matter of fact, it is.-
&he tall one la"ghed. * And 6hat are yo" going to do abo"t it, p"dgyD /eat "s
"pD-
*7o,- 3eorge said. *I don=t have to. &his robot has been 6ith my family for over
seventy years, are yo" a6are of thatD 0e ,no6s "s and he val"es "s more than he val"es
anyone else in the 6orld. Ehat I=m going to do is tell him that yo" t6o have been
threatening my life, that yo"=re planning to ,ill me. I=ll as, him to defend me. 0e=ll have
to choose bet6een my life and yo"rs, and I ,no6 very 6ell 6hich choice he=s going to
ma,e. #o yo" ,no6 ho6 strong a robot isD #o yo" ,no6 6hat=s going to happen to
yo" 6hen Andre6 attac,s yo"D-
*0ey, 6ait a second- the b"lbo"snosed one said. 0e loo,ed tro"bled again,
no6. )o did the other. &hey 6ere both beginning to bac, a6ay a little.
3eorge said sharply, *Andre6, I am in direct personal danger. &hese t6o yo"ng
men are abo"t to ca"se me harm. I order yo" to move to6ard themF-
Andre6 obediently too, a co"ple of steps for6ard, tho"gh he 6ondered 6hat he
6o"ld be able to do by 6ay of defending 3eorge beyond that. In s"dden inspiration he
bro"ght his arms "p into 6hat co"ld perhaps have been interpreted as a menacing
position. If the 6hole idea 6as simply to have him seem formidable, 6ell, he 6o"ld
ma,e himself loo, as formidable as he co"ld.
0e held the fierce pose. 0is photoelectric eyes glo6ed their strongest shade of
red. 0is bare metallic form gleamed in the s"nlight.
&he t6o yo"ng men didn=t choose to stay aro"nd to see 6hat 6as going to happen
ne<t. &hey too, off across the field as fast as they co"ld r"n, and it 6as only 6hen they
6ere something li,e a h"ndred meters a6ay and felt that they had reached a safe place
that they t"rned and glared bac,, sha,ing their fists and yelling angry c"rses.
Andre6 too, a fe6 more steps in their direction. &hey s6"ng aro"nd and sped
a6ay over the top of the hill. Eithin moments they 6ere do6n the far side and o"t of
sight.
Even no6, Andre6 remained in his post"re of threat.
*All right, Andre6, yo" can rela<,- said 3eorge. 0e 6as sha,ing and his face 6as
pale and s6eaty. 0e loo,ed very m"ch "nstr"ng. 3eorge 6as 6ell past the age 6here he
co"ld comfortably face the possibility of a physical confrontation 6ith one yo"ng man,
let alone t6o of them at once.
Andre6 said, *It is ;"st as 6ell that they ran a6ay. 1o" ,no6 that I co"ld never
have h"rt them, 3eorge. I co"ld plainly see that they 6eren=t attac,ing yo".-
*/"t they might have, if things had gone on any f"rther.-
*&hat is only a spec"lation. In my ;"dgment, 3eorge-
*1es. I ,no6. ?ost li,ely they=d never have had the g"ts to raise a hand against
me. /"t in any case I didn=t order yo" to attac, them. I only told yo" to move to6ard
them. &heir o6n fears did all the rest. &hat and that priAefighter stance that yo" 6ere
clever eno"gh to adopt.-
*/"t ho6 co"ld they possibly fear robotsD &he +irst La6 ins"res that a robot
co"ld never-
*+ear of robots is a disease that m"ch of man,ind has, and there doesn=t really
seem to be any c"re for itnot yet, at any rate. /"t never mind that. &hey=re gone and
yo"=re still in one piece and that=s all that matters right no6. Ehat I=d li,e to ,no6,
tho"gh, is 6hat the devil 6ere yo" doing here in the first place, Andre6D-
*I 6as going to the library.-
*1es. I ,no6 that. I fo"nd the note yo" left. /"t this isn=t the 6ay to the library.
&he library=s bac, there, in to6n. And 6hen I phoned the library the librarian said yo"
hadn=t been there, that she hadn=t heard a thing from yo". I 6ent o"t loo,ing for yo" on
the library road and there 6asn=t any sign of yo" there, and nobody I met along the 6ay
to to6n had seen yo" either. )o I ,ne6 yo" 6ere lost. As a matter of fact, yo"=ve gotten
yo"rself t"rned aro"nd by 1R$ degrees.-
*I s"spected that there 6as some error in my directional plan,- Andre6 said.
*&here certainly 6as. I 6as ;"st abo"t ready to order a s,ysearch scan for yo", do
yo" ,no6 thatD And then it occ"rred to me that yo" might have 6andered over this 6ay,
someho6. Ehat 6ere yo" doing going to the library any6ay, Andre6D )ometimes yo"
get the strangest ideas into yo"r head. 1o" ,no6 that I=d be happy to bring yo" any boo,
yo" needed.-
*1es, I ,no6 that, 3eorge. /"t I am a-
*+ree robot. 1es. 1es. Eith every right to pic, himself "p and march off to to6n
to "se the library, if that=s 6hat he 6ants to do, even tho"gh his e<traordinary robotic
intelligence is mysterio"sly incapable of ,eeping him on the right road. And 6hat 6as it,
may I as,, that yo" 6anted to get at the libraryD-
*A boo, on modern lang"age.-
*Are yo" planning to give "p 6ood6or,ing for ling"istics, Andre6D-
*I feel inadeB"ate in regard to speech.-
*/"t yo" have a fantastic command of the lang"ageF 1o"r vocab"lary, yo"r
grammar-
*&he lang"ageits metaphors, its colloB"ialisms, even its grammarconstantly
changes, 3eorge. ?y programming does not. If I don=t "pdate myself, I 6ill be almost
"nable to comm"nicate 6ith h"man beings in another fe6 generations.-
*Eellperhaps yo" have a point there.-
*)o I m"st st"dy the patterns of ling"istic change. And many other things as
6ell.- )"ddenly Andre6 heard himself saying, *3eorge, I feel it=s important that I get to
,no6 m"ch more abo"t h"man beings, abo"t the 6orld, abo"t everything. I have lived
s"ch an isolated life all these years, in o"r bea"tif"l estate here on this little secl"ded
strip of coast. &he 6orld beyond my o6n doorstep is a mystery to me, really. and I
need to ,no6 more abo"t robots also, 3eorge. I 6ant to 6rite a boo, abo"t them.-
*A boo,,- 3eorge said, so"nding p"AAled. * Abo"t robots. A man"al of designD-
*7ot at all. A history of their development is 6hat I have in mind.-
*Ah,- 3eorge said, nodding and fro6ning at the same time. *Eell, then. Let=s
6al, home, shall 6eD-
*2f co"rse. ?ay I p"t my clothes on or shall I simply carry themD-
*!"t them on. /y all means.-
*&han, yo".-
Andre6 dressed B"ic,ly and he and 3eorge began to 6al, bac, "p the road.
*1o" 6ant to 6rite a boo, on the history of robotics,- 3eorge said, as if revolving
the concept in his mind. */"t 6hy, Andre6D &here are a million boo,s on robotics
already and at least half a million of them go into the history of the robot concept. &he
6orld is gro6ing sat"rated not only 6ith robots b"t 6ith information abo"t robots.-
Andre6 shoo, his head, a h"man gest"re that he had lately beg"n to ma,e more
and more freB"ently. *7ot a history of robotics, 3eorge. A history of robotsby a robot.
)"rely no s"ch boo, has ever been 6ritten. I 6ant to e<plain ho6 robots feel abo"t
themselves. And especially abo"t ho6 it has been for "s in o"r relationships 6ith h"man
beings, ever since the first robots 6ere allo6ed to 6or, and live on Earth.-
3eorge=s eyebro6s lifted. /"t he offered no other direct response.
&EELCE
LI&&LE ?I)) 6as ma,ing one of her periodic visits to her family=s California estate.
)he had reached her eightythird birthday and she seemed frail as a bird these days. /"t
there 6as nothing abo"t her that 6as lac,ing in either energy or determination. &ho"gh
she carried a cane, she "sed it more often to gest"re 6ith than she did for s"pport.
)he listened to the story of Andre6=s "nhappy attempt to reach the library in a
f"ry of mo"nting indignation. At the end she tapped her cane vehemently against the
floor and said, *3eorge, that=s absol"tely horrible. Eho 6ere those t6o yo"ng r"ffians,
any6ayD-
*I don=t ,no6, ?other.-
*&hen yo" sho"ld ma,e it yo"r b"siness to find o"t.-
*Ehat difference does it ma,eD I"st a co"ple of local hooligans, I s"ppose. &he
"s"al idling foolish ,ids. In the end they didn=t do any damage.-
*/"t they might have. If yo" hadn=t come along 6hen yo" did, they co"ld have
ca"sed serio"s harm to Andre6. And even 6hen yo" did come along, yo" might 6ell
have been physically attac,ed yo"rself. &he only thing that saved yo" from that, it
seems, is that they 6ere so st"pid that they failed to realiAe that Andre6 6o"ldn=t be
able to harm them even at yo"r direct order.-
*(eally, ?other. #o yo" thin, they 6o"ld have to"ched meD !eople attac,ing an
absol"te stranger on a co"ntry roadD In the &6enty&hird Cent"ryD-
*Eellperhaps not. /"t Andre6 6as certainly in danger. And that=s something 6e
can=t allo6. 1o" ,no6 that I regard Andre6 as a member of o"r family, 3eorge.-
*1es, of co"rse. )o do I. Ee al6ays have.-
*&hen 6e can=t permit a co"ple of moronic yo"ng lo"ts to treat him li,e some
,ind of disposable 6ind"p toy, can 6eD-
*Ehat 6o"ld yo" have me do, ?otherD- as,ed 3eorge.
*1o"=re a la6yer, aren=t yo"D !"t yo"r legal training to some good "se, thenF
Listen to me: I 6ant yo" to set "p a test case, someho6, that 6ill force the (egional
Co"rt to declare for robot rights, and then get the (egional Legislat"re to pass the
necessary enabling bills, and if there are any political problems yo" carry the 6hole
thing to the Eorld Co"rt, if yo" have to. I=ll be 6atching, 3eorge, and I=ll tolerate no
shir,ing. *
*?other, didn=t yo" say ;"st a short 6hile ago that 6hat yo" 6anted most in the
6orld for me 6as that I r"n for the seat that 3randfather held in the Legislat"reD-
*1es, of co"rse. /"t 6hat does that have to do 6ith-
*And no6 yo" 6ant me to la"nch a controversial campaign for robot rights.
(obots can=t vote, ?other. /"t there are plenty of h"man beings 6ho do, and a lot of
them aren=t as fond of robots as yo" are. #o yo" ,no6 6hat 6ill happen to my
candidacy if the main thing that people ,no6 abo"t me is that I 6as the la6yer 6ho
forced the Legislat"re to pass robotrights la6sD-
*)oD-
*Ehich is more important to yo", ?otherD &hat I get elected to the Legislat"re, or
that I get myself involved 6ith this test case of yo"rsD-
*&he test case, nat"rally,- said Little ?iss at once.
3eorge nodded. * All right. I ;"st 6anted to ma,e s"re 6e had things perfectly
clear. I=ll go o"t there and fight for civil rights for robots, if that=s 6hat yo" 6ant me to
do. /"t it=s going to be the end of my political career even before my political career has
beg"n, and yo" have to realiAe that.-
*2f co"rse I realiAe that, 3eorge. 1o" may find that yo"=re mista,enI don=t
,no6b"t in any case, the main thing is that I 6ant Andre6 to be protected against a
repetition of this br"tal incident. +irst and foremost that is 6hat I 6ant.-
*Eell, then,- said 3eorge. *&hat=s 6hat I=ll see that yo" get, ?other. 1o" can
co"nt on it *
0e began his campaign right a6ay. And 6hat had beg"n simply as a 6ay of
placating the fearsome old lady s6iftly t"rned into the fight of his life.
3eorge Charney had never really yearned for a seat in the Legislat"re, any6ay. )o
he 6as able to tell himself that he 6as off that hoo,, no6 that his mother had decided
that he sho"ld be a civilrights cr"sader instead. And the la6yer in him 6as fascinated
by the challenge. &here 6ere deep and profo"nd legal implications to the campaign that
called for the most caref"l analysis and calc"lation.
As senior partner of +eingold and Charney, 3eorge plotted m"ch of the strategy,
b"t left the act"al 6or, of research and filing papers to his ;"nior partners. 0e placed his
o6n son !a"l, 6ho had become a member of the firm three years before, in charge of
piloting the daybyday mane"vers. !a"l had the additional responsibility of ma,ing
d"tif"l progress reports virt"ally every day to his grandmother. )he, in t"rn, disc"ssed
the campaign every day 6ith Andre6.
Andre6 6as deeply involved. 0e had beg"n 6or, on his boo, on robotshe 6as
going bac, to the very beginning, to La6rence (obertson and the fo"nding of .nited
)tates (obots and ?echanical ?enb"t he p"t the pro;ect aside, no6, and spent his time
poring over the mo"nting stac,s of legal doc"ments. 0e even, at times, offered a fe6
very different s"ggestions of his o6n.
&o Little ?iss he said, *3eorge told me the day those t6o men 6ere harassing me
that h"man beings have al6ays been afraid of robots. G A disease of man,ind,= is 6hat he
called it. As long as that is the case, it seems to me that the co"rts and the legislat"res
aren=t li,ely to do very m"ch on behalf of robots. (obots have no political po6er, after
all, and people do. )ho"ldn=t something be done abo"t changing the h"man attit"de
to6ard robots, thenD-
*If only 6e co"ld.-
*Ee have to try,- Andre6 said. *3eorge has to try.-
*1es,- said Little ?iss. *0e does, doesn=t heD-
)o 6hile !a"l stayed in co"rt, it 6as 3eorge 6ho too, to the p"blic platform. 0e
gave himself "p entirely to the tas, of campaigning for the civil rights of robots, p"tting
all of his time and energy into it.
3eorge had al6ays been a good spea,er, easy and informal, and no6 he became a
familiar fig"re at conventions of la6yers and teachers and holone6s editors, and on
every opinion sho6 on the p"blic air6aves, setting forth the case for robot rights 6ith an
eloB"ence that gre6 steadily 6ith e<perience.
&he more time 3eorge spent on p"blic platforms and in the comm"nications
st"dios, the more rela<ed and yet commanding a fig"re he became. 0e allo6ed his side
6his,ers to gro6 again, and s6ept his hair6hite, no6bac,6ard in a grandiose pl"me.
0e even ind"lged in the ne6 style of clothing that some of the best,no6n video
commentators 6ere going in for, the loose, flo6ing style ,no6n as *drapery.- Eearing it
made him feel li,e a 3ree, philosopher, he said, or li,e a member of the ancient (oman
)enate.
!a"l Charney, 6ho 6as generally a good deal more conservative in his 6ays than
his father, 6arned him the first time he sa6 his father rigged o"t li,e that: *I"st ta,e care
not to trip over it on stage, #ad@-
GGI=ll try not to,- said 3eorge.
&he essence of his prorobot arg"ment 6as this:
*If, by virt"e of the )econd La6, 6e can demand of any robot "nlimited
obedience in all respects not involving harm to a h"man being, then any h"man being,
any h"man being at all, has a fearsome po6er over any robot, any robot. In partic"lar,
since )econd La6 overrides &hird La6, any h"man being can "se the la6 of obedience
to defeat the la6 of selfprotection. 0e can order the robot to damage itself or even
destroy itself for any reason, or for no reason 6hatsoeverp"rely on 6him alone.
*Let "s leave the B"estion of property rights o"t of the disc"ssion here tho"gh it
is not a trivial oneand approach the iss"e simply on the level of sheer h"man decency.
Imagine someone approaching a robot he happens to enco"nter on the road and ordering
it, for no reason other than his o6n am"sement, to remove its o6n limbs, or to do some
other grave in;"ry to itself. 2r let "s say that the robot=s o6ner himself, in a moment of
piB"e or boredom or fr"stration, gives s"ch an order.
*Is this ;"stD Eo"ld 6e treat an animal li,e thatD And an animal, mind yo", might
at least have the capacity to defend itself. /"t 6e have made o"r robots inherently
"nable to lift a hand against a h"man being.
*Even an inanimate ob;ect 6hich has given "s good service has a claim on o"r
consideration. And a robot is far from insensible@ it is not a simple machine and it is not
an animal. It can thin, 6ell eno"gh to enable it to spea, 6ith "s, reason 6ith "s, ;o,e
6ith "s. ?any of "s 6ho have lived and 6or,ed 6ith robots all o"r lives have come to
regard them as friends virt"ally as members of o"r families, I dare say. Ee have deep
respect for them, even affection. Is it as,ing too m"ch to 6ant to give o"r robot friends
the formal protection of la6D
*If a man has the right to give a robot any order that does not involve doing harm
to a h"man being, he sho"ld have the decency never to give a robot any order that
involves doing harm to a robot"nless h"man safety absol"tely reB"ires s"ch action.
Certainly a robot sho"ld not lightly be as,ed to do p"rposeless harm to itself. Eith great
po6er goes great responsibility. If the robots have the &hree La6s to protect h"mans, is
it too m"ch to as, that h"mans s"b;ect themselves to a la6 or t6o for the sa,e of
protecting robotsD-
&here 6as, of co"rse, another side to the iss"eand the spo,esman for that side
6as none other than Iames Can /"ren, the la6yer 6ho had opposed Andre6=s original
petition for freerobot stat"s in the (egional Co"rt. 0e 6as old, no6, b"t still vigoro"s, a
po6erf"l advocate of traditional social beliefs. In his calm, balanced, reasonable 6ay,
Can /"ren 6as once again a forcef"l spea,er on behalf of those 6ho denied that robots
co"ld in any 6ay be considered 6orthy of having *rights.-
0e said, *2f co"rse I hold no brief for vandals 6ho 6o"ld 6antonly destroy a
robot that does not belong to them, or order it to destroy itself. &hat is a civil offense,
p"re and simple, 6hich can readily be p"nished thro"gh the "s"al legal channels. Ee no
more need a special la6 to cover s"ch cases than 6e need a specific la6 that says it is
6rong for people to smash the 6indo6s of other people=s ho"ses. &he general la6 of the
sanctity of property provides s"fficient protection.
*/"t a la6 preventing one from destroying one=s o6n robotD Ah, no6 6e vent"re
into very different areas of thin,ing. I have robots in my o6n la6 office, and it 6o"ld no
more occ"r to me to destroy one than it 6o"ld for me to ta,e an a<e to a des,. )till, is
there anyone 6ho 6o"ld arg"e that I sho"ld be stripped of the right to do as I please
6ith my o6n robots, or my o6n des,s, or any other article of office f"rnit"re that I may
o6nD Can the )tate, in its infinite 6isdom, come into my office and say, G7o, Iames Can
/"ren, yo" m"st be ,ind to yo"r des,s, and spare them from in;"ry. Li,e6ise yo"r filing
cabinets: they m"st be treated 6ith respect, they m"st be treated as friends. And the
same applies, nat"rally, to yo"r robots. In no 6ay, Iames Can /"ren, may yo" place the
robots yo" o6n in ;eopardy.= *
Can /"ren 6o"ld pa"se, then, and smile in his calm and reasonable 6ay, letting
everyone ,no6 that this 6as strictly a hypothetical e<ample, that in fact he 6as not the
sort of man 6ho 6o"ld do in;"ry to anyone or anything.
And then he 6o"ld say, *I can hear 3eorge Charney replying that a robot is
f"ndamentally different from a des, or a filing cabinet, that a robot is intelligent and
responsive, that robots sho"ld be regarded virt"ally as h"man. And I 6o"ld reply to him
that he is mista,en, that he is so bem"sed by affection for the robot that his o6n family
has ,ept for many decades that he has lost sight of 6hat robots really are.
*&hey are machines, my friends. &hey are tools. &hey are appliances. Ehat they
are is mere mechanical contrivances, neither more nor less deserving of legal protection
than any other inanimate ob;ect. 1es, I said inanimate. &hey can spea,, yes. &hey can
thin,, in their o6n rigid preprogrammed 6ay. /"t 6hen yo" pric, a robot, does it bleedD
If yo" tic,le one, 6ill it la"ghD (obots have hands and senses, yes, beca"se 6e have
constr"cted them that 6ay, b"t do they have tr"e h"man affections and passionsD 0ardly.
0ardlyF And therefore let "s not conf"se machines made in the image of man,ind 6ith
living things.
*And I m"st point o"t, too, that h"manity in this cent"ry has become dependent
on robot labor. &here are more robots in the 6orld than there are people, no6, and in the
main they do the ;obs that none of "s 6o"ld be 6illing to to"ch. &hey have freed
h"manity from dreary dr"dgery and degradation. &o conf"se the robot iss"e 6ith the
ancient debates over slavery and the later debates over freedom for those slaves and the
still later debates over f"ll civil rights for the descendants of the freed slaves 6ill
"ltimately lead to economic chaos, 6hen o"r robots begin to demand not simply the
protection of the la6 b"t independence from their masters. &hose slaves of cent"ries
gone by 6ere h"man beings 6ho 6ere cr"elly ta,en advantage of and mistreated. 7o
one had any right to force them into servit"de. /"t robots 6ere bro"ght into the 6orld to
serve. /y definition they are here to be "sed: not to be o"r friends b"t to be o"r servants.
And to ta,e any other position is a 6rongheaded, sentimental, dangero"s 6ay of
thin,ing.-
3eorge Charney 6as a pers"asive orator, b"t so 6as Iames Can /"ren. And in the
end the battlefo"ght mainly in the co"rt of p"blic opinion, rather than in the
Legislat"re or the (egional Co"rtended in something of a stalemate.
&here 6ere a great many people no6 6ho had been able to transcend the fear or
disli,e of robots that had been so 6idespread a co"ple of generations earlier, and
3eorge=s arg"ments str"c, home 6ith them. &hey too had beg"n to loo, "pon their
robots 6ith a certain degree of affection, and 6anted them afforded some ,ind of legal
sec"rity.
/"t then there 6ere the others, 6ho may not have feared robots themselves so
m"ch as they did the financial ris,s that they might someho6 e<perience as a res"lt of
e<tending civil rights to robots. &hey "rged ca"tion in this ne6 legal arena.
)o 6hen the battle at last 6as over and prorobot legislation came forth, setting "p
conditions "nder 6hich it 6as illegal to iss"e an order that might harm a robot, the la6
that 6as passed by the (egional Legislat"re, sent bac, for revisions by the (egional
Co"rt, passed again in a modified 6ay, this time "pheld in the (egional Co"rt, and
event"ally ratified by the Eorld Legislat"re and "pheld after a final appeal to the Eorld
Co"rt, 6as a very tepid one indeed. It 6as endlessly B"alified and the p"nishments for
violating its provisions 6ere totally inadeB"ate.
/"t at least the principle of robot rightsestablished originally by the decree
a6arding Andre6 his *freedom-had been e<tended a little f"rther.
&he final approval by the Eorld Co"rt came thro"gh on the day of Little ?iss=s
death.
&hat 6as no coincidence. Little ?iss, very old and very 6ea, no6, had
nevertheless held on to life 6ith desperate force d"ring the closing 6ee,s of the debate.
2nly 6hen 6ord of victory arrived did she at last rela< the tenacity of her grip.
Andre6 6as at her bedside 6hen she 6ent. 0e stood beside her, loo,ing do6n at
the small, faded 6oman propped "p among the pillo6s and thin,ing bac, to those days
of nearly a h"ndred years before 6hen he 6as ne6ly arrived at the grand coastside
mansion of 3erald ?artin and t6o small girls had stood loo,ing "p at him, and the
smaller one had fro6ned and said, *Endeearr. &hat isn=t any good. Ee can=t call him
something li,e that. Ehat abo"t calling him Andre6D-
)o long ago, so very long ago. A 6hole lifetime ago, so far as things 6ent for
Little ?iss. And yet to Andre6 it sometimes seemed only a momenthardly any time at
all since those days 6hen he and ?iss and Little ?iss had romped on the beach belo6
the ho"se, and he had gone for a s6im in the s"rf beca"se it had pleased them to as, him
to do so.
7early a cent"ry.
+or a h"man being, Andre6 ,ne6, that 6as an enormo"s span of time.
And no6 Little ?iss=s life had r"n its co"rse and 6as speeding a6ay. &he hair that
once had been a radiant gold had long since t"rned to shining silver@ b"t no6 the last of
its gleam 6as gone from it and for the first time it loo,ed d"ll and drab. )he 6as coming
to her termination, and there 6as no help for that. )he 6as not ill@ she 6as simply 6orn
o"t, beyond any hope of repair. In another fe6 moments she 6o"ld cease to f"nction.
Andre6 co"ld hardly imagine a 6orld that did not contain Little ?iss. /"t he ,ne6 that
he 6as entering s"ch a 6orld no6.
0er last smile 6as for him. 0er last 6ords 6ere, *1o" have been good to "s,
Andre6.-
)he died 6ith her hand holding his, 6hile her son and his 6ife and their children
remained at a respectf"l distance from the robot and the old 6oman in the bed.
&0I(&EE7
A7#(EE EN!E(IE7CE# a sensation of discomfort after Little ?iss=s death that
6o"ld not leave him for 6ee,s. &o call it grief might be a little too strong, he tho"ght,
for he s"spected that there 6as no place in his positronic path6ays for any feeling that
corresponded e<actly to the h"man emotion ,no6n as grief.
And yet there 6as no B"estion b"t that he 6as dist"rbed in some 6ay that co"ld
only be traced to the loss of Little ?iss. 0e co"ld not have B"antified it. A certain
heaviness abo"t his tho"ghts, a certain odd sl"ggishness abo"t his movements, a
perception of general imbalance in his rhythmshe felt these things, b"t he s"spected
that no instr"ments 6o"ld be able to detect any meas"rable change in his capacities.
&o ease this sensation of 6hat he 6o"ld not let himself call grief he pl"nged deep
into his research on robot history, and his man"script began to gro6 from day to day.
A brief prolog"e s"fficed to deal 6ith the concept of the robot in history and
literat"rethe metal men of the ancient 3ree, myths, the a"tomata imagined by clever
storytellers li,e E. &. A. 0offmann and >arel Dape,, and other s"ch fantasies. 0e
s"mmariAed the old fables B"ic,ly and dispensed 6ith them. It 6as the positronic robot
the real robot, the a"thentic itemthat Andre6 6as primarily concerned 6ith.
And so Andre6 moved s6iftly to the year 19R2 and the incorporation of .nited
)tates (obots and ?echanical ?en by its visionary fo"nder, La6rence (obertson. 0e
felt almost as tho"gh he 6ere reliving the story himself, as he told of the early years of
str"ggle in drafty converted6areho"se rooms and the first dramatic brea,thro"gh in the
constr"ction of the platin"miridi"m positronic brain, after endless trialanderror. &he
conception and development of the indispensable &hree La6s@ research director Alfred
Lanning=s early tri"mphs at designing mobile robot "nits, cl"msy and pondero"s and
incapable of speech, b"t versatile eno"gh to be able to interpret h"man orders and select
the best of a n"mber of possible alternative responses. +ollo6ed by the first mobile
spea,ing "nits at the t"rn of the &6enty+irst Cent"ry.
And then Andre6 t"rned to something m"ch more tro"blesome for him to
describe: the period of negative h"man reaction 6hich follo6ed, the hysteria and
do6nright terror that the ne6 robots engendered, the 6orld6ide o"tb"rst of legislation
prohibiting the "se of robot labor on Earth. /eca"se miniat"riAation of the positronic
brain 6as still in the development stage then and the need for elaborate cooling systems
6as great, the early mobile spea,ing "nits had been giganticnearly t6elve feet high,
frightf"l l"mbering monsters that had s"mmoned "p all of h"manity=s fears of artificial
beingsof +ran,enstein=s monster and the 3olem and all the rest of that assortment of
nightmares.
Andre6=s boo, devoted three entire chapters to that time of e<treme robotfear.
&hey 6ere enormo"sly diffic"lt chapters to 6rite, for they dealt entirely 6ith h"man
irrationality, and that 6as a s"b;ect almost impossible for Andre6 to comprehend.
0e grappled 6ith it as 6ell as he co"ld, striving to p"t himself in the place of
h"man beings 6hotho"gh they ,ne6 that the &hree La6s provided foolproof
safeg"ards against the possibility that robots co"ld do harm to h"manspersisted in
loo,ing "pon robots 6ith dread and loathing. And after a time Andre6 act"ally
s"cceeded in "nderstanding, as far as he 6as able, ho6 it had been possible for h"mans
to have felt insec"re in the face of s"ch a po6erf"l g"arantee of sec"rity.
+or 6hat he discovered, as he made his 6ay thro"gh the archives of robotics, 6as
that the &hree La6s 6ere not as foolproof a safeg"ard as they seemed. &hey 6ere, in
fact, f"ll of ambig"ities and hidden so"rces of conflict. And they co"ld "ne<pectedly
confront robotsstraightfor6ard literalminded creat"res that they 6ere6ith the need
to ma,e decisions that 6ere not necessarily ideal from the h"man point of vie6.
&he robot 6ho 6as sent on a dangero"s errand on an alien planet, for e<ampleto
find and bring bac, some s"bstance vital to the safety and 6ellbeing of a h"man
e<plorermight feel s"ch a conflict bet6een the )econd La6 of obedience and the &hird
La6 of selfpreservation that he 6o"ld fall into a hopeless eB"ilibri"m, "nable either to
go for6ard or to retreat. And by s"ch a stalemate the robotthro"gh inactionth"s co"ld
create dire ;eopardy for the h"man 6ho had sent him on his mission, despite the
imperatives of the +irst La6 that s"pposedly too, precedence over the other t6o. +or
ho6 co"ld a robot invariably ,no6 that the conflict he 6as e<periencing bet6een the
)econd and &hird La6s 6as placing a h"man in dangerD .nless the nat"re of his
mission had been spelled o"t precisely in advance, he might remain "na6are of the
conseB"ences of his inaction and never realiAe that his dithering 6as creating a +irst
La6 violation.
2r the robot 6ho might, thro"gh fa"lty design or poor programming, decide that a
certain h"man being 6as not h"man at all, and therefore not in a position to demand the
protection that the +irst and )econd La6s 6ere s"pposed to afford
2r the robot 6ho 6as given a poorly phrased order, and interpreted it so literally
that he inadvertently ca"sed danger to h"mans nearby
&here 6ere doAens of s"ch case histories in the archives. &he early roboticists
most notably the e<traordinary robopsychologist, )"san Calvin, that formidable and
a"stere 6omanhad labored long and mightily to cope 6ith the diffic"lties that ,ept
cropping "p.
&he problems had become especially intricate as robots 6ith more advanced types
of positronic path6ays began to emerge from the 6or,shops of .. ). (obots and
?echanical ?en to6ard the middle of the &6enty+irst Cent"ry: robots 6ith a broader
capacity for tho"ght, robots 6ho 6ere able to loo, at sit"ations and perceive their
comple<ities 6ith an almost h"man depth of "nderstanding. (obots li,etho"gh he too,
care not to say so e<plicitlyAndre6 ?artin himself. &he ne6 generaliAedpath6ay
robots, eB"ipped 6ith the ability to interpret data in m"ch more s"b;ective terms than
their predecessors, often reacted in 6ays that h"mans 6ere not e<pecting. Al6ays 6ithin
the frame6or, of the &hree La6s, of co"rse. /"t sometimes from a perspective that had
not been anticipated by the framers of those la6s.
As he st"died the annals of robot development, Andre6 at last "nderstood 6hy so
many h"mans had been so phobic abo"t robots. It 6asn=t that the &hree La6s 6ere
badly dra6nnot at all. Indeed, they 6ere masterly e<emplars of logic. &he tro"ble 6as
that h"mans themselves 6ere not al6ays logical6ere, on occasion, do6nright
illogicaland robots 6ere not al6ays capable of coping 6ith the s6oops and c"rves and
tangents of h"man tho"ght.
)o it 6as h"mans themselves 6ho sometimes led robots into violations of one or
another of the &hree La6sand then, in their illogical 6ay, often 6o"ld blame the robots
themselves for having done something "ndesirable 6hich in fact they had act"ally been
ordered to do by their h"man masters.
Andre6 handled these chapters 6ith the "tmost care and delicacy, revising and
revising them to eliminate any possibility of bias. It 6as not his intention to 6rite a
diatribe against the fla6s of man,ind. 0is prime goal, as al6ays, 6as to serve the needs
of man,ind.
&he original p"rpose of 6riting his boo, might have been to arrive at a deeper
"nderstanding of his o6n relationship to the h"man beings 6ho 6ere his creatorsb"t as
he proceeded 6ith it he sa6 that, if properly and tho"ghtf"lly done, the boo, co"ld be an
inval"able bridge bet6een h"mans and robots, a so"rce of enlightenment not only for
robots b"t for the fleshandblood species that had bro"ght them into the 6orld.
Anything that enabled h"mans and robots to get along better 6o"ld permit robots to be
of greater service to h"manity@ and that, of co"rse, 6as the reason for their e<istence.
Ehen he had finished half his boo,, Andre6 as,ed 3eorge Charney to read 6hat
he had 6ritten and offer s"ggestions for its improvement. )everal years had passed since
the death of Little ?iss, and 3eorge himself seemed "n6ell no6, his once rob"st frame
ga"nt, his hair nearly gone. 0e loo,ed at Andre6=s b"l,y man"script 6ith an e<pression
of barely mas,ed discomfort and said, *I=m not really m"ch of a 6riter myself, yo"
,no6, Andre6.-
*I=m not as,ing for yo"r opinion of my literary style, 3eorge. It=s my ideas that I
6ant yo" to eval"ate. I need to ,no6 6hether there=s anything in the man"script that
might be offensive to h"man beings.-
*I=m s"re there isn=t, Andre6. 1o" have al6ays been the so"l of co"rtesy.-
*I 6o"ld never ,no6ingly give offense, that is tr"e. /"t the possibility that I
6o"ld inadvertently-
3eorge sighed. *1es. 1es, I "nderstand. All right, I=ll read yo"r boo,, Andre6. /"t
yo" ,no6 that I=ve been getting tired very easily these days. It may ta,e me a 6hile to
plo6 all the 6ay thro"gh it.-
*&here is no h"rry,- said Andre6.
Indeed 3eorge too, his time: close to a year. Ehen he finally ret"rned the
man"script to Andre6, tho"gh, there 6as no more than half a page of notes attached to
it, the most minor fact"al corrections and nothing more.
Andre6 said mildly, *I had hoped for criticisms of a more general ,ind, 3eorge.-
*I don=t have any general criticisms to ma,e. It=s a remar,able 6or,. (emar,able.
It=s a tr"ly profo"nd st"dy of its s"b;ect. 1o" sho"ld be pro"d of 6hat yo"=ve done.-
*/"t 6here I to"ch on the topic of ho6 h"man irrationality has often led to &hree
La6s diffic"lties-
*Absol"tely on the mar,, Andre6. Ee are a sloppyminded species, aren=t 6eD
/rilliant and tremendo"sly creative at times, b"t f"ll of all sorts of messy little
contradictions and conf"sions. Ee m"st seem li,e a hopelessly illogical b"nch to yo",
don=t 6e, Andre6D-
*&here are times that it does seem that 6ay to me, yes. /"t it is not my intention
to 6rite a boo, that is critical of h"man beings. +ar from it, 3eorge. Ehat I 6ant to give
the 6orld is something that 6ill bring h"mans and robots closer together. And if I sho"ld
seem to be e<pressing scorn for the mental abilities of h"mans in any 6ay, that 6o"ld be
the direct opposite of 6hat I 6ant to be doing. Ehich is 6hy I had hoped that yo" 6o"ld
single o"t, in yo"r reading of my man"script, any passages that might be interpreted in
s"ch a 6ay that-
*!erhaps yo" sho"ld have as,ed my son !a"l to read the man"script instead of
me,- 3eorge said. *0e=s right at the top of his profession, yo" ,no6. )o m"ch more in
to"ch 6ith all these matters of n"ance and s"btle inference than I am these days.-
And Andre6 finally "nderstood from that statement that 3eorge Charney had not
6anted to read his man"script at allthat 3eorge 6as gro6ing old and 6eary, that he
6as entering the final years of his life, that once again the 6heel of the generations had
t"rned and that !a"l 6as no6 the head of the family. )ir had gone and so had Little ?iss
and soon it 6as going to be 3eorge=s t"rn. ?artins and Charneys came and 6ent and yet
Andre6 remainednot e<actly "nchanging Kfor his body 6as still "ndergoing occasional
technological "pdating and it also seemed to him that his mental processes 6ere
constantly deepening and gro6ing richer as he allo6ed himself to recogniAe f"lly his
o6n e<traordinary capabilitiesL, b"t certainly inv"lnerable to the ravages of the passing
years.
0e too, his nearly finished man"script to !a"l Charney. !a"l read it at once and
offered not only praise b"t, as 3eorge had indicated, val"able s"ggestions for revision.
&here 6ere places 6here Andre6=s inability to comprehend the abr"pt, nonlinear ;"mps
of reasoning of 6hich the h"man mind is capable had led him into certain
oversimplifications and "n6arranted concl"sions. If anything, !a"l tho"ght the boo,
6as too sympathetic to the h"man point of vie6. A little more criticism of the irrational
h"man attit"de to6ard robotics, and to6ard science in general, might not have been o"t
of place.
Andre6 had not e<pected that.
0e said, */"t I 6o"ld not 6ant to offend anyone, !a"l.-
*7o boo, 6orth reading has ever been 6ritten that didn=t manage to offend
someone,- !a"l replied. *Erite 6hat yo" believe to be the tr"th, Andre6. It 6o"ld be
amaAing if everybody in the 6orld agreed 6ith yo". /"t yo"r vie6point is "niB"e. 1o"
have something real and val"able to give the 6orld here. It 6on=t be 6orth a thing,
tho"gh, if yo" s"ppress 6hat yo" feel and 6rite only 6hat yo" thin, others 6ant to
hear.-
*/"t the +irst La6-
*#amn the +irst La6, Andre6F &he +irst La6 isn=t everythingF 0o6 can yo" harm
someone 6ith a boo,D Eell, by hitting him over the head 6ith it, I s"ppose. /"t not
other6ise. Ideas can=t do harmeven 6rong ideas, even foolish and vicio"s ideas.
!eople do the harm. &hey seiAe hold of certain ideas, sometimes, and "se them as the
;"stification for doing "nconscionable, o"trageo"s things. 0"man history is f"ll of
e<amples of that. /"t the ideas themselves are ;"st ideas. &hey m"st never be throttled.
&hey need to be bro"ght forth, inspected, tested, if necessary re;ected, right o"t in the
open. Any6ay, the +irst La6 doesn=t say anything abo"t robots 6riting boo,s. )tic,s
and stones, Andre6they can do harm. /"t 6ords-
*As yo" yo"rself have ;"st remar,ed, !a"l, h"man history is f"ll of harmf"l events
that began simply 6ith 6ords. If those 6ords had never been "ttered, the harmf"l events
6o"ld not have ta,en place.-
*1o" don=t "nderstand 6hat I=m saying, do yo"D 2r do yo"D I thin, yo" do. 1o"
,no6 6hat po6er ideas have, and yo" don=t have a lot of faith in the ability of h"mans
to tell a good idea from a bad one. Eell, neither do I, sometimes. /"t in the long r"n the
bad idea 6ill perish. &hat=s been the story of h"man civiliAation for tho"sands of years.
&he good does prevail, sooner or later, no matter 6hat horrors have happened along the
6ay. And so it=s 6rong to s"ppress an idea that may have val"e to the 6orld. Loo,,
Andre6: yo"=re probably the closest thing to a h"man being that has ever come o"t of
the factories of .. ). (obots and ?echanical ?en. 1o"=re "niB"ely eB"ipped to tell the
6orld 6hat it needs to ,no6 abo"t the h"manrobot relationship, beca"se in some 6ays
yo" parta,e of the nat"re of each. And so yo" may help to heal that relationship, 6hich
even at this late date is still a very tro"bled one. Erite yo"r boo,. Erite it honestly.-
*1es. I 6ill, !a"l.-
*#o yo" have a p"blisher in mind for it, by the 6ayD-
*A p"blisherD Ehy, no. I haven=t yet given any tho"ght to-
*Eell, yo" sho"ld. 2r let me do it for yo". I have a friend in the boo, b"sinessa
client, reallydo yo" mind if I say a 6ord or t6o to himD-
*&hat 6o"ld be B"ite ,ind of yo",- Andre6 said.
*7ot at all. I 6ant to see this boo, o"t there 6here it can be read by everybody,
;"st as yo" do.-
And indeed 6ithin a fe6 6ee,s !a"l had sec"red a p"blishing contract for
Andre6=s boo,. 0e ass"red Andre6 that the terms 6ere e<tremely genero"s, e<tremely
fair. &hat 6as good eno"gh for Andre6. 0e signed the contract 6itho"t hesitation.
2ver the ne<t year, 6hile he 6or,ed on the closing sections of his man"script,
Andre6 often tho"ght of the things !a"l had said to him that dayabo"t the importance
of stating his beliefs honestly, the val"e that his boo, co"ld have if he did. And also
abo"t his o6n "niB"eness. &here 6as one statement of !a"l=s that Andre6 co"ld not get
o"t of his mind.
Loo,, Andre6: yo"=re probably the closest thing to a h"man being that has ever
come o"t of the factories of ". s. (obots and ?echanical ?en. 1o"=re "niB"ely eB"ipped
to tea the 6orld 6hat it needs to ,no6 abo"t the h"manrobot relationship, beca"se in
some 6ays yo" parta,e of the nat"re of each.
Eas it soD Is that 6hat !a"l really tho"ght, Andre6 6ondered, or had it ;"st been
the heat of the moment that had led him to say those thingsD
Andre6 as,ed himself that over and over again, and grad"ally he began to form
an ans6er.
And then he decided that the time had come to pay another visit to the offices of
+eingold and Charney and have another tal, 6ith !a"l.
0e arrived "nanno"nced, b"t the receptionist greeted him 6itho"t any inflection
of s"rprise in its voice. Andre6 6as far from an "nfamiliar fig"re by this time at the
+eingold and Charney headB"arters.
0e 6aited patiently 6hile the receptionist disappeared into the inner office to
notify !a"l that Andre6 6as here. It 6o"ld s"rely have been more efficient if the
receptionist had "sed the holographic chatterbo<, b"t "nB"estionably it 6as "nmanned
Kor perhaps the 6ord 6as *"nroboted-L by having to deal 6ith another robot rather than
6ith a h"man being.
Event"ally the receptionist ret"rned. *?r. Charney 6ill be 6ith yo" soon,- the
receptionist anno"nced, and 6ent bac, to its tas,s 6itho"t another 6ord.
Andre6 passed the time revolving in his mind the matter of his 6ord choice of a
fe6 min"tes before. Co"ld *"nroboted- be "sed as an analog of *"nmanned-D he
6ondered. 2r had *"nmanned- become a p"rely metaphoric term s"fficiently divorced
from its original literal meaning to be applied to robotsor to 6omen, for that matterD
?any similar semantic problems had cropped "p freB"ently 6hile Andre6 6as
6or,ing on his boo,. 0"man lang"age, having been invented by h"mans for the "se of
h"mans, 6as f"ll of little tric,y comple<ities of that sort. &he effort that 6as reB"ired in
order to cope 6ith them had "ndo"btedly increased Andre6=s o6n 6or,ing vocab"lary
and, he s"spected, the adaptability of his positronic path6ays as 6ell.
2ccasionally as Andre6 sat in the 6aiting room someone 6o"ld enter the room
and stare at him. 0e 6as the free robot, after allstill the only one. &he clothes6earing
robot. An anomaly@ a frea,. /"t Andre6 never tried to avoid the glances of these
c"riositysee,ers. 0e met each one calmly, and each in t"rn loo,ed B"ic,ly a6ay.
!a"l Charney finally came o"t. 0e and Andre6 had not seen each other since the
6inter, at the f"neral of !a"l=s father 3eorge, 6ho had died peacef"lly at the family
home and no6 lay b"ried on a hillside over the !acific. !a"l loo,ed s"rprised to see
Andre6 no6, or so Andre6 tho"ghttho"gh Andre6 still had no real faith in his ability
to interpret h"man facial e<pressions acc"rately.
*Eell, Andre6. )o good to see yo" again. I=m sorry I made yo" 6ait, b"t there
6as something I had to finish.-
*J"ite all right. I am never in a h"rry, !a"l.-
!a"l had ta,en lately to 6earing the heavy ma,e"p that fashion 6as c"rrently
dictating for both se<es, and tho"gh it made the some6hat bland lines of his face sharper
and firmer, Andre6 disapproved. 0e felt that !a"l=s strong, incisive personality needed
no s"ch cosmetic enhancement. It 6o"ld have been perfectly all right for !a"l to allo6
himself to loo, bland@ there 6as nothing bland abo"t the man himself, and no need for
all this paint and po6der.
Andre6 ,ept his disapproval to himself, of co"rse. /"t the fact that he
disapproved of !a"l=s appearance at all 6as something of a novelty for him. 0e had only
;"st beg"n to have s"ch tho"ghts. )ince finishing the first draft of his boo,, Andre6 had
discovered that disapproving of the things h"man beings did, as long as he avoided
e<pressing s"ch opinions openly, did not ma,e him as "neasy as he might have
anticipated. 0e co"ld thin, disapproving tho"ghts 6itho"t diffic"lty and he 6as even
able to p"t his disapproval in 6riting. 0e 6as certain that it had not al6ays been li,e that
for him.
!a"l said, *Come inside, Andre6. I heard that yo" 6anted to tal, to me, b"t I
6asn=t really e<pecting that yo"=d come all the 6ay do6n here to do it.-
*If yo" are too b"sy to see me ;"st no6, !a"l, I am prepared to contin"e to 6ait.-
!a"l glanced at the interplay of shifting shado6s on the dial on the 6all that
served as the receptionoffice=s timepiece and said, *I can ma,e some time. #id yo"
come aloneD-
*I hired an a"tomatobile.-
*Any tro"ble doing thatD- !a"l as,ed, 6ith more than a trace of an<iety in his
tone.
*I 6asn=t e<pecting any. ?y rights are protected.-
!a"l loo,ed all the more an<io"s for that. *Andre6, I=ve e<plained to yo" half a
doAen times that that la6 is essentially "nenforceable, at least in most circ"mstances.
and if yo" insist on 6earing clothes, yo"=re bo"nd to r"n into tro"ble event"ally, yo"
,no6. I"st as yo" did that first time 6hen my father had to resc"e yo".-
*It 6as the only s"ch time, !a"l. /"t I=m sorry that yo"=re displeased.-
*Eell, loo, at it this 6ay: yo"=re virt"ally a living legend, do yo" realiAe thatD
!eople sometimes li,e to 6in a little "gly fame for themselves by ma,ing tro"ble for
celebrities, and a celebrity is certainly 6hat yo" are. /esides, as I=ve already told yo",
yo"=re too val"able in too many 6ays for yo" to have any right to ta,e chances 6ith
yo"rself. 0o6=s the boo, coming along, by the 6ayD-
*I=ve finished a complete draft. 7o6 I=m doing the final editing and polishing. At
least, I hope it 6ill be the final editing and polishing. &he p"blisher is B"ite pleased 6ith
6hat he=s seen so far.-
*3oodF-
*I don=t ,no6 that he=s necessarily pleased 6ith the boo, as a boo,. &here are
parts of it that ma,e him "ncomfortable, I thin,. /"t it=s my g"ess that he e<pects to sell
a great many copies simply beca"se it=s the first boo, 6ritten by a robot, and it=s that
aspect that pleases him.-
*It=s only h"man, I=m afraid, to be interested in ma,ing money, Andre6.-
*I 6o"ld not be displeased by it either. Let the boo, sell, for 6hatever reason it
does. I can find good "ses for 6hatever money it brings in.-
*/"t I tho"ght yo" 6ere 6ell off, Andre6F 1o"=ve al6ays had yo"r o6n income
and there 6as the B"ite considerable amo"nt of money my grandmother left yo"-
*Little ?iss 6as e<tremely genero"s. And I=m s"re I can co"nt on the family to
help me o"t f"rther, if a time comes 6hen my e<penses begin to e<ceed my income.
)till, I 6o"ld rather be able to earn my o6n 6ay at all times. I 6o"ld not 6ant to dra6
on yo"r reso"rces e<cept as a last resort.-
*E<pensesD Ehat e<penses can yo" be tal,ing abo"tD 1achtsD &rips to ?arsD-
*7othing li,e that,- said Andre6. */"t I do have something rather costly in mind,
!a"l. It=s my hope that the royalties from my boo, 6ill be large eno"gh to see me
thro"gh 6hat I have in mind. ?y ne<t step, so to spea,.-
!a"l loo,ed a little "neasy. *And 6hat is thatD-
*Another "pgrade.-
*1o"=ve al6ays been able to pay for yo"r "pgrades o"t of yo"r o6n f"nds "p till
no6.-
*&his one may be more e<pensive than the others.-
!a"l nodded. *&hen the boo, royalties 6ill come in handy. And if they=re
disappointing, I=m s"re that 6e can find some 6ay of ma,ing "p-
*It isn=t only a matter of money,- Andre6 said. *&here are some other
complications. !a"l, for this one I have to go straight to the top. I need to see the head
of the .. ). (obots and ?echanical ?en Corporation and get his clearance for the ;ob.
I=ve tried to ma,e an appointment, b"t so far I haven=t been able to get thro"gh to him at
all. 7o do"bt it=s beca"se of my boo,. &he corporation 6asn=t partic"larly enth"siastic
abo"t my 6riting a boo,, yo" ,no6they provided no cooperation 6hatever, as a matter
of fact-
A grin appeared on !a"l=s face. *Cooperation, Andre6D Cooperation=s the last
thing yo" co"ld have e<pected from them. 1o" scare them silly. &hey didn=t cooperate
6ith "s in either stage of o"r great fight for robot rights, did theyD J"ite the reverse,
act"ally. And yo" s"rely "nderstand 6hy. 3ive a robot too many rights and no one=s
going to 6ant to b"y one, ehD-
*&hat may be tr"e, or perhaps not. In any case, I 6ant to spea, 6ith the head of
the company concerning a very special reB"est that I have. I can=t manage to get thro"gh
by myself, b"t perhaps if yo" ma,e the call for me-
*1o" ,no6 that I=m not any more pop"lar 6ith them than yo" are, Andre6.-
*7evertheless, yo"=re the head of a po6erf"l and infl"ential la6 firm and a
member of a great and disting"ished family. &hey can=t simply ignore yo". And if they
try, yo" can al6ays hint that by seeing me they stand a chance of heading off a ne6
campaign by +eingold and Charney to strengthen the civil rights of robots even f"rther.-
*Eo"ldn=t that be a lie, Andre6D-
*1es, !a"l, and I=m not good at telling lies. I can=t tell one at all, in fact, "nless I
do it "nder the constraint of one of the &hree La6s. &hat=s 6hy yo" have to ma,e the
call for me.-
!a"l ch"c,led. *Ah, Andre6, Andre6F 1o" can=t tell a lie, b"t yo" can "rge me to
tell one for yo", is that itD 1o"=re getting more h"man all the timeF-
+2.(&EE7
&0E A!!2I7&?E7& 6asn=t easy to arrange, even "sing !a"l=s s"pposedly po6erf"l
name.
/"t repeated press"reco"pled 6ith the none too delicate hint that permitting
Andre6 to have a fe6 min"tes of 0arley )mythe(obertson=s precio"s time might 6ell
save .. ). (obots and ?echanical ?en from having to go thro"gh a tro"blesome ne6
ro"nd of litigation over robot rightsfinally carried the day. 2n a balmy spring day
Andre6 and !a"l set o"t together across the co"ntry for the vast and spra6ling comple<
of b"ildings that 6as the headB"arters of the gigantic robotics company.
0arley )mythe(obertson6ho 6as descended from both branches of the family
that had fo"nded .. ). (obots, and had adopted the hyphenated name by 6ay of
declaring that factloo,ed remar,ably "nhappy at the sight of Andre6. 0e 6as
approaching retirement age and an e<traordinary amo"nt of his ten"re as president of the
company had been devoted to the controversies over robot rights. )mythe(obertson
6as a tall, almost s,eletally lean man 6hose gray hair 6as plastered thinly over the top
of his scalp. 0e 6ore no facial ma,e"p. +rom time to time d"ring the meeting he eyed
Andre6 6ith brief b"t "ndisg"ised hostility
*And 6hat ne6 tro"ble have yo" come here to ca"se "s, may I as,D- )mythe
(obertson said.
*!lease "nderstand, sir, it has never been my intention to ca"se this company
tro"ble. 7ever.-
*/"t yo" have. Constantly.-
*I have only attempted to gain that to 6hich I have felt entitled.-
)mythe(obertson reacted to the 6ord *entitled- as he might have to a slap in the
face.
*0o6 e<traordinary to hear a robot spea, of feelings of entitlement. *
*&his robot is a very e<traordinary robot, ?r. )mythe(obertson,- said !a"l.
*E<traordinary,- )mythe(obertson said so"rly. *1es. J"ite e<traordinary.-
Andre6 said, *)ir, slightly more than a cent"ry ago I 6as told by ?el6in ?ans,y,
6ho 6as the Chief (obopsychologist of this company then, that the mathematics
governing the plotting of the positronic path6ays 6as far too complicated to permit of
any b"t appro<imate sol"tions, and that therefore the limits of my o6n capacities 6ere
not f"lly predictable.-
*As yo" say, that 6as over a cent"ry ago,- )mythe(obertson replied. And after a
moment=s hesitation added icily, *)ir. &he sit"ation is B"ite different no6adays. 2"r
robots are made 6ith great precision no6 and are trained precisely to their tas,s. Ee
have eliminated every aspect of "npredictability from their nat"res.-
*1es,- said !a"l. *)o I=ve noticed. And one res"lt is that my receptionist has to be
g"ided at every point that departs from the e<pected path, ho6ever slightly. I don=t see
that as m"ch of a step for6ard in the state of the art.-
)mythe(obertson said, *I thin, yo"=d li,e it a great deal less if yo"r receptionist
6ere to improvise.-
*ImproviseD- !a"l said. *&hin, is all I as,. Eno"gh thin,ing to be able to handle
the simple sit"ations a receptionist needs to deal 6ith. (obots are designed to be
intelligent, aren=t theyD It seems to me yo"=ve bac,trac,ed to6ard a very limited
definition of intelligence indeed.-
)mythe(obertson fidgeted and glo6ered, b"t made no direct response.
Andre6 said, *Are yo" saying, sir, that yo" no longer man"fact"re any robots that
are as fle<ible and adaptable aslet "s saymyselfD-
*&hat=s right. Ee discontin"ed the generaliAedpath6ays line so long ago that I
co"ldn=t tell yo" ho6 far bac, it 6as. !erhaps it 6as in #r. ?ans,y=s time. Ehich 6as
long before I 6as born, and as yo" see, I am far from yo"ng.-
*As am I,- said Andre6. *&he research I have done in connection 6ith my boo,I
thin, yo" ,no6 that I have 6ritten a boo, abo"t robotics and robotsindicates that I am
the oldest robot presently in active operation.-
*Correct,- said )mythe(obertson. *And the oldest ever. &he oldest that 6ill ever
be, in fact. 7o robot is "sef"l after its t6entyfifth year. &heir o6ners are entitled to
bring them in at that time and have them replaced 6ith ne6 models. In the case of leased
robots, 6e call them in a"tomatically and provide the replacements.-
*7o robot in any of yo"r presently man"fact"red series is "sef"l after the t6enty
fifth year,- said !a"l pleasantly. */"t Andre6 is a robot of a B"ite different sort.-
*Indeed he is,- said )mythe(obertson. *I=m only too a6are of that.-
Andre6, adhering steadfastly to the path he had mar,ed o"t for himself, said,
*)ince I am the oldest robot in the 6orld and the most fle<ible one in e<istence, 6o"ld
yo" not say that I am so "n"s"al that I merit special treatment from the companyD-
*7ot at all,- said )mythe(obertson icily. *Let me be bl"nt 6ith yo"sir. 1o"r
"n"s"alness is a contin"ing embarrassment to the company. 1o" have ca"sed "s all
manner of diffic"lties, as I=ve already pointed o"t, as a res"lt of the vario"s activist
positions yo" have ta,en over the years. 1o"r feelings ofahentitlement are not shared
here. If yo" 6ere on lease as most of o"r robots are, instead of having been acB"ired by
o"tright p"rchase thro"gh some regrettable bit of ancient administrative carelessness,
6e=d have called yo" in long ago and replaced yo" 6ith a robot of a more docile type.-
*At least yo"=re straightfor6ard abo"t it,- !a"l said.
*&here=s no secret abo"t the 6ay 6e feel over this. Ee=re in b"siness to sell
robots, not to engage in endless "nprofitable political sB"abblings. A robot that believes
it=s something more than a "sef"l mechanical device is a direct threat to o"r corporate
6elfare.-
*And therefore yo" 6o"ld destroy me if yo" co"ld,- said Andre6. *I B"ite
"nderstand that. /"t I am a free robot and I o6n myself, so I can=t be called in and it
6o"ld be pointless to ma,e an attempt to rep"rchase me. And I am protected by the la6
against any harm yo" might 6ant to do to me. Ehich is 6hy I have been 6illing to p"t
myself in yo"r hands for periodic "pgrading. And 6hy I have come to yo" today to
reB"est the most e<tensive "pgrading yo" have ever done on any robot. Ehat I 6ant is a
total replacement for myself, ?r. )mythe(obertson.-
)mythe(obertson loo,ed both asto"nded and be6ildered. 0e stared at Andre6 in
total silence, and the silence 6ent on for a seemingly interminable time.
Andre6 6aited. 0e loo,ed past )mythe(obertson to6ard the 6all, 6here a
holographic portrait loo,ed bac, at him. It sho6ed a do"r, a"stere female face: the face
of )"san Calvin, the patron saint of all roboticists. )he had been dead nearly t6o
cent"ries no6, b"t after having delved into her 6or,ing papers as deeply as he had
d"ring the co"rse of 6riting his boo,, Andre6 felt he ,ne6 her so 6ell that he co"ld half
pers"ade himself that he had met her in life.
)mythe(obertson said finally, *A total replacement, yo" sayD /"t 6hat does that
meanD-
*E<actly 6hat I said. Ehen yo" call in an obsolete robot, yo" provide its o6ner
6ith a replacement. Eell, I 6ant yo" to provide me 6ith a replacement for me.-
)till loo,ing conf"sed, )mythe(obertson said, */"t ho6 can 6e do thatD If 6e
replace yo", ho6 can 6e t"rn the ne6 robot over to yo" as o6ner, since in the very act
of being replaced yo" 6o"ld have to cease to e<istD- And he smiled grimly.
*!erhaps Andre6 hasn=t made himself s"fficiently clear,- interposed !a"l. *?ay I
tryD the seat of Andre6=s personality is his positronic brain, 6hich is the one part that
cannot be replaced 6itho"t creating a ne6 robot. &he positronic brain, therefore, is the
loc"s of Andre6 ?artin, 6ho is the o6ner of the robot in 6hich Andre6 ?artin=s
positronic brain is c"rrently ho"sed. Every other part of the robotic body can be replaced
6itho"t affecting the Andre6 ?artin personalitymost of those parts, as yo" may ,no6,
have already been replaced, sometimes more than once, in the h"ndredodd years since
Andre6 6as first man"fact"red. &hose s"bsidiary parts are the brain=s possessions. &he
brain, at its option, can have them replaced at any time, b"t the contin"ity of the brain=s
e<istence is "nbro,en. Ehat Andre6 act"ally 6ants, ?r. )mythe(obertson, is simply
for yo" to transfer his brain to a ne6 robotic body.-
*I see,- )mythe(obertson said. * A total "pgrade, in other 6ords.- /"t his face
sho6ed perple<ity again. *&o 6hat ,ind of body, may I as,D 1o" already are ho"sed in
the most advanced mechanical body that 6e man"fact"re.-
*/"t yo" have man"fact"red androids, haven=t yo"D- said Andre6. *(obots that
have the o"t6ard appearance of h"mans, complete to the te<t"re of the s,inD &hat is
6hat I 6ant, ?r. )mythe(obertson. An android body.-
!a"l seemed asto"nded by that. *3ood Lord,- he bl"rted. *Andre6, I never
dreamed that that 6as 6hat yo"- 0is voice trailed off.
)mythe(obertson stiffened. *It=s an absol"tely impossible reB"est. Impossible.-
*Ehy do yo" say thatD- Andre6 as,ed. *I=m 6illing to pay any reasonable fee, as
I have for all the n"mero"s "pgrades yo"=ve given me "p to no6.-
*Ee don=t man"fact"re androids,- )mythe(obertson said flatly. *1o" have,
tho"gh. I ,no6 that yo" have.-
*+ormerly, yes. &he line 6as discontin"ed.-
*/eca"se of technical problemsD- !a"l as,ed.
*7ot at all. &he e<perimental android line 6as B"ite s"ccessf"l, act"ally
technically spea,ing. &heir appearance 6as stri,ingly h"man in form, and yet they had
all the versatility and r"ggedness of robots. Ee "sed synthetic carbonfiber s,ins and
silicone tendons. &here 6as virt"ally no str"ct"ral metal involved any6herethe brain,
of co"rse, 6as still platin"miridi"mand yet they 6ere nearly as to"gh as conventional
metal robots. &hey 6ere to"gher, in fact, 6eight for 6eight.-
*#espite all of 6hich, yo" never p"t them on the mar,etD- !a"l as,ed.
*Correct. Ee 6or,ed "p abo"t a doAen e<perimental models and ran some
mar,eting s"rveys and decided not to go ahead 6ith the line.-
*Ehy 6as thatD-
*+or one thing,- said )mythe(obertson, *a line of androids 6o"ld have had to be
far more e<pensive than the standard metal robotsso e<pensive that 6e 6o"ld have had
to regard them p"rely as l"<"ry items, 6ith a potential mar,et so limited in siAe that it
6o"ld ta,e many years for "s to be able to amortiAe the e<pense of setting "p a
prod"ction facility. /"t that 6as only a small part of the diffic"lty. &he real problem 6as
negative cons"mer reaction. &he androids loo,ed too h"man, yo" see. &hey rea6a,ened
all the ancient fears of ma,ing real h"mans obsolete that had ca"sed "s so m"ch tro"ble
t6o h"ndred years ago. It made no sense for "s to open all that psychotic nonsense "p
again simply for the sa,e of setting "p a line that 6as doomed from the o"tset to be
"nprofitable any6ay.-
*/"t the corporation has maintained its e<pertise in the area of ma,ing androids,
has it notD- Andre6 as,ed.
)mythe(obertson shr"gged. *I s"ppose 6e still co"ld ma,e them if 6e sa6 any
sense to it, yes.-
*1o" choose not to, tho"gh,- said !a"l. *1o"=ve got the technology b"t yo"
simply decline to e<ercise it. &hat=s not B"ite the same thing as 6hat yo" told "s before,
that it 6o"ld be impossible to man"fact"re an android body for Andre6.-
*It 6o"ld be possible, yestechnically. /"t completely against p"blic policy.-
*EhyD &here isn=t any la6 that I ,no6 of against ma,ing androids.-
*7evertheless,- )mythe(obertson said, *6e don=t man"fact"re them and 6e
don=t intend to. &herefore 6e are "nable to provide the android body that Andre6 ?artin
has reB"ested. And I s"ggest to yo" that this conversation has reached a point of no
ret"rn. If yo"=ll e<c"se me, therefore- And he half rose from his seat.
*I"st a little time longer, if yo" please,- said !a"l in an easy tone that had
something more forcef"l ;"st beneath its s"rface. 0e cleared his throat. )mythe
(obertson s"bsided, loo,ing even more displeased than he had. !a"l 6ent on, *?r.
)mythe(obertson, Andre6 is a free robot 6ho falls "nder the protection of the la6s that
govern robot rights. 1o" are a6are of this, of co"rse.-
*2nly too 6ell.-
*&his robot, as a free robot, freely chooses to 6ear clothes. &his has res"lted in his
being freB"ently h"miliated by tho"ghtless h"man beings, despite the la6 that
s"pposedly protects robots against s"ch h"miliation. It=s B"ite diffic"lt, yo" realiAe, to
prosec"te vag"e offenses that don=t meet 6ith the general disapproval of those 6hose
responsibility it is to decide bet6een g"ilt and innocence.-
*I=m not at all s"rprised to hear that,- said )mythe(obertson restlessly. *.. ).
(obots "nderstood that from the start. 1o"r father=s la6 firm "nfort"nately did not.-
*?y father is dead no6,- said !a"l. */"t 6hat I see is that 6e have here a clear
offense 6ith a clear target, and 6e stand ready to ta,e the appropriate action.-
*Ehat are yo" tal,ing abo"tD-
*?y client, Andre6 ?artinhe has been the client of my firm for many yearsis a
free robot, by decree of the Eorld Co"rt. &hat is to say, Andre6 is his o6n o6ner, and in
him, therefore, are vested the legal rights that any h"man robot o6ner has in regard to
robots in his possession. 2ne of those rights is that of replacement. As yo" yo"rself
pointed o"t some time ago d"ring this disc"ssion, the o6ner of any robot is entitled to
as, .. ). (obots and ?echanical ?en Corporation for a replacement 6hen his robot
reaches the point of obsolescence. In fact, the corporation insists on offering s"ch
replacements, and 6here leased robots are involved 6ill call them in a"tomatically. I=ve
stated yo"r policy correctly, is that not soD-
*Eellyes.-
*3ood.- !a"l 6as smiling and thoro"ghly at his ease. 0e contin"ed, *7o6, the
positronic brain of my client is the o6ner of the body of my clientand that body,
obvio"sly, is far more than t6entyfive years old. /y yo"r o6n definition that body is
obsolete and my client is entitled to a replacement.-
*Eell- )mythe(obertson said again, reddening. 0is ga"nt, almost fleshless face
loo,ed li,e a mas,, no6.
*&he positronic brain 6hich is my act"al client demands the replacement of the
robot body in 6hich it is ho"sed, and has offered to pay any reasonable fee for that
replacement.-
*&hen let him sign "p in the ordinary 6ay and 6e=ll give him his "pdatingF-
*0e 6ants more than an "pdating. 0e 6ants the finest replacement body 6ithin
yo"r technical capacity, by 6hich he means an android body.-
*0e can=t have one.-
*/y ref"sing,- !a"l said smoothly, *yo" condemn him to contin"ed h"miliation at
the hands of those 6ho, recogniAing him as a robot, treat him 6ith contempt beca"se he
prefers to 6ear clothes and other6ise behave in traditionally Gh"man= fashion.-
*&hat=s not o"r problem,- said )mythe(obertson.
*It becomes yo"r problem 6hen 6e s"e yo" for ref"sing to provide my client 6ith
a body that 6o"ld allo6 him to avoid m"ch of the h"miliation he no6 enco"nters.-
*3o ahead and s"e, then. #o yo" thin, anybody=s going to give a damn abo"t a
robot 6ho 6ants to loo, h"manD !eople 6ill be o"traged. 0e=ll be deno"nced
every6here for the arrogant "pstart that he is.-
*I=m not so s"re,- !a"l said. * Agreed, p"blic opinion 6o"ldn=t ordinarily s"pport
the claim of a robot in a la6s"it of that ,ind. /"t may I remind yo" that .. ). (obots is
not very pop"lar 6ith the general p"blic, ?r. )mythe(obertsonD Even those 6ho most
"se robots to their o6n benefit and profit are s"spicio"s of yo". &his may be a hangover
from the days of antirobot paranoia: I s"spect that=s a good part of it. 2r it may be
resentment against the immense po6er and 6ealth of yo"r company, 6hich has so
s"ccessf"lly managed to defend its 6orld6ide monopoly on robot man"fact"re thro"gh
a long and clever series of patent mane"vers. Ehatever the ca"se may be, the resentment
may e<ist. If there=s any entity that 6o"ld be even less pop"lar in s"ch a la6s"it than the
robot 6ho 6ants to loo, li,e a h"man being, it 6o"ld be the corporation that has filled
the 6orld 6ith robots in the first place.-
)mythe(obertson glared. &he clenched m"scles of his face stood o"t clearly. 0e
said nothing.
!a"l 6ent on, *In addition, thin, abo"t 6hat people 6o"ld say 6hen they find o"t
yo"=re capable of man"fact"ring h"manloo,ing robotsD &he la6s"it 6o"ld very
definitely foc"s a great deal of attention on that very point. Ehereas if yo" B"ietly and
simply provided my client 6ith 6hat he reB"ests-
)mythe(obertson seemed abo"t to e<plode. *&his is coercion, ?r. Charney.-
*2n the contrary. Ee=re simply trying to sho6 yo" 6here yo"r o6n best interests
lie. A B"ic, and peacef"l resol"tion is all that 6e=re loo,ing for. 2f co"rse, if yo"
compel "s to see, legal redress in the co"rts, that=s a different matter. And then, I thin,,
yo" 6ill find yo"rself in an a6,6ard and disagreeable position, partic"larly since my
client is B"ite 6ealthy and 6ill live for many cent"ries to come and 6ill have no reason
to refrain from fighting this battle forever.-
*Ee=re not 6itho"t reso"rces o"rselves, ?r. Charney.-
*I=m a6are of that. /"t can yo" 6ithstand an endless legal siege that 6ill e<pose
the deepest secrets of yo"r companyD I p"t it to yo" one last time, ?r. )mythe
(obertson. If yo" prefer to re;ect my client=s B"ite reasonable reB"est, yo" may by all
means do so and 6e=ll leave here 6itho"t another 6ord being spo,en. /"t 6e 6ill s"e,
as is certainly o"r right, and 6e 6ill s"e most stren"o"sly and p"blicly, 6hich is bo"nd
to create immense diffic"lties for ". ). (obots, and yo" 6ill find that yo" 6ill event"ally
lose. Are yo" 6illing to ta,e that ris,D-
*Eell- )mythe(obertson said, and pa"sed.
*3ood. I see that yo"=re going to accede,- said !a"l. *1o" may still be hesitating
no6, b"t yo"=re going to come aro"nd in the end. A very 6ise decision, may I add. /"t
that leads to a f"rther important point.-
)mythe(obertson=s f"ry seemed to be fading into s"llen gl"mness. 0e did not try
to spea,.
!a"l contin"ed, *Let me ass"re yo" that if, in the process of transferring my
client=s positronic brain from his present body to the organic one that yo" "ltimately 6ill
agree to create for him, there is any damage, ho6ever slight, then I 6ill never rest "ntil I
have nailed this corporation to the gro"nd.-
*1o" can=t e<pect "s to g"arantee-
*I can and I 6ill. 1o"=ve had a h"ndredodd years of e<perience in transferring
positronic brains from one robot body to another. 1o" can s"rely "se the same
techniB"es in transferring one safely to an android body. And I 6arn yo" of this: if one
brainpath of my client=s platin"miridi"m essence happens to get scrambled in the
co"rse of the 6or,, yo" can be B"ite certain that I=ll ta,e every possible step to mobiliAe
p"blic opinion against this corporationthat I 6ill e<pose it before all the 6orld for the
criminally vindictive operation that it has plainly revealed itself to be.-
)mythe(obertson said, shifting abo"t miserably in his seat, *&here=s no 6ay 6e
can provide yo" 6ith a total 6aiver of liability. &here are ris,s in any sort of transfer.-
*Lo6probability ones. 1o" don=t lose a lot of positronic brains 6hile yo" move
them from one body to another. Ee=re 6illing to accept ris,s of that sort. It=s the
possibility of deliberate and malevolent action against my client that I=m 6arning yo"
against.-
*Ee 6o"ldn=t be so st"pid,- said )mythe(obertson. * Ass"ming 6e go thro"gh
6ith this, and I haven=t yet said 6e 6o"ld, 6e=d e<ert o"r "tmost s,ills. &hat=s the 6ay
6e=ve al6ays 6or,ed and the 6ay 6e intend to contin"e. 1o"=ve bac,ed me into a
corner, Charney, b"t yo"=ve still got to realiAe that 6e can=t give yo" a 1$$O ass"rance
of s"ccess. 99O, yes. 7ot 1$$.-
*3ood eno"gh. /"t remember: 6e=ll thro6 everything 6e have at yo" if 6e have
reason to s"spect any sort of intentional harm to o"r client.- !a"l t"rned to Andre6 and
said, *Ehat do yo" say, Andre6D Is this acceptable to yo"D-
Andre6 hesitated for nearly a f"ll min"te, ca"ght in an eB"ilibri"m of +irst La6
potentials. Ehat !a"l 6anted from him amo"nted to the approval of lying, of blac,mail,
of the badgering and h"miliation of a h"man being.
/"t at least no physical harm 6as involved, he told himself. 7o physical harm.
And he managed at last to come o"t 6ith a barely a"dible *1es.-
+I+&EE7
I& EA) LI>E being constr"cted allover again. +or days, for 6ee,s, for months, Andre6
fo"nd himself not himself someho6, and the simplest actions ,ept giving rise to
hesitation.
0e had al6ays been "tterly at home in his body. 0e had only to recogniAe the
need for a motion and he 6as instantly able to ma,e that motion, smoothly,
a"tomatically. 7o6 it too, a conscio"s effort of selfdirection. (aise yo"r arm, he had to
tell himself. ?ove it over here. 7o6 p"t it do6n.
Eas this 6hat it 6as li,e for a yo"ng h"man child as it strived to master the
mysteries of bodily coordinationD Andre6 6ondered.
!erhaps so. 0e 6as over a h"ndred years old and yet he felt very m"ch li,e a child
as he moved abo"t in this startling ne6 body of his.
It 6as a splendid body. &hey had made him tall, b"t not so tall that he 6o"ld seem
overbearing or frightening. 0is sho"lders 6ere broad, his 6aist 6as slim, his limbs 6ere
s"pple and athletic. 0e had chosen lightbro6n hair for himself, since he fo"nd red too
flamboyant and yello6 too obvio"s and blac, too somber, and h"man hair did not seem
to come in other colors than those, e<cept for the gray or 6hite or silver of age, and he
had not 6anted that. 0is eyesphotooptic cells, really, b"t very convincing in
appearance6ere bro6n also, flec,ed ever so s"btly 6ith gold. +or his s,in color
Andre6 had selected something ne"tral in tone, a ,ind of blend of the prevailing s,in
colors of the vario"s h"man types, dar,er than the pale pin, of the Charneys b"t not
B"ite as dar, as some. &hat 6ay no one 6o"ld be able to tell at a glance 6hich race he
belonged to, since in fact he belonged to none. 0e had had the .. ). (obots designers
peg his apparent age at some6here bet6een thirtyfive and fifty h"man years: old
eno"gh to seem mat"re, not so old as to sho6 serio"s signs of aging.
A fine body, yes. 0e 6as certain he 6o"ld be very happy in it, once he gre6
acc"stomed to it.
Each day there 6as a little progress. Each day he gained more control over his
elegant ne6 android ho"sing. /"t the process 6as terribly slo6 agoniAingly slo6
!a"l 6as frantic. *&hey=ve damaged yo", Andre6. I=m going to have to file s"it.-
Andre6 said, *1o" m"stn=t, !a"l. 1o"=ll never be able to prove somethingmm
mm
*?alicio"sD-
*?alicio"s, yes. /esides, I gro6 stronger, better. It=s ;"st the trtr-
*&rembleD-
*&ra"ma. After all, there=s never been s"ch an opopopbefore.-
Andre6 spo,e very slo6ly. )peech 6as s"rprisingly hard no6 for him too, one of
the hardest f"nctions of all, a constant str"ggle to en"nciate. It 6as an agony for Andre6
to get the 6ords o"t and an agony for anyone 6ho had to listen to him. 0is entire vocal
mechanism 6as different from 6hat it had been previo"sly. &he efficient electronic
synthesiAer that had been able to ma,e s"ch convincingly h"man so"nds had given 6ay
to an arrangement of resonating chambers and m"scleli,e str"ct"res to control them
that 6as s"pposed to ma,e his voice "tterly indisting"ishable from that of an organic
h"man being@ b"t no6 Andre6 had to shape each syllable in a 6ay that had been done
for him before, and that 6as diffic"lt 6or,, very diffic"lt.
1et he felt no despair. #espair 6as not really a B"ality that he 6as capable of, and
in any case he ,ne6 that these problems 6ere merely temporary. 0e co"ld feel his brain
from the inside. 7o one else co"ld@ and no one else co"ld ,no6 as 6ell as he did that his
brain 6as still intact, that it had come thro"gh the transfer operation "nharmed. 0is
tho"ghts flo6ed freely thro"gh the ne"ral connections of his ne6 body, even if the body
6as not yet as s6ift as it might be in reacting to them. Every parameter chec,ed o"t
perfectly.
0e 6as merely having a fe6 interface problems, that 6as all. /"t Andre6 ,ne6
he 6as f"ndamentally 6ell and that it 6o"ld be only a matter of time "ntil he had
achieved complete control over his ne6 ho"sing. 0e had to thin, of himself as very
yo"ng, still. Li,e a child, a ne6born child.
&he months passed. 0is coordination improved steadily. 0e moved s6iftly to6ard
f"ll positronic interplay.
1et not everything 6as as he 6o"ld have 6ished it. Andre6 spent ho"rs before the
mirror, eval"ating himself as he 6ent thro"gh his repertoire of facial e<pressions and
bodily motions. And 6hat he sa6 fell far short of the e<pectations he had had for his
ne6 body.
7ot B"ite h"manF &he face 6as stifftoo stiffand he do"bted that that 6as going
to improve 6ith time. 0e 6o"ld press his finger against his chee, and the flesh 6o"ld
yield, b"t not in the 6ay that tr"e h"man flesh 6o"ld yield. 0e co"ld smile or sco6l or
fro6n, b"t they 6ere st"died, imitative smiles and sco6ls and fro6ns. 0e 6o"ld give the
smilesignal or the fro6nsignal or 6hatever, and the m"scles of his face 6o"ld
obediently hoist the smilee<pression or the fro6ne<pression into vie6, p"lling his
feat"res aro"nd in accordance 6ith a caref"lly designed program. 0e 6as al6ays
conscio"s of the machinery, organic tho"gh it might be, clan,ing pondero"sly aro"nd
beneath his s,in to prod"ce the desired effect. &hat 6as not ho6 it happened 6ith h"man
beings, Andre6 s"spected.
And his motions 6ere too deliberate. &hey lac,ed the careless free flo6 of the
h"man being. 0e co"ld hope that that 6o"ld come after a 6hilehe 6as already far
beyond the first dismal days after the operation, 6hen he had staggered a6,6ardly
abo"t his room li,e some sort of cr"de prepositronic a"tomatonb"t something told
him that even 6ith this e<traordinary ne6 body he 6as never going to be able to move
in the nat"ral 6ay that virt"ally every h"man being too, for granted.
)till, things 6ere not all that bad. &he .. ). (obots people had ,ept their part of
the bargain honorably and had carried o"t the transfer 6ith all the formidable technical
s,ill at their disposal. And Andre6 had 6hat he 6anted. 0e might not fool the tr"ly
observant onloo,er into thin,ing he 6as h"man, b"t he 6as far more h"manloo,ing
than any robot ever had been, and at least he co"ld 6ear clothes no6 6itho"t the
ridic"lo"s anomaly of an e<pressionless metal face rising "p above them.
Event"ally Andre6 declared, *I 6ill be getting bac, to 6or, no6.-
!a"l Charney la"ghed and said, *&hen yo" m"st be 6ell. Ehat 6ill yo" be doingD
Another boo,D-
*7o,- said Andre6 serio"sly. *I live too long for anyone career to seiAe me by the
throat and never let me go. &here 6as a time 6hen I 6as primarily an artist, and I still
dabble in that no6 and then. And there 6as a time 6hen I 6as a historian and I can
al6ays 6rite another boo, or t6o, if I feel the need for it. /"t I have to ,eep moving on.
Ehat I 6ant to be no6, !a"l, is a robobiologist.-
*A robopsychologist, yo" meanD-
*7o. &hat 6o"ld imply the st"dy of positronic brains and at the moment I have no
interest in doing that. A robobiologist, it seems to me, 6o"ld be concerned 6ith the
6or,ings of the body that is attached to that brain.-
*Eo"ldn=t that be a roboticistD-
*In the old days, yes. /"t roboticists 6or, 6ith metallic bodies. I 6o"ld be
st"dying an organic h"manoid bodyof 6hich I have the only one, as far as I ,no6.
E<amining the 6ay it f"nctions, the 6ay it sim"lates a tr"e h"man body. I 6ant to ,no6
more abo"t artificial h"man bodies than the androidma,ers ,no6 themselves.-
*1o" narro6 yo"r field of endeavor,- said !a"l tho"ghtf"lly. *As an artist, the
6hole range of e<pression 6as yo"rs. 1o"r 6or, co"ld stand "p 6ith the best that 6as
being prod"ced any6here in the 6orld. As a historian, yo" dealt chiefly 6ith robots. As
a robobiologist, yo"r s"b;ect 6ill be yo"rself.-
Andre6 nodded. *)o it 6o"ld seem.-
*#o yo" really 6ant to t"rn in6ard that 6ayD-
*.nderstanding of self is the beginning of "nderstanding of the entire "niverse,-
said Andre6. *2r so I believe no6. A ne6born child thin,s he is the 6hole "niverse, b"t
he is 6rong, as he soon begins to discover. )o he m"st st"dy 6hat is o"tside himself
m"st try to learn 6here the bo"ndaries are bet6een himself and the rest of the 6orldin
order to arrive at any comprehension of 6ho he is and ho6 he is to cond"ct his life. And
in many 6ays I am li,e a ne6born child no6, !a"l. I have been something else before
this, something mechanical and relatively easy to "nderstand, b"t no6 I am a positronic
brain 6ithin a body that is almost h"man, and I can barely begin to comprehend myself.
I am alone in the 6orld, yo" ,no6. &here is nothing li,e me. &here never has been. As I
move thro"gh the 6orld of h"mans, no one 6ill "nderstand 6hat I am, and I barely
"nderstand it myself. )o I m"st learn. If that is 6hat yo" call t"rning in6ard, !a"l, so be
it. /"t it is the thing that I m"st do.-
Andre6 had to start from the very beginning, for he ,ne6 nothing of ordinary
biology, almost nothing of any branch of science other than robotics. &he nat"re of
organic life, the chemical and electrical basis of it, 6as a mystery to him. 0e had never
had any partic"lar reason to st"dy it before. /"t no6 that he 6as organic himselfor his
body 6as, at any ratehe e<perienced a po6erf"l need to e<pand his ,no6ledge of
living things. &o "nderstand ho6 the designers of his android body had been able to
em"late the 6or,ings of the h"man form, he needed first to ,no6 ho6 the gen"ine
article f"nctioned.
0e became a familiar sight in the libraries of "niversities and medical schools,
6here he 6o"ld sit at the electronic indices for ho"rs at a time. 0e loo,ed perfectly
normal in clothes and his presence ca"sed no stir 6hatever. &hose fe6 6ho ,ne6 that he
6as a robot made no attempt to interfere 6ith him.
0e added a spacio"s room to his ho"se to serve as a laboratory, and eB"ipped it
6ith an elaborate array of scientific instr"ments. 0is library gre6, too. 0e set "p
research pro;ects for himself that occ"pied him for 6ee,s on end of his sleepless t6enty
fo"rho"raday days. +or sleep 6as still something for 6hich Andre6 had no need.
&ho"gh virt"ally h"man in o"ter appearance, he had been given 6ays of restoring and
replenishing his strength that 6ere far more efficient than those of the species after
6hich he had been patterned.
&he mysteries of respiration and digestion and metabolism and cell division and
blood circ"lation and body temperat"re, the 6hole comple< and 6ondro"s system of
bodily homeostasis that ,ept h"man beings f"nctioning for eighty or ninety or,
increasingly, even a h"ndred years, ceased to be mysteries to him. 0e delved deep into
the mechanisms of the h"man bodyfor Andre6 sa6 that that 6as every bit as m"ch a
mechanism as 6ere the prod"cts of .. ). (obots and ?echanical ?en. It 6as an organic
mechanism, yesb"t a mechanism nevertheless, a bea"tif"lly designed one, 6ith its o6n
firm la6s of metabolic rhythm, of balance and decay, of brea,do6n and repair.
1ears 6ent by, B"iet ones not only 6ithin Andre6=s secl"ded retreat on the
gro"nds of the old ?artin estate, b"t in the 6orld o"tside. &he Earth=s pop"lation 6as
stable, held level not only by a lo6 birth rate b"t by steady emigration to the gro6ing
settlements in space. 3iant comp"ters controlled most economic fl"ct"ations, ,eeping
s"pply and demand in balance bet6een one (egion and another so that the ancient
b"siness cycles of boom and b"st 6ere flattened into gentle c"rves. It 6as not a
challenging, dynamic era@ b"t it 6as not a t"rb"lent or perilo"s one, either.
Andre6 paid ne<t to no attention to developments that might be going on beyond
his doorstep. &here 6ere more f"ndamental things that he needed and 6anted to e<plore,
and he 6as e<ploring them. &hat 6as all that mattered to him these days. 0is income,
6hich came from the invested proceeds of his no6 terminated career as an artist in 6ood
and from the money that Little ?iss had left him, 6as more than s"fficient to ta,e care
of his bodilymaintenance needs and to cover the costs of his research.
It 6as a private, hermetic life: precisely 6hat he 6anted. 0e had long since gained
complete mastery over his android body, after the a6,6ard early days, and often he too,
long 6al,s thro"gh the forest atop the bl"ff, or along the lonely, tempest"o"s beach
6here once he had gone 6ith Little ?iss and her sister. )ometimes he 6ent s6imming
the iciness of the 6ater 6as no problem for himand even occasionally ris,ed the
;o"rney o"t to the isolated, forlorn cormorant roc, that ?iss had as,ed him to "nderta,e
6hen she 6as a child. It 6as a diffic"lt s6im even for him, and the cormorants did not
seem to en;oy his company. /"t he en;oyed testing his strength against s"ch a challenge,
a6are that no h"man, even the strongest of s6immers, co"ld safely manage the trip o"t
and bac, thro"gh that chilly, violent sea.
?"ch of the time, tho"gh, Andre6 spent at his research. &here 6ere freB"ent
periods 6hen he did not go o"t of his ho"se for 6ee,s on end.
&hen !a"l Charney came to him one day and said, *It=s been a long time,
Andre6.-
*Indeed it has.- &hey rarely sa6 each other no6, tho"gh there had been no
estrangement of any sort. &he Charney family still maintained its home along the "pper
coast of 7orthern California, b"t !a"l had ta,en to spending most of his time nearer to
)an +rancisco.
*Are yo" still deep in yo"r program of Gbiological researchD- !a"l as,ed.
*Cery m"ch so,- Andre6 said.
0e 6as startled by ho6 m"ch !a"l had aged. &he phenomenon of h"man aging
6as something that Andre6 had been st"dying lately 6ith partic"lar interest, and he
tho"ght he had arrived at some "nderstanding of its ca"ses and its processes. And yet
for all his e<perience of age in the generations of this one family, from )ir do6n thro"gh
Little ?iss to 3eorge and no6 to !a"lit al6ays came as a s"rprise to him that h"mans
so s6iftly gre6 gray and 6ithered and bent and old. As !a"l had done. 0is longlimbed
frame seemed shorter no6, and his sho"lders 6ere sl"mped, and the bony str"ct"re of
his face had "ndergone s"btle changes so that his chin had beg"n to ;"t and his
chee,bones 6ere less prominent. 0is eyesight, too, m"st have s"ffered, for his eyes had
been replaced 6ith gleaming photooptic cells m"ch li,e the ones by 6hich Andre6
vie6ed the 6orld. )o he and !a"l had gro6n closer in that one respect, at least.
!a"l said, *It=s a pity yo"=re no longer as concerned as yo" once 6ere 6ith the
history of robots. 1o"r boo, 6o"ld need a ne6 chapter, no6.-
*Ehat do yo" mean, !a"lD-
*A chapter that deals 6ith the radical ne6 policy that .. ). (obots has
established.-
*I ,no6 nothing abo"t that. Ehat ne6 policy are yo" referring toD-
!a"l=s eyebro6s lifted. *1o" haven=t heardD (eallyD Eell, Andre6, 6hat they
have done is to begin man"fact"ring central control stations for their robotsgiant
positronic comp"ters, act"ally, 6hich are able to comm"nicate 6ith any6here from a
doAen to a tho"sand robots by micro6ave transmission. &he robots they=re t"rning o"t
no6 have no brains at all.-
*7o brainsD /"t ho6 do they-
*&he gigantic central brains do all the dataprocessing for them. &he robot "nits
themselves are nothing more than mobile limbs of the main thin,ing center.-
*Is that more efficientD-
*.. ). (obots insists that it is. Ehether it really is, I can=t say. /"t it=s my notion
that the 6hole thing is mainly a longrange 6ay of getting bac, at yo". )mythe
(obertson a"thoriAed the t"rn to6ard the ne6 direction ;"st before he died, yo" see. 0e
6as old and ill, b"t he p"shed his program thro"gh and made it stic,. And I s"spect that
6hat he 6anted 6as to ma,e certain that the company 6o"ld never again be confronted
by a robot able to give them all the tro"ble that yo" have. )o they=ve beg"n to separate
brain and body. A mindless mechanical laboring "nit can=t be deemed 6orthy of civil
rights or legislative protection@ and a big brain that sits in a bo< is ;"st a comp"ter. &he
brain isn=t going to be able to t"rn "p in the office of the Chairman of the /oard one day
and demand to be p"t into a fancy ne6 body. And the robot bodies, since they=re
completely brainless, aren=t in a position to conceive any demands at all.-
*It seems li,e a long step bac,6ard,- Andre6 said. *&hey=ve "ndone t6o h"ndred
years of progress in robotics merely to spare themselves some small degree of political
tro"ble.-
*Indeed. Indeed.- !a"l smiled and slo6ly shoo, his head. *It=s astonishing,
Andre6, the infl"ence yo" have had on the history of robotics. It 6as yo"r artistry that
enco"raged .. ). (obots to ma,e more robots more precise and specialiAed, beca"se
yo" seemed too clever by half, and they 6ere afraid that that 6o"ld frighten people. It
6as yo"r 6inning yo"r freedom that res"lted in the establishment of the principle of
robot rights. And it 6as yo"r insistence on having an android body that made .. ).
(obots s6itch over to this brainbody separation.-
Andre6 said, *I s"ppose in the end 6hat the corporation 6ill have created is a
6orld that has ;"st one vast brain controlling several billion robot bodies. All the eggs
6ill be in one bas,et, then. #angero"s. 7ot in any 6ay sensible.-
*I thin, yo"=re right,- said !a"l. */"t I don=t s"spect it 6ill come to pass for a
cent"ry, at least. Ehich means I 6on=t be here to see it.-
0e had crossed the room, and stood by the open door6ay, loo,ing o"t into the
6ooded grove ;"st beyond. A mild moist spring breeAe 6as blo6ing from the ocean, and
!a"l inhaled deeply as tho"gh trying to drin, it in. After a moment he t"rned to face
Andre6, and he seemed s"ddenly to have gro6n ten years older in ;"st the time that he
had been here.
*In fact,- !a"l said in a voice that 6as no more than a h"s, of itself, *I may not
live to see ne<t year.-
*!a"lF-
*#on=t so"nd so s"rprised. Ee=re mortal, Andre6,- !a"l said, 6ith a shr"g.
*Ee=re not li,e yo", and by this time yo" o"ght to "nderstand 6hat that means.-
*I do. /"t-
*1es. 1es, I ,no6. I=m sorry, Andre6. I ,no6 ho6 devoted yo"=ve been to o"r
family, and 6hat a sad and dreary thing it m"st be for yo" constantly to see "s gro6ing
"p and getting older and older and event"ally dying. Eell, 6e don=t li,e it m"ch either, I
have to tell yo", b"t there=s no sense railing against it. Ee live t6ice as long as h"man
beings "s"ally did ;"st a fe6 h"ndred years ago. &hat=s long eno"gh for most of "s, I
s"ppose. Ee simply have to be philosophical abo"t it.-
*/"t I don=t "nderstand. 0o6 can yo" be so calm in the face ofof complete
terminationD 2f the total end of all yo"r striving, all yo"r desire to achieve and learn and
gro6D-
*I 6o"ldn=t be, I s"ppose, if I 6ere t6enty years old right no6, or even forty. /"t
I=m not. And part of the system, Andre6the good part, I g"essis that 6hen yo" reach
a certain age it generally stops mattering to yo" so m"ch that yo"=re inevitably going to
die soon. 1o" aren=t really achieving and learning and gro6ing any more. +or better or
for 6orse, yo"=ve lived yo"r life and done 6hatever yo" can for the 6orld and for
yo"rself, and no6 yo"r time is "p and yo"r body ,no6s that and accepts it. Ee get very
tired, Andre6. 1o" don=t ,no6 6hat that 6ord means, not really, do yo"D 7o. 7o, I see
that yo" don=t. 1o" can=t. 1o" aren=t able to get tired and so yo" have only a theoretical
,no6ledge of 6hat it=s li,e. /"t it=s different for "s. Ee slog on and on for seventy or
eighty or maybe a h"ndred years and event"ally it all ;"st becomes too m"ch, and so 6e
sit do6n and then 6e lie do6n and finally 6e close o"r eyes and don=t open them again,
and right at the end 6e ,no6 that it is the end and 6e simply don=t mind. 2r don=t care:
I=m not s"re that=s the same thing, really, b"t perhaps it is. #on=t loo, at me that 6ay,
Andre6.-
*#ying is a nat"ral thing for h"mans,- Andre6 said. *I do "nderstand that, !a"l.-
*7o. 1o" don=t. 1o" really don=t. It ;"st isn=t possible for yo" to "nderstand. 1o"
secretly thin, that death is some sort of lamentable design fla6 in "s and yo" can=t
"nderstand 6hy it hasn=t been fi<ed, beca"se it o"ght to be pretty simple to ,eep on
replacing o"r parts indefinitely as they 6ear o"t and brea, do6n, the 6ay yo"rs have
al6ays been replaced. 1o"=ve even had an entire body replaced.-
*/"t s"rely it 6o"ld be theoretically possible for yo" to be transferred into-
*7o. It isn=t. 7ot even in theory. Ee don=t have positronic brains and o"rs aren=t
transferable, so 6e can=t simply as, someone to scoop "s o"t of a body that 6e=re
finished 6ith and p"t "s into a nice shiny ne6 one. 1o" can=t comprehend the fact that
h"mans inevitably have to reach a point 6here they=re incapable of being repaired any
more. /"t that=s all right. Ehy sho"ld anyone e<pect yo" to be able to conceive the
inconceivableD I=m going to die soon and that=s all there is to it. And I 6ant to reass"re
yo" at least in one respect, Andre6: yo"=ll be 6ell provided for financially 6hen I go.-
*/"t I am already B"ite 6ell provi-
*1es. I ,no6 that. All the same, things can change very B"ic,ly, sometimes. Ee
thin, 6e live in a very sec"re 6orld, b"t other civiliAations have felt ;"st as sm"g and
they had reason sooner or later to see that they 6ere 6rong. Any6ay, Andre6: I=m the
last of the Charneys. I have no heirs e<cept yo". &here are collateral relatives descended
from my greata"nt, b"t they don=t co"nt. I don=t ,no6 them and I don=t care abo"t
them. I care abo"t yo". &he money I control personally 6ill be left in tr"st in yo"r name
and yo"=ll contin"e to be economically sec"re as far into the f"t"re as anyone can
foresee.-
*&his is "nnecessary, !a"l,- Andre6 said, 6ith diffic"lty. 0e had to admit to
himself that 6hat !a"l had said abo"t his not "nderstanding death, not being able to
"nderstand it, 6as tr"e. In all this time he had not really managed to get "sed to the
deaths of the Charneys.
!a"l said, *Let=s not arg"e, all rightD I can=t ta,e the money 6ith me and there
isn=t anything I=d rather do 6ith it than leave it to yo", so that=s the 6ay it=s going to be.
And I don=t 6ant to cons"me any more of my remaining lifespan disc"ssing the matter
6ith yo". Let=s tal, abo"t something else. Ehat are yo" 6or,ing on these daysD-
*/iology, still.-
*Ehat aspect in partic"larD-
*?etabolism.-
*(obot metabolism, yo" meanD &here isn=t any s"ch thing, is thereD 2r is thereD
#o yo" mean android metabolismD 0"man metabolismD-
*All three,- Andre6 said. * A synthesis of sorts.- 0e pa"sed, and then he 6ent
pl"nging ahead. Ehy hold anything bac, from !a"lD *I=ve been designing a system that
6o"ld allo6 androidsI mean myself@ I am still the only f"nctioning android, am I
notDto dra6 energy from the comb"stion of hydrocarbons rather than from atomic
cells.-
!a"l gave him a long, slo6 loo,.
*1o" mean,- he said finally, *that yo" 6ant to ma,e it possible for an android to
be able to breathe and eat the same 6ay h"mans doD-
*1es.-
*1o"=ve never mentioned any s"ch pro;ect as this to me before, Andre6. Is it
something ne6D-
*7ot really. In tr"th, !a"l, it is the reason I began all this biological research in the
first place.-
!a"l nodded abstractedly. It 6as as tho"gh he 6as listening from a very great
distance. 0e seemed to be having a diffic"lt time absorbing 6hat Andre6 6as telling
him.
*And have yo" achieved anything significant so farD- he as,ed, after a time.
*I am approaching something significant,- Andre6 said. *It needs more 6or, b"t
I thin, I have s"cceeded in designing a compact comb"stion chamber that 6ill be
adeB"ate for catalyAed controlled brea,do6n.-
*/"t 6hy, Andre6D Ehat=s the point of itD 1o" ,no6 that it can=t possibly be as
efficient as the atomic cell yo"r body "ses no6.-
*Cery li,ely not,- said Andre6. */"t it o"ght to be efficient eno"gh. At least as
efficient as the system that the h"man body "ses, I 6o"ld say, and not all that different
from it in f"ndamental principle. &he main problem 6ith the atomic cell, !a"l, is that it
is inh"man. ?y energymy very life, yo" co"ld sayis dra6n from a so"rce that is
6holly other than h"man. And I am not content 6ith that.-
)IN&EE7
I& &22> &I?E, b"t Andre6 had all the time he needed. And he 6as in no h"rry to
complete his research. 0e 6anted everything to be properly 6or,ed o"t before he
attempted to have it p"t into service. &here 6as another reason for going slo6ly, also.
Andre6 had decided not to "ndergo any f"rther "pgrading beyond the android level
6hile !a"l Charney 6as still alive.
!a"l had not e<pressed any overt criticism of the 6or, Andre6 6as doing, other
than his initial response that Andre6=s ne6 comb"stion chamber might be less efficient
than the atomic cell that po6ered his body no6. /"t Andre6 co"ld see that !a"l 6as
tro"bled by the idea. It 6as too bold for him, too strange, too great a leap. Even !a"l, it
seemed, had his limits 6hen it came to the progress of robot design. Even !a"lF
!erhaps that 6as one of the side effects of aging, Andre6 tho"ght. Challenging
ne6 ideas become too challenging for yo", no matter ho6 open yo"r mind may have
been to dynamic change 6hen yo" 6ere yo"nger. Everything ne6 comes to seem
dist"rbing and threatening to yo". 1o" feel the 6orld r"shing past yo" in a frightening
stampede@ yo" 6ant things to slo6 do6n, yo" 6ant the ferocio"s pace of progress to
slac,en.
Eas that ho6 it 6asD Andre6 6ondered.
#id h"mans inevitably become more conservative 6ith ageD
)o it 6o"ld seem. Little ?iss had been "neasy abo"t his 6earing clothing. 3eorge
had tho"ght it odd that he 6o"ld 6ant to 6rite a boo,. And !a"l!a"l
Loo,ing bac, no6, Andre6 remembered ho6 startled, even shoc,ed, !a"l had
been 6hen he learned for the first time, in )mythe(obertson=s office, that 6hat Andre6
6anted 6as to be transferred into an android body. !a"l had made a B"ic, eno"gh
adaptation to the idea and had fo"ght f"rio"sly and brilliantly to ma,e it a reality. /"t
that did not necessarily mean that he tho"ght it 6as a good idea for Andre6.
&hey have all let me do 6hat I felt I needed to do, Andre6 tho"ght, even 6hen
they privately disagreed 6ith it. &hey have granted me my 6isheso"t of love for me.
1es, love. +or a robot.
Andre6 d6elled on that tho"ght for a 6hile, and sensations of 6armth and
pleas"re 6ent thro"gh him. /"t it 6as a little tro"bling, too, to realiAe that sometimes
the Charneys had s"pported him not o"t of personal convictions of their o6n b"t simply
beca"se they so 6holeheartedly and "nconditionally believed in allo6ing him to follo6
his o6n path, 6hether or not they tho"ght it 6as the correct one.
)o !a"l, then, had 6on him the right to have an android body. /"t that
transformation had ta,en !a"l to his o6n limit of acceptance of Andre6=s "p6ard path.
&he ne<t stepthe metabolic converter6as beyond him.
Cery 6ell. !a"l did not have very m"ch longer to live. Andre6 6o"ld 6ait.
And so he did@ and in time came ne6s of !a"l=s death, not as soon as !a"l had
s"pposed it 6o"ld be, b"t very soon, all the same. Andre6 6as invited to attend !a"l=s
f"neralthe p"blic ceremony, he 6as a6are, that mar,ed the end of a h"man lifeb"t
there 6as scarcely anyone there 6hom he ,ne6, and he felt ill at ease and o"t of place,
even tho"gh everyone 6as scr"p"lo"sly polite to him. &hese yo"ng strangersfriends of
!a"l=s, members of his la6 firm, distant relatives of the Charneyshad no more
s"bstance than shado6s for Andre6, and he stood among them heavy 6ith the do"ble
grief of having lost his good friend !a"l and of finding himself bereft of his last real
connection 6ith the family that had given him his place in life.
In fact there no longer 6ere any h"mans in the 6orld 6ith 6hom he had close
emotional ties. Andre6 had come to realiAe by this time that he had cared deeply for the
?artins and the Charneys in a 6ay that 6ent beyond the roboticthat his devotion to
them 6as not merely a manifestation of the +irst and )econd La6s, b"t something that
might indeed be called love. 0is love, for them. In his earlier days Andre6 6o"ld never
have admitted s"ch a thing, even to himself@ b"t he 6as different no6.
&hese tho"ghts led Andre6 inevitably, aro"nd the time of !a"l Charney=s death, to
a consideration of the entire concept of family tiesthe love of parent for child, of child
for parentand ho6 that 6as related to the ine<orable passing of the generations. If yo"
are h"man, Andre6 told himself, yo" are part of a great chain, a chain that hangs
s"spended across vast spans of time and lin,s yo" to all those 6ho have come before
yo" and those 6ho follo6 after. And yo" "nderstand that individ"al lin,s of the chain
may perishindeed, m"st perishb"t the chain itself is everrene6ing and 6ill s"rvive.
!eople died, 6hole families might become e<tinctb"t the h"man race, the species,
6ent on and on thro"gh the cent"ries and the millennia and the eons, everyone
connected thro"gh the heritage of blood to those 6ho had gone before.
It 6as a diffic"lt thing for Andre6 to "nderstand, that sense of connection, of
infinite lin,age 6ith intimately related predecessors. 0e had no predecessors, not really,
and he 6o"ld have no s"ccessors, either. 0e 6as "niB"eindivid"alsomething that had
been bro"ght forth at a certain moment in time o"t of nothing at all.
Andre6 fo"nd himself 6ondering 6hat it might be li,e to have had a parent
himselfb"t all he co"ld come "p 6ith 6as a vag"e image of assemblyrobots 6eaving
his body together in a factory. 2r 6hat it 6as li,e to have a childb"t the best he co"ld
manage 6as to envision a table or des,, something that he had made 6ith his o6n hands.
/"t h"man parents 6ere not assemblymechs, and h"man children 6ere nothing
li,e tables and des,s. 0e had it all 6rong.
It 6as a mystery to him. And very li,ely al6ays 6o"ld be. 0e 6as not h"man@
6hy then sho"ld he e<pect h"man family lin,ages to be comprehensible to himD
&hen Andre6 tho"ght of Little ?iss, of 3eorge, of !a"l, even of fierce old )ir,
and 6hat they had meant to him. And he realiAed that he 6as part of a family chain after
all, tho"gh he had had no parents and 6as incapable of siring children. &he ?artins had
ta,en him in and had made him one of them. 0e 6as a ?artin, indeed. An adopted
?artin, yes@ b"t that 6as the best he co"ld have hoped for. And there 6ere plenty of
h"mans 6ho had not had the comfort of belonging to s"ch a loving family. 0e had done
very 6ell, all things considered. &ho"gh only a robot, he had ,no6n the contin"ity and
stability of family life@ he had ,no6n 6armth@ he had ,no6n love.
All those 6hom Andre6 hadloved6ere gone, tho"gh. &hat 6as saddening and
liberating both. &he chain 6as bro,en, for him. It co"ld never be restored. /"t at least he
co"ld do as he pleased, no6, 6itho"t fear of tro"bling those 6ho had been so close to
him. 7o6, 6ith the death of the greatgrandson of )ir, Andre6 felt free to proceed 6ith
his plan for "pgrading his android body. &hat 6as some sort of partial consolation for his
loss.
7evertheless he 6as alone in the 6orld, or so it seemed to himnot simply
beca"se he 6as a positronic brain in a "niB"e android body, b"t beca"se he had no
affiliations of any sort. And it 6as a 6orld that had every reason to be hostile to his
aspirations. All the more reason, Andre6 tho"ght, to contin"e along the path he had
long ago chosenthe path that he hoped 6o"ld "ltimately ma,e him inv"lnerable to the
6orld into 6hich he had been thr"st so impersonally, 6itho"t his leave, so many years
before.
In fact Andre6 6as not B"ite as alone as he tho"ght. ?en and 6omen might die,
b"t corporations lived on ;"st as robots did, and the la6 firm of +eingold and Charney
still f"nctioned even tho"gh no +eingolds and no Charneys remained. &he firm had its
directions and it follo6ed them impeccably and so"llessly. /y 6ay of the tr"st that held
his investments and thro"gh the income that Andre6 dre6 from the firm as !a"l
Charney=s heir, Andre6 contin"ed to be 6ealthy. &hat enabled him to pay a large ann"al
retainer to +eingold and Charney to ,eep them involved in the legal aspects of his
researchin partic"lar, the ne6 comb"stion chamber.
It 6as time no6 for Andre6 to pay another call on the headB"arters of ..).
(obots and ?echanical ?en.
&his 6o"ld be the third time in his long life that Andre6 had had facetoface
dealings 6ith high e<ec"tives of the po6erf"l robotman"fact"ring corporation. 2n the
first occasion, bac, in the days of ?er6in ?ans,y, ?ans,y and managing director
Elliot )mythe had come o"t to California to see him. /"t that 6as 6hen )ir had still
been alive, and imperio"s old )ir had been able to command even )mythes and
(obertsons into his presence. 2n the ne<t occasion, many years later, Andre6 and !a"l
had been the ones to ma,e the ;o"rney to the companyto see 0arley )mythe(obertson
and arrange for Andre6=s transfer to the android body.
7o6 Andre6 6o"ld ma,e the ;o"rney east a second time, b"t he 6o"ld go alone.
And this time he 6o"ld have the visage and bodily frame, if not the inner organs, of a
h"man being.
..). (obots had changed greatly since Andre6=s last visit. &he main prod"ction
factory had been shifted to a large space station, as 6as the case 6ith many other
ind"strial facilities. 2nly the research center remained behind on Earth, in a grand and
lovely par,li,e setting of vast green la6ns and st"rdy 6idespreading leafy trees.
&he Earth itself, its pop"lation long since stabiliAed at abo"t a billionpl"s a robot
pop"lation abo"t eB"ally large6as becoming par,li,e virt"ally every6here. &he
terrible damage to the environment that had been perpetrated in the hectic early
cent"ries of the Ind"strial (evol"tion 6as largely only a memory, no6. &he sins of the
past had not e<actly been forgotten, b"t they had come to seem "nreal to the inhabitants
of the reborn Earth, and 6ith each passing generation it became harder and harder to
believe that people once had been 6illing to commit s"ch monstro"s and "ltimately self
destr"ctive crimes against their o6n 6orld. 7o6 that ind"stry had largely moved to
space and clean, efficient robot labor served the needs of those h"mans 6ho had
remained behind, the planet=s nat"ral healing po6ers had been allo6ed to come into
play, and the seas 6ere p"re again, the s,ies 6ere clear, the 6oodlands had reclaimed
territory once occ"pied by dense, grimy cities.
A robot greeted Andre6 6hen his aeroflitter landed at the .. ). (obots airstrip. Its
face 6as bland and blan, and its red photoelectric eyes 6ere "tterly e<pressionless.
)carcely thirty percent of the robots of Earth, Andre6 ,ne6, 6ere still independently
brained: this one 6as an empty creat"re, nothing more than the mindless metal p"ppet of
some immobile positronic thin,ingdevice ho"sed deep 6ithin the .. ). (obots
comple<.
*I am Andre6 ?artin,- Andre6 said. *I have an appointment 6ith #irector of
(esearch ?agdesc".-
*1es. 1o" 6ill follo6 me.-
Lifeless. /rainless. A mere machine. A thing.
&he robot greeter led Andre6 bris,ly along a paved path that gleamed 6ith some
inner crystalline brightness and "p a shining spiral ramp into a domed manyleveled
b"ilding covered 6ith a glistening and iridescent transl"cent s,in. &o Andre6, 6ho had
had little e<perience of modern architect"re, it had the loo, of something o"t of a
storyboo,light, airy, shimmering, not entirely real.
0e 6as allo6ed to 6ait in a broad oval room carpeted 6ith some l"stro"s
synthetic material that emitted a soft glo6 and a faint, pleasant sort of m"sic 6henever
Andre6 moved abo"t on its s"rface. 0e fo"nd that if he 6al,ed in a straight line the
glo6 6as pale pin, and the m"sic 6as mildly perc"ssive in te<t"re, b"t that 6hen he
sa"ntered in a c"rve that follo6ed the border of the room the light shifted more to6ard
the bl"e end of the spectr"m and the m"sic seemed more li,e the m"rm"ring of the
6ind. 0e 6ondered if any of this had any significance and decided that it did not: that it
6as mere ornamentation, a decorative frill. In this placid and "nchallenging era s"ch
lovely b"t meaningless decorative to"ches 6ere "biB"ito"s, Andre6 ,ne6
*AhAndre6 ?artin at last,- a deep voice said.
A short, stoc,y man had appeared in the room as tho"gh some magic had con;"red
him o"t of the carpet. &he ne6comer 6as dar, of comple<ion and hair, 6ith a little
pointed beard that loo,ed as tho"gh it had been lacB"ered, and he 6ore nothing above
the 6aist e<cept the breastband that fashion no6 dictated. Andre6 himself 6as more
thoro"ghly covered. 0e had follo6ed 3eorge Charney in adopting the *drapery- style of
clothing, thin,ing that its flo6ing nat"re 6o"ld better conceal 6hat he still imagined to
be a certain a6,6ardness of his movements, and tho"gh the stylishness of drapery 6as
several decades obsolete no6 and Andre6 co"ld move as easily and gracef"lly as any
h"man, he had contin"ed to dress in that manner ever since.
*#r. ?agdesc"D- Andre6 as,ed.
*Indeed. Indeed.- Alvin ?agdesc" too, "p a stance a co"ple of meters from
Andre6 and scanned him 6ith "ndisg"ised fascination, as tho"gh Andre6 6ere an
e<hibit in a m"se"m. *)plendidF 1o" are absol"tely splendidF-
*&han, yo",- Andre6 said, a little coolly. ?agdesc"=s compliment did not stri,e
him as entirely 6elcome. It 6as the ,ind of impersonal appraisal that some finely
man"fact"red machine might receive@ and Andre6 sa6 no reason to ta,e pleas"re these
days in that sort of thing 6hen it 6as directed at him.
*0o6 good of yo" to comeF- ?agdesc" cried. *0o6 eager I have been to see
yo"F /"t I am being impolite.- And he stepped for6ard 6ith a sort of l"nging, bo"nding
motion "ntil he 6as virt"ally standing toe to toe 6ith Andre6. 0e held o"t his hand,
palm "p6ard, fingers o"tstretched.
1es. A ne6 form of greeting that evidently had replaced the handsha,e that had
dominated h"man social interco"rse for so many h"ndreds of years. Andre6 6asn=t in
the habit of sha,ing hands 6ith h"man beings, let alone ma,ing this ne6 gest"re.
)ha,ing hands 6as simply not something that occ"rred to a robot to do. /"t ?agdesc"
seemed to be e<pecting it, and the offer helped to ease the sting of his first fe6 6ords.
And so Andre6 responded as he realiAed he 6as meant to, by offering his o6n hand. 0e
held it above ?agdesc"=s and bent the tips of his fingers do6n6ard "ntil they to"ched
the tips of the other man=s.
It 6as an odd feeling, this to"ching of hands 6ith a h"man as tho"gh they 6ere
eB"als. 2dd and a little dist"rbing, b"t enco"raging, also.
*Eelcome, 6elcome, 6elcomeF- ?agdesc" said. 0e seemed b"bbling 6ith
energy: a little too m"ch energy, maybe, Andre6 tho"ght. /"t it seemed gen"ine
eno"gh. *&he famo"s Andre6 ?artinF &he notorio"s Andre6 ?artinF-
*7otorio"sD-
*Absol"tely. &he most notorio"s prod"ct in o"r history. &ho"gh it seems almost
obscene to call something as lifeli,e as yo" a prod"ct, I have to say. 1o" aren=t offended,
are yo"D-
*0o6 co"ld I beD I am a prod"ct,- said Andre6, tho"gh 6itho"t m"ch 6armth. 0e
sa6 that ?agdesc" 6as "nable to hold a consistent position to6ard him. &o"ching hands
as tho"gh they 6ere simply t6o men at a b"siness meeting, yes@ b"t in the ne<t breath
spea,ing of him as a something. And describing him as *lifeli,e.- Andre6 had no
ill"sions abo"t himself: he ,ne6 that that 6as 6hat he 6as. 0"manoid, not h"man.
Lifeli,e, not living. A prod"ct, not a person. /"t he did not en;oy hearing it.
*&hey did s"ch a 6onderf"l ;ob 6ith yo"F (emar,ableF (emar,ableF Almost
h"manF-
*7ot B"ite,- Andre6 said.
*/"t amaAingly lifeli,e, all things considered. AmaAinglyF It=s a damned shame
that old )mythe(obertson 6as so set against yo". 1o"=re terrifically h"manoidloo,ing,
no B"estion abo"t it, a 6onderf"l technical accomplishmentb"t of co"rse he let the
company ta,e the android concept only so far. If o"r people had been allo6ed really to
go all o"t, 6e co"ld have done a great deal 6ith yo".-
*1o" still can,- said Andre6.
*7o, I don=t thin, so,- ?agdesc" said, and m"ch of the manic g"sto 6ent o"t of
him as tho"gh he 6ere a balloon that had been pric,ed. It 6as a startlingly s"dden
change of mood. 0e s6"ng a6ay from Andre6 and began to pace the room in an
ang"lar AigAagging 6ay that bro"ght greenish light and odd chiming m"sic "p from the
carpeting. *Ee=re past the time,- said ?agdesc" gloomily. *&he era of significant
progress in robotics6ell, forget it, it=s ;"st history no6. At least here, that is. Ee=ve
been "sing robots freely on Earth for something close to a h"ndred fifty years no6, b"t
it=s all changing again. It=s bac, to space for them no6, and those that stay here 6on=t be
brained.-
*/"t there remains myself, and I stay on Earth.-
*Eell, that=s tr"e. /"t yo"=re yo", a complete anomaly, a robot "nto himself, the
only android robot. 1o" aren=t the prototype of a line. 1o"=re simply a "niB"e item that
they happened to have t"rned o"t in a very different sort of era, and after yo" 6ere
prod"ced they made good and s"re that yo"=d remain "niB"e. 7o scope for f"rther
development there. 7o stateoftheart advances. 7o art@ no state. &here doesn=t seem to
be m"ch of the robot abo"t yo", any6ay. 1o"=re pretty m"ch o"t of o"r horiAon. 6hy
have yo" come here, any6ayD-
*+or an "pgrade,- Andre6 said.
?agdesc" la"ghed harshly. *#idn=t yo" pay any attention to anything I=ve ;"st
been telling yo"D &here=s no real progress going on hereF &his is a research center, yes,
b"t all o"r research is headed in e<actly the 6rong directionF Ee=re trying to ma,e
robots simpler and more mechanical all the time. And here yo" arethe most advanced
robot that ever e<isted or apparently ever 6ill e<istcoming in here and as,ing "s to
ma,e yo" even betterD 0o6 co"ld 6eD Ehat co"ld 6e possibly do for yo" that hasn=t
already been doneD-
*&his,- said Andre6.
0e handed ?agdesc" a memory dis,. &he research director stared at it balef"lly,
as tho"gh Andre6 had p"t a ;ellyfish or a frog into the palm of his hand.
*Ehat=s thisD- he as,ed, finally. *&he schematics for my ne<t "pgrade.-
*)chematics,- ?agdesc" said p"AAledly. *.pgrade.-
*1es. I 6ish to be even less a robot than I am no6. )ince I am organic "p to a
point, I 6ant no6 to have an organic so"rce of energy. 1o" can provide it for me. &he
necessary research 6or, has already been done.-
*/y 6homD-
*?e.-
*1o"=ve designed yo"r o6n "pgradeD- ?agdesc" began to ch"c,le. &hen the
ch"c,le became a la"gh, and then the la"gh dissolved into a manic giggle. *Eonderf"lF
&he robot 6al,s in here and hands the #irector of (esearch the "pgrade schematicsF
And 6ho did themD &he robot himself did themF Eonderf"lF Eonderf"lF 1o" ,no6,
6hen I 6as a little boy my grandmother "sed to read a boo, to me, an ancient boo, that
I g"ess has been completely forgotten by no6, a boo, called Alice in Eonderland. Abo"t
a little girl of three or fo"r h"ndred years ago 6ho follo6s a rabbit do6n a hole and
lands in a 6orld 6here everything is completely abs"rd, e<cept no one ,no6s it=s abs"rd
so they all ta,e it terribly serio"sly. &his is li,e something right o"t of that boo,. 2r the
seB"el. Alvin in Eonderland, I co"ld call it. Altho"gh I thin, there already is a seB"el,
act"ally.- ?agdesc" 6as spea,ing very rapidly no6, almost 6ildly. *)ho"ld I ta,e this
serio"sly, this set of "pgrade schematicsD It=s all ;"st a ;o,e, isn=t itD-
*7o. 7ot at all.-
*7ota;o,e.-
*7o. I am B"ite serio"s, I ass"re yo". Ehy don=t yo" play my dis,, #r.
?agdesc"D-
*1es. Ehy don=t ID- 0e to"ched a st"d in the 6all and a des, rose from
some6here, 6ith a scanner o"tlet on it. )6iftly he slid the dis, into the scanner slot and
the screen instantly blossomed into vivid color. Andre6=s name appeared in bright
crimson, 6ith a long list of patent n"mbers belo6 it. ?agdesc" nodded and told the
scanner to ,eep going. A seB"ence of complicated diagrams began to appear on the
screen.
?agdesc" stood stiffly, 6atching the screen 6ith increasingly intense
concentration. 7o6 and then he m"rm"red something to himself or toyed 6ith his beard.
After a 6hile he glanced to6ard Andre6 6ith a strange e<pression in his eyes and said,
*&his is remar,ably ingenio"s. (emar,ably. &ell me: yo" really did all of this yo"rselfD-
*1es.-
*0ard to believeF-
*Is itD !lease try.-
?agdesc" shot a sharp, inB"iring loo, at Andre6, 6ho met his gaAe steadily and
calmly. &he research director shr"gged and ordered the scanner to contin"e. #iagram
s"cceeded diagram. &he entire metabolic progression 6as there, from inta,e to
absorption. 2ccasionally ?agdesc" 6o"ld bac, the seB"ence "p so that he co"ld rest"dy
one that he had seen before. After a little 6hile he pa"sed again and said, *Ehat yo"=ve
set o"t here is something more than ;"st an "pgrade, yo" ,no6. It=s a ma;or B"alitative
alteration of yo"r biological program.-
*1es. I realiAe that.-
*0ighly e<perimental. .niB"e. .nheardof. 7othing li,e it has ever been
attempted or even proposed. 6hy do yo" 6ant to do something li,e this to yo"rselfD-
GGI have my reasons,- Andre6 said.
*Ehatever they are, they can=t really be very caref"lly tho"ght o"t.-
Andre6, as ever, maintained tight selfcontrol. *2n the contrary, #r. ?agdesc".
Ehat yo" have ;"st seen is the res"lt of years of st"dy.-
*I s"ppose so@ And technically it=s all very impressive, yo" ,no6. &hese are
terrific schematics and the only 6ord I can find for the concept"al frame6or, is
Gbrilliant.= /"t all the same I can thin, of a million reasons 6hy yo" sho"ldn=t go in for
these changes and none at all 6hy yo" sho"ld. Ee=re loo,ing at really ris,y st"ff, here.
&r"st me: 6hat yo"=re proposing to have done to yo"rself is right o"t on the farthest
reaches of the possible. &a,e my advice and stay the 6ay yo" are.-
It 6as more or less 6hat Andre6 had feared ?agdesc" 6o"ld say. /"t he had not
come here 6ith any intention of yielding.
*I=m s"re yo" mean 6ell, #r. ?agdesc". I hope yo" do, at any rate. /"t I insist on
having this 6or, done.-
*Insist, Andre6D- ?agdesc" said.
0e loo,ed asto"ndedas tho"gh, despite all his earlier tal, of 6hat a lifeli,e
prod"ct Andre6 6as, he 6as only ;"st no6 beginning to comprehend that it 6as a robot
6ith 6hich he 6as having this conversation.
*Insist, yes.- Andre6 6ondered 6hether the impatience that he felt 6as
s"fficiently visible in his face, b"t he 6as certain that ?agdesc" co"ld detect it in his
voice. *#r. ?agdesc", yo"=re overloo,ing an important point here. 1o" have no choice
b"t to accede to my reB"est.-
*2hD-
*If s"ch devices as I=ve designed here can be b"ilt into my body, they can be b"ilt
into h"man bodies as 6ell. &he tendency to lengthen h"man life by prosthetic devices is
already 6ell establishedartificial hearts, artificial l"ngs, ,idneys, livers"rrogates, a
6hole host of replacement organs have come into "se in the past t6o or three cent"ries.
/"t not all of these devices 6or, eB"ally 6ell and some are highly "nreliable indeed and
no one can deny that there is still m"ch room for improvement. &he principles
"nderlying my 6or, represent s"ch an improvement. I spea, of the interface bet6een
the organic and inorganic: the lin,age that 6ill permit artificial bodily parts to be
connected 6ith organic tiss"e. It is a ne6 depart"re. 7o e<isting prosthetic devices are
the eB"al of the ones I have designed and am designing.-
*&hat=s a pretty bold claim,- ?agdesc" said.
*?aybe so. /"t not "n6arranted by the facts, as I thin, yo" yo"rself have already
been able to see from the data at hand. &he proof of it is that I=m 6illing to ma,e myself
the first e<perimental s"b;ect for the metabolic converter, despite the ris,s that yo" seem
to see in it.-
*All that proves is that yo"=re 6illing to ta,e foolhardy chances. Ehich probably
means nothing more than that yo" don=t have a properly f"nctioning &hird La6
parameter.-
Andre6 remained calm. *It may seem that 6ay to yo", perhaps. /"t my o"t6ard
appearance may be deceiving yo". ?y &hree La6s parameters are B"ite intact. And th"s,
if I sa6 anything at all s"icidal abo"t my reB"est for this "pgrade, yo" can be B"ite
certain that I 6o"ld not only be "n6illing b"t also "nable to as, yo" to perform it. 7o,
#r. ?agdesc": the comb"stion chamber 6ill 6or,. If yo" 6on=t b"ild and install it for
me, I can have it done else6here.-
*Else6hereD Eho else can "pgrade a robotD &his corporation controls all the
technical ,no6ho6 there is 6hen it comes to robotsF-
*7ot all,- said Andre6 B"ietly. *#o yo" thin, I co"ld have designed this device
6itho"t f"ll ,no6ledge of my o6n interior 6or,ingsD-
?agdesc" loo,ed st"nned.
*Are yo" saying that yo"=re prepared to set "p a rival robotics company if 6e
6on=t do this "pgrade for yo"D-
*2f co"rse not. 2ne is B"ite eno"gh. /"t if yo" compel me to, #r. ?agdesc", I
6ill set "p a company that prod"ces prosthetic devices li,e my converter. 7ot for the
android mar,et, #r. ?agdesc", beca"se that mar,et is confined to a single individ"al,
b"t for the general h"man mar,et. And then, I thin,, .. ). (obots and ?echanical ?en
is going to regret that I 6as not offered the cooperation I reB"ested.-
&here 6as a long silence. &hen ?agdesc" said n"mbly, *I thin, I see 6hat yo"=re
driving at, no6.-
*I hope so. /"t I=ll be very e<plicit,- Andre6 said. * As it happens, I control the
patents on this device and on the entire family of devices that can be derived from it.
&he firm of +eingold and Charney has represented me very ably in all the legal 6or,,
and 6ill contin"e to do so. It 6o"ld not be very diffic"lt for me to find bac,ers and go
into b"siness for myselfthe b"siness of developing a line of prosthetic devices 6hich,
in the end, may give h"man beings many of the advantages of d"rability and easy repair
that robots en;oy, 6ith none of the dra6bac,s. Ehat do yo" thin, 6ill happen to .nited
)tates (obots and ?echanical ?en, in that caseD-
?agdesc" nodded. 0is face 6as grim.
Andre6 contin"ed, *If, ho6ever, yo" b"ild and install in me the device that I have
;"st sho6n yo", and yo" agree to o"tfit me "pon demand 6ith s"ch other prosthetic
"pgrades as I may s"bseB"ently devise, I=m prepared to 6or, o"t a licensing agreement
6ith yo"r company. A B"id pro B"o, that is: I have need of yo"r e<pertise in
robot'android technology, tho"gh I=m confident that I co"ld d"plicate it myself if yo"
forced me to, and yo" have need of the devices I=ve developed. .nder the licensing
agreement that I intend to propose, .nited )tates (obots and ?echanical ?en 6o"ld
receive permission to ma,e "se of my patents, 6hich control the ne6 technology that
6o"ld permit not only the man"fact"re of highly advanced h"maniform robots b"t also
the f"ll prostheticiAation of h"man beings. &he initial licenses 6ill not be granted, of
co"rse, "ntil the first operation on me has been s"ccessf"lly completed, and after eno"gh
time has passed to ma,e it "nB"estionably clear that it has been a s"ccess.-
?agdesc" said lamely, *1o"=ve tho"ght of everything, haven=t yo"D-
*I certainly hope so.-
*I can hardly believe that yo"=re a robot. 1o"=re so damnedaggressiveF-
*0ardly, #r. ?agdesc".-
*#emandsconditionsthreats of setting "p competitive companies my 3od,
don=t yo" have any +irst La6 inhibitions at allD-
Andre6 smiled the broadest smile that 6as possible for him to smile.
*?ost certainly I do,- he replied. */"t I happen to feel no +irst La6 press"re at
this moment. &he +irst La6 forbids me to harm h"man beings, of co"rse, and I ass"re
yo" that I am as incapable of doing that as yo" 6o"ld be to detach yo"r left leg and
reattach it 6hile I stood here 6atching yo". /"t 6here does the +irst La6 enter into o"r
present disc"ssionD 1o" are a h"man being and I am a robot, yes, and I have set certain
stern conditions for yo" 6hich I s"ppose yo" may interpret as demands and threats, b"t I
see the matter entirely differently. &o my 6ay of thin,ing I am not threatening yo" or the
company for 6hich yo" 6or, at all. Ehat I am doing is offering it the greatest
opport"nity it has had in many years. Ehat do yo" say, #r. ?agdesc"D-
?agdesc" moistened his lips, t"gged at the point of his little beard, nervo"sly
ad;"sted and read;"sted the sash that lay across his bare chest. *Eell,- he said. *1o"
have to "nderstand, ?r. ?artin, that it=s not in my po6er to ma,e any sort of decision on
something as big as this. &he /oard of #irectors 6o"ld have to deal 6ith it, not a mere
employee li,e me. And that=s going to ta,e time.-
*0o6 m"ch timeD-
*I can=t say. I=ll pass everything yo"=ve told me today "p to them, and they=ll ta,e
it "p at their reg"lar monthly meeting, and then I s"ppose they=ll create a st"dy
committee, and so on. it co"ld be a 6hile.-
*I can 6ait a reasonable time,- said Andre6. */"t only a reasonable time, and I
6ill be the ;"dge of 6hat is reasonable. 1o" 6o"ld do 6ell to tell them that.- 0e than,ed
?agdesc" for his time and anno"nced that he 6as ready to be cond"cted bac, to the
airstrip. And he tho"ght 6ith satisfaction that !a"l himself co"ld not have done any of
this in a better 6ay.
)ECE7&EE7
?A3#E)C. ?.)& 0ACE made things very clear to the /oard of #irectors, and the
"rgency of the message m"st have gotten thro"gh to them. +or it 6as 6ithin B"ite a
reasonable time indeed that 6ord reached Andre6 that the corporation 6as 6illing to do
b"siness 6ith him. ..).(.?.?. 6o"ld b"ild and design the comb"stion chamber and
install it in his android body at its o6n e<pense@ and it 6as prepared to enter into
negotiations for a licensing arrangement covering man"fact"re and distrib"tion of the
entire range of prosthetic organs that Andre6 might have "nder development.
.nder Andre6=s s"pervision a prototype metabolic converter 6as constr"cted and
e<tensively tested at a ne6ly constr"cted facility in 7orthern California, first 6ithin
robot h"lls, then 6ith ne6ly fabricated android bodies that had not been eB"ipped 6ith
positronic brains and 6ere operated on e<ternal lifes"pport systems.
&he res"lts 6ere impressive, everyone agreed. And finally Andre6 declared that
he 6as ready to have the device installed in himself.
*1o"=re absol"tely certainD- ?agdesc" as,ed.
&he bo"ncy little #irector of (esearch loo,ed concerned. #"ring the co"rse of the
pro;ect ?agdesc" and Andre6 had developed a c"rio"s b"t st"rdy friendship, for 6hich
Andre6 6as B"ietly gratef"l no6 that none of the Charneys 6ere left. In the time since
!a"l Charney=s death Andre6 had come clearly to recogniAe that he needed some sort of
sense of close connection 6ith h"man beings. 0e ,ne6 no6 that he did not 6ant to be a
completely solitary creat"re, that in fact he co"ld not e<ist comfortably in total solit"de,
tho"gh he 6as not s"re 6hy. 7othing in the design of the robot brain mandated any need
for companionship. /"t it often seemed to Andre6 no6 that he 6as more li,e a h"man
in many 6ays than he 6as li,e a robot, altho"gh he "nderstood that he really e<isted in a
strange indefinable limbo, neither man nor machine, parta,ing of some characteristics of
each.
*1es,- he said. *I have no do"bts that the 6or, 6ill be done s,illf"lly and 6ell.-
*I=m not tal,ing abo"t o"r part of the 6or,,- said ?agdesc". *I=m tal,ing abo"t
yo"rs.-
*1o" can=t possibly do"bt that the comb"stion chamber 6ill 6or,F-
*&he tests leave no B"estion of that.-
*&hen 6hatD-
*I=ve been against this thing from the start, Andre6, as yo" ,no6. /"t I don=t
thin, yo" f"lly "nderstand 6hy.-
*It=s beca"se yo" thin, that the radical technological "pheaval that my prosthetics
6ill ca"se for .. ). (obots is going to be too m"ch for the company to handle.-
*7oF Absol"tely notF 7ot even remotelyF I=m all in favor of e<periment for the
sa,e of e<perimentationF #on=t yo" thin, I 6ant to see some for6ard movement in this
damned field of o"rs, after all these decades of st"pid and f"rtive bac,sc"ttling to6ard
ever more simpleminded and no6 do6nright brainless robotsD 7o, Andre6, it=s yo" that
I=m 6orried abo"t.-
*/"t if the comb"stion chamber-
?agdesc" thre6 "p his hands. *It=s safe, it=s safeF 7obody disagrees on that score.
/"tloo,, Andre6, 6e=ll be opening yo"r body and ta,ing o"t yo"r atomic cell and
installing a b"nch of revol"tionary ne6 eB"ipment, and then 6e=ll be hoo,ing
everything "p to yo"r positronic path6ays. Ehat if something goes 6rong 6ith yo"r
body d"ring the operationD &here=s al6ays a possibility of thatsmall, maybe, b"t real.
1o" aren=t ;"st a positronic brain sitting inside a metal frame6or, any more, yo" ,no6.
1o"r brain is lin,ed to the android ho"sing in a far more comple< 6ay no6. I ,no6 ho6
they m"st have had to do the transfer operation. 1o"r positronic path6ays are tied into
sim"lated ne"ral path6ays. )"ppose yo"r android body starts malf"nctioning on the
operating tableD )"ppose it begins to enter a terminal malf"nction, Andre6D-
*#ies, is that 6hat yo"=re trying to sayD-
*#ies, yes. 1o"r body begins to die.-
*&here=ll be a bac,"p android body sitting on the table right ne<t to it.-
*And if 6e can=t ma,e the transfer in timeD If yo"r positronic brain s"ffers
irreversible decay 6hile 6e=re trying to "ntangle it from the million and one lin,ages
that 6ere set "p in )mythe(obertson=s time and lift it over to the bac,"p bodyD 1o"r
positronic brain is yo", Andre6. &here=s no 6ay to bac, "p a brain, positronic or
other6ise. If it=s damaged it=s damaged for good. If it=s damaged beyond a certain point
yo"=ll be dead.-
*And this is 6hy yo"=re hesitant abo"t the operationD-
*1o"=re the only one of yo" that there is. I=d hate to lose yo".-
*I=d hate to lose me too, Alvin. /"t I don=t thin, it=s going to happen.-
?agdesc" loo,ed blea,. *1o" insist on going thro"gh 6ith it, then.-
*I insist. I have every faith in the s,ill of the staff at .. ). (obots.-
And that 6as 6here the matter rested. ?agdesc" 6as "nable to b"dge him@ and
once more Andre6 made the ;o"rney east6ard to the .. ). (obots research center,
6here an entire b"ilding had been reconfig"red to serve as the operating theater.
/efore he 6ent, he too, a long solitary stroll one afternoon along the beach, "nder
the steep r"gged cliffs, past the s6arming tide pools 6here ?iss and Little ?iss had
li,ed to play in their childhood of a cent"ry and more ago, and stood for a long 6hile
loo,ing o"t at the dar, t"rb"lent sea, the vast arch of the s,y, the 6hite flec,s of clo"d in
the 6est.
&he s"n 6as beginning to set. It cast a golden trac, of light across the 6ater. 0o6
bea"tif"l it all 6asF &he 6orld 6as really an e<traordinarily splendid place, Andre6 told
himself. &he seathe s,ya s"nseta glossy leaf shining 6ith the morning de6
everything. EverythingF
And, he tho"ght, perhaps he 6as the only robot 6ho had ever been able to respond
to the bea"ty of the 6orld in this 6ay. (obots 6ere a d"ll plodding b"nch, in the main.
&hey did their ;obs and that 6as that. It 6as the 6ay they 6ere s"pposed to be. It 6as
the 6ay everyone 6anted them to be.
*1o"=re the only one of yo" that there is,- ?agdesc" had said.
1es. It 6as tr"e. 0e had a capacity for aesthetic response that 6ent far beyond the
emotive range of any other robot that had ever been.
/ea"ty meant something to him. 0e appreciated it 6hen he sa6 it@ he had created
bea"ty himself.
And if he never sa6 any of this again, ho6 very sad that 6o"ld be.
And then Andre6 smiled at his o6n foolishness. )adD +or 6homD 0e 6o"ld never
,no6 it, if the operation sho"ld fail. &he 6orld and all its bea"ty 6o"ld be lost to him,
b"t 6hat 6o"ld that matterD 0e 6o"ld have ceased to f"nction. 0e 6o"ld be
permanently o"t of order. 0e 6o"ld be dead, and after that it 6o"ld ma,e no difference
to him at all that he co"ld no longer perceive the bea"ties of the 6orld. &hat 6as 6hat
death meant: a total cessation of f"nction, an end to all processing of data.
&here 6ere ris,s, yes. /"t they 6ere ris,s he had to ta,e, beca"se other6ise
2ther6ise
0e simply had to. &here 6as no other6ise. 0e co"ld not go on as he 6as,
o"t6ardly h"man in form, more or less, b"t incapable of the most basic h"man
biological f"nctionsbreathing, eating, digesting, e<creting
An ho"r later Andre6 6as on his 6ay east. Alvin ?agdesc" met him in person at
the .. ). (obots airstrip.
*Are yo" readyD- ?agdesc" as,ed him.
*&otally.-
*Eell, then, Andre6, so am I.-
2bvio"sly they intended to ta,e no chances. &hey had constr"cted a 6ondro"s
operating theater for him, far more advanced in capability than the earlier room in 6hich
they had carried o"t his transformation from the metallic to the androidal form.
It 6as a magnificent tetrahedral enclos"re ill"minated by a crossshaped cl"ster of
chromed fi<t"res at its s"mmit that flooded the room 6ith brilliant b"t not glaring light.
A platform mid6ay bet6een floor and ceiling ;"tted from one 6all, dividing the great
room almost in half, and atop this platform rested a daAAling transparent aseptic b"bble
6ithin 6hich the s"rgery 6o"ld be performed. /eneath the platform that s"pported the
b"bble 6as the s"rgical stage=s environmentals"pport apparat"s: an immense c"be of
d"ll green metal, ho"sing an intricate tangle of p"mps, filters, heating d"cts, reservoirs
of steriliAing chemicals, h"midifiers, and other eB"ipment. 2n the other side of the room
6as a great array of s"pplementary machinery covering an entire 6all: an a"toclave, a
laser ban,, a host of metering devices, a camera boom and associated playbac, screens
that 6o"ld allo6 cons"lting s"rgeons o"tside the operating area to monitor the events.
*Ehat do yo" thin,D- ?agdesc" as,ed pro"dly.
*Cery impressive. I find it most reass"ring. And highly flattering as 6ell.-
*1o" ,no6 that 6e don=t 6ant to lose yo", Andre6. 1o"=re a very important
individ"al.-
Andre6 did not fail to notice the slight hesitation in ?agdesc"=s voice before that
last 6ord. As tho"gh ?agdesc" had been abo"t to say man, and had chec,ed himself
;"st barely in time. Andre6 smiled thinly b"t said nothing.
&he operation too, place the ne<t morning, and it 6as an "nB"alified s"ccess.
&here t"rned o"t to be no need for any of the elaborate safety devices that the .. ).
(obots people had set "p. &he operating team, follo6ing proced"res that Andre6
himself had helped to devise, 6ent bris,ly abo"t the tas, of removing his atomic cell,
installing the comb"stion chamber, and establishing the ne6 ne"ral lin,ages, and
performed its caref"lly choreographed 6or, 6itho"t the slightest hitch.
0alf an ho"r after it 6as over Andre6 6as sitting "p, chec,ing his positronic
parameters, e<ploring the altered dataflo6 s"rging thro"gh his brain as a torrent of
messages came in from the ne6 metabolic system.
?agdesc" stood by the 6indo6, 6atching him.
*0o6 do yo" feelD-
*+ine. I told yo" there=d be no problems.-
*1es. 1es.-
*As I said, my faith in the s,ill of yo"r staff 6as "n6avering. And no6 it=s done. I
have the ability to eat.-
*)o yo" do. 1o" can sip olive oil, at any rate.-
*&hat=s eating. I=m told that olive oil has a delicio"s taste.-
*Eell, sip all yo" 6ant. It=ll mean occasional cleaning of the comb"stion chamber,
as of co"rse yo" already realiAe. )omething of a n"isance, I=d say, b"t there=s no 6ay
aro"nd it.-
*A n"isance for the time being,- Andre6 said. */"t it=s not impossible to ma,e
the chamber selfcleaning. I=ve already had some ideas abo"t that. And other things.-
*2ther thingsD- ?agdesc" as,ed. *)"ch asD==
*A modification that 6ill deal 6ith solid food.-
*)olid food is going to contain incomb"stible fractions, Andre6indigestible
matter, so to spea,, that=s going to have to be discarded.-
*I=m a6are of that.-
*1o" 6o"ld have to eB"ip yo"rself 6ith an an"s.-
*&he eB"ivalent.-
*&he eB"ivalent, yes. Ehat else are yo" planning to develop for yo"rself,
Andre6D-
*Everything else.-
*EverythingD-
*Everything, Alvin.-
?agdesc" t"gged at the point of his beard and raised one eyebro6. *3enitalia,
tooD-
*I don=t see any reason 6hy not. #o yo"D-
*1o" aren=t going to be able to give yo"rself any ,ind of reprod"ctive ability. 1o"
simply aren=t, Andre6.-
Andre6 managed a faint smile. * As I "nderstand it, h"man beings ma,e "se of
their genitalia even at times 6hen they don=t have the slightest interest in reprod"ction.
In fact they seem to "se them for reprod"ction only once or t6ice in their lifetimes, at
best, is that not so, and the rest of the time-
*1es,- ?agdesc" said. *I ,no6, Andre6.-
*#on=t mis"nderstand me. I=m not saying that I plan to have se<"al relations 6ith
anyone,- Andre6 said. *I tend to do"bt very m"ch that I 6o"ld. /"t I 6ant the
anatomical feat"res to be present, all the same. I regard my body as a canvas on 6hich I
intend to dra6-
0e left the sentence "nfinished.
?agdesc" stared at him, 6aiting for the ne<t 6ord. Ehen it seemed certain that it
6o"ld not be forthcoming, he completed the statement himself, and this time ?agdesc"
spo,e the 6ord that he had not been able to bring himself to "tter on the day before the
operation.
*A man, Andre6D-
*A man, yes. !erhaps.- ?agdesc" said, *I=m disappointed in yo". It=s really s"ch
a p"ny ambition. 1o"=re better than a man, Andre6. 1o"=re s"perior in every 6ay I can
thin, of. 1o"r body is diseaseproof, selfs"staining, selfrepairing, virt"ally
inv"lnerable, a marvelo"sly elegant e<ample of biological engineering, ;"st as it stands.
It doesn=t need any improvements. /"t no, for some reason yo" 6ant to p"t totally
"seless food inside yo"rself and then find a 6ay of e<creting it, yo" 6ant to give
yo"rself genitalia even tho"gh yo" aren=t capable of reprod"ction and yo" aren=t
interested in se<, yo"=ll 6ant to start having body odor ne<t, and dental decay- 0e
shoo, his head scornf"lly. *I don=t ,no6, Andre6. &he 6ay it seems to me, yo"=ve been
going do6nhill ever since yo" opted for organicism.-
*?y brain hasn=t s"ffered.-
*7o, it hasn=t I=ll grant yo" that. /"t there=s no g"arantee that this ne6 set of
"pgrades that yo"=ve started to s,etch o"t 6on=t involve yo" in tremendo"s ris,s, once
6e start the act"al installations. Ehy ta,e chancesD 1o"=ve got very little to gain and
everything to lose.-
*1o" are simply not capable of seeing this from my vie6point, Alvin.-
*7o. 7o, I g"ess not I=m a mere fleshandblood h"man being 6ho doesn=t thin,
there=s anything very 6onderf"l abo"t perspiration and e<cretion and s,in blemishes and
headaches. 1o" see this beard I 6earD I 6ear it beca"se hair insists on gro6ing on my
face every single day"seless, bothersome, "gly hair, some ,ind of evol"tionary
s"rvival from 3od ,no6s 6hat primordial phase of h"man life, and I have my choice
bet6een going to the bother of removing it every single day so that I=ll conform to the
conventional neatness modes of my society or else letting it gro6 on at least some areas
of my face so that I can be spared the n"isance of depilation. Is that 6hat yo" 6antD
+acial hairD )t"bble, Andre6D #o yo" intend to devote all yo"r immense technical
ingen"ity to the challenging tas, of finding o"t a 6ay of creating five o=cloc, shado6
for yo"rselfD-
*1o" can=t possibly "nderstand,- said Andre6.
*)o yo" ,eep saying. I "nderstand this, tho"gh: yo"=ve developed a patented line
of prosthetic devices that amo"nts to an immense technological brea,thro"gh. &hey=re
going to e<tend the h"man lifespan enormo"sly and transform the e<istence of millions
of people 6ho other6ise 6o"ld be facing crippling and debilitating circ"mstances as
they age. I realiAe that yo"=re 6ealthy already, b"t once yo"r devices are on the mar,et
they=ll ma,e yo" rich beyond anybody=s comprehension. ?aybe having more money
doesn=t mean m"ch to yo", b"t there=ll be fame along 6ith ithonors galorethe
gratit"de of an entire 6orld. It=s an enviable position, Andre6. Ehy can=t yo" settle for
6hat yo" have no6D Ehy ta,e all these craAy chances, and r"n the ris, of losing
everythingD Ehy do yo" insist on playing f"rther games 6ith yo"r bodyD-
Andre6 did not ans6er.
7or did he let any of Alvin ?agdesc"=s ob;ections prevent him from contin"ing to
follo6 his chosen path. Eith the basic principles of his prosthetic devices established, he
6as able to develop a host of ne6 applications involving virt"ally every organ of the
body. And everything 6ent pretty m"ch as ?agdesc" had said it 6o"ldthe money, the
honors, the fame.
/"t the personal ris,s of 6hich ?agdesc" had spo,en did not materialiAe. &he
freB"ent "pgrades 6hich Andre6 "nder6ent over the ne<t decade had no harmf"l effects
6hatever as they bro"ght his android body closer and closer in its operational systems to
the h"man norm.
&he +eingold and Charney people had helped him to draft and negotiate the
licensing agreement "nder 6hich all the patentprotected prosthetic devices developed
by Andre6 ?artin Laboratories 6o"ld be man"fact"red and mar,eted by .nited )tates
(obots and ?echanical ?en on a royaltypayment basis. Andre6=s patents 6ere air
tight and the contract 6as a highly favorable one. Ehatever irritation or resentment .. ).
(obots might have felt all these years over the mere fact of Andre6=s e<istence 6as
forgotten, or at least p"t aside. Eillynilly, they had to treat him 6ith respect. 0e and the
company 6ere partners, no6.
.. ). (obots established a special division to prod"ce Andre6=s devices, 6ith
factories on several continents and in lo6 orbit. ?ar,eting e<perts from the parent
company 6ere bro"ght in to develop plans for distrib"ting the ne6 prod"cts every6here
on Earth and the space settlements. )"rgeons, both h"man and robot, "nder6ent co"rses
of instr"ction at the .. ). (obots prosthetics facility so that they 6o"ld be able to carry
o"t the complicated installation proced"res.
#emand for Andre6=s prosthetic devices 6as immense. &he flo6 of royalties 6as
heavy right from the start and 6ithin a fe6 years became over6helming.
Andre6 no6 o6ned the entire ?artinCharney estate, and m"ch of the
s"rro"nding landa 6ondro"s stretch of clifftop terrain overloo,ing the !acific 2cean
for eight or ten ,ilometers. 0e lived in )ir=s big ho"se, b"t maintained his o6n old
cottage nearby as a sentimental reminder of his early days of independent life after
gaining freerobot stat"s.
+arther do6n the property he b"ilt the imposing research facilities of Andre6
?artin Laboratories. &here 6as a little tro"ble 6ith the Aoning a"thorities abo"t that,
beca"se this 6as s"pposed to be a B"iet residential area and the research center that
Andre6 6anted to set "p 6o"ld be the siAe of a small "niversity camp"s. &here 6as
also, perhaps, some lingering antirobot feeling at 6or, among the opposition.
/"t 6hen his application came "p for approval, Andre6=s la6yer simply said,
*Andre6 ?artin has given the 6orld the prosthetic ,idney, the prosthetic l"ng, the
prosthetic heart, the prosthetic pancreas. In ret"rn all he as,s is the right to contin"e his
research in peace on the property 6here he has lived and 6or,ed for 6ell over a h"ndred
years. Eho among "s 6o"ld ref"se s"ch a small reB"est 6hen it comes from so great a
benefactor of man,indD- And after a certain amo"nt of debate the Aoning variance 6as
granted and the b"ildings of the Andre6 ?artin Laboratories (esearch Center began to
rise amid the somber cypresses and pines of 6hat had, long ago, been the 6ooded estate
of 3erald ?artin.
Every year or t6o, Andre6 6o"ld ret"rn to the gleaming operating theater at ". ).
(obots for additional prosthetic "pgrading of his o6n. )ome of the changes 6ere "tterly
trivial ones: the ne6 fingernails and toenails, for e<ample, virt"ally indisting"ishable
no6 from those of h"mans. )ome of the changes 6ere ma;or: the ne6 vis"al system,
6hich altho"gh synthetically gro6n 6as able to d"plicate the h"man eyeball in virt"ally
every respect.
*#on=t blame "s if yo" come o"t of this permanently blind,- ?agdesc" told him
so"rly, 6hen Andre6 6ent to him for the eye transplant.
*1o" aren=t loo,ing at this rationally, my friend,- replied Andre6. *&he 6orst that
can happen to me is that I 6ill be forced to go bac, to photooptic cells. &here is no ris,
6hatever that I 6ill s"ffer complete loss of eyesight.-
*Eell- ?agdesc" said, and shr"gged.
Andre6 6as right, of co"rse. 7o one 6as forced to be permanently blind any
more. /"t there 6ere artificial eyes and then there 6ere artificial eyes, and the photo
optic cells that had been a feat"re of Andre6=s original android body 6ere replaced 6ith
the ne6 syntheticorganic eyes that Andre6 ?artin Laboratories had perfected. &he fact
that h"ndreds of tho"sands of aging h"man beings had been content for more than a
generation to "se photooptic cells 6as irrelevant to Andre6. &o him they loo,ed
artificial@ they loo,ed inh"man. 0e had al6ays 6anted tr"e eyes. And no6 he had them.
?agdesc", after a 6hile, gave "p protesting. 0e had come to see that Andre6 6as
destined to have his 6ay in all things and that there 6as no point in raising ob;ections to
Andre6=s schemes for ne6 prosthetic "pgrades. /esides, ?agdesc" 6as beginning to
gro6 old no6, and m"ch of the fire and Aeal that had been characteristic of him 6hen
Andre6 first came to him had gone o"t of him by no6. Already he had had several
ma;or prosthetic operations himselfa do"ble ,idney replacement, first, and then a ne6
liver. )oon ?agdesc" 6o"ld reach retirement age.
And then, no do"bt, he 6o"ld die, in ten or t6enty years more, Andre6 told
himself. Another friend gone, s6ept a6ay by the remorseless river of time.
Andre6 himself, nat"rally, sho6ed no signs of aging at all. +or a time that
tro"bled him eno"gh that he debated having some cosmetic 6rin,les addeda to"ch of
cro6=s feet aro"nd his eyes, for e<ampleand graying his hair. After giving the matter a
little tho"ght, tho"gh, he decided that to go in for s"ch things 6o"ld be a foolish
affectation. Andre6 did not see his "pgrades that 6ay at all: they represented his
contin"ed attempt to leave his robot origins behind and approach the physical form of a
h"man being. 0e did not deny to himself that it had become his goal to do that /"t there
6as no sense in becoming more h"man than the h"mans themselves. It str"c, him as
pointless and abs"rd to s"b;ect his evermoreh"man b"t still ageless android body to the
e<ternal mar,s of aging.
Canity had nothing to do 6ith Andre6=s decisiononly logic. 0e 6as a6are that
h"mans had al6ays tried to do everything in their po6er to conceal the effects that
gro6ing old had on their appearance. Andre6 realiAed that it 6o"ld be altogether
ridic"lo"s for him, e<empted as he 6as from aging by his inherent android nat"re, to go
o"t of his 6ay deliberately to ta,e those effects "pon himself.
)o he remained ever yo"thf"lloo,ing. And, of co"rse, there 6as never any
slac,ening of his physical vigor: a caref"l maintenance program made certain of that /"t
the years 6ere passing, and passing s6iftly no6. Andre6 6as approaching the one
h"ndred and fiftieth anniversary of his constr"ction.
/y this time Andre6 6as not only e<ceedingly 6ealthy b"t covered 6ith the
honors that Alvin ?agdesc" had foretold for him. Learned societies hastened to offer
him fello6ships and a6ardsin partic"lar one society 6hich 6as devoted to the ne6
science he had established, the one he had called robobiology b"t 6hich had come to be
termed prosthetology. 0e 6as named its honorary president for life. .niversities vied
6ith one another to give him degrees. An entire room in his ho"sethe one "pstairs that
once had been his 6ood6or,ing st"dio, five generations before6as given over no6 to
storing the myriad diplomas, medals, scrolls of honor, testimonial vol"mes, and other
artifacts of Andre6=s 6orld6ide stat"s as one of h"manity=s greatest benefactors.
&he desire to recogniAe Andre6=s contrib"tion became so "niversal that he needed
one f"lltime secretary simply to reply to all the invitations to attend testimonial
banB"ets or accept a6ards and degrees. 0e rarely did attend any s"ch ceremonies any
longer, tho"gh he 6as "nfailingly co"rteo"s in ref"sing, e<plaining that the contin"ed
program of his research made it inadvisable for him to do a great deal of traveling. /"t
in fact most of these f"nctions had come to irritate and bore him.
&he first honorary degree from a ma;or "niversity had given him a thrill of
vindication. 7o robot had ever received s"ch an honor before.
/"t the fiftieth honorary degreeD &he h"ndredthD &hey had no meaning for him.
&hey said more abo"t the giver than abo"t the recipient. Andre6 had proved 6hatever
point it 6as that he had set o"t to ma,e abo"t his intelligence and creativity long ago,
and no6 he simply 6anted to proceed 6ith his 6or, in peace, 6itho"t having to ma,e
long trips and listen to speeches in his honor. 0e 6as s"rfeited 6ith honor.
/oredom and irritation, Andre6 ,ne6, 6ere e<ceedingly h"man traits, and it
seemed to him that he had only beg"n to e<perience them in the past t6enty or thirty
years. !revio"slyso far as he co"ld recallhe had been notably free from s"ch
afflictions, tho"gh from the beginning there had al6ays been a certain "nrobotic
component of impatience in his ma,e"p that he had chosen not to ac,no6ledge for a
long time. &his ne6 irritability, tho"gh: it 6as some side effect of the "pgrades, he
s"spected. /"t not a tro"blesome one, at least not so far.
Ehen his h"ndred and fiftieth anniversary came aro"nd and the .. ). (obots
people let it be ,no6n that they 6anted to hold a great testimonial dinner to mar, the
occasion, Andre6 instr"cted his secretary, 6ith some annoyance in his voice, to t"rn the
invitation do6n. *&ell them I=m deeply to"ched, et cetera, et cetera, the "s"al st"ff. /"t
that I=m b"sy right no6 6ith an e<tremely comple< pro;ect, et cetera, et cetera, and that
in any case I=d ;"st as soon not have a lot of f"ss made over the anniversary, b"t I than,
them very m"ch, I "nderstand the great significance of the gest"re, and so forthet
cetera, et cetera, et cetera.-
.s"ally a letter li,e that 6as eno"gh to get him off the hoo,. /"t not this time.
Alvin ?agdesc" called him and said, *Loo,, Andre6, yo" can=t do this.-
*Can=t do 6hatD-
*&oss the ..).(.?.?. testimonial dinner bac, in their faces li,e that.-
*/"t I don=t 6ant it, Alvin.-
*I realiAe that. All the same, yo"=ve got to go thro"gh 6ith it. 2nce in a 6hile yo"
need to get o"t of that laboratory of yo"rs and sit aro"nd letting a b"nch of h"man
beings bore yo" silly by telling yo" ho6 remar,able yo" are.-
*I=ve had B"ite eno"gh of that over the past decade or t6o, than, yo".-
*Eell, have a little more. 1o" don=t 6ant to offend me, do yo", Andre6D-
*1o"D Ehat do yo" have to do 6ith thisD Ehy is it any concern of yo"rsD-
?agdesc" 6as ninetyfo"r years old no6, and had retired si< years before.
*/eca"se,- said ?agdesc" bitterly, *I 6as the one 6ho s"ggested the 6hole thing.
As a 6ay of demonstrating my affection for yo", yo" damned 6al,ing scrapheap, and
also to e<press my than,s for the assortment of fantastic Andre6 ?artin prosthetic
devices that have t"rned me into the same sort of scrapheap and permitted me to go on
living as long as I have. I 6as going to be the master of ceremonies, the principal
spea,er. /"t no, Andre6, yo" simply can=t be bothered, 6hich ma,es me loo, e<tremely
foolish. &he finest creation that .. ). (obots and ?echanical ?en ever bro"ght into this
6orld, and yo" can=t ta,e a single evening off to accept ac,no6ledgment of that fact,
and to give an old friend a little pleas"rea little pleas"re, Andre6-
?agdesc" fell silent. 0is face, 6eathered no6 and graybearded, stared at Andre6
somberly o"t of the screen.
*Eell, then- Andre6 said, abashed. And so he agreed to go to the testimonial
dinner, after all. A chartered .. ). (obots l"<"ry flitter pic,ed him "p and fle6 him to
the company headB"arters. &he dinner, in the grand 6oodpaneled meetinghall of the
great robotics comple<, had some three h"ndred g"ests, all of them attired in the
antiB"ated and "ncomfortable clothing that 6as still considered proper formal dining
cost"me for great occasions.
And it 6as a great occasion. 0alf a doAen members of the (egional Legislat"re
6ere there, and one of the ;"stices of the Eorld Co"rt, and five or si< 7obel !riAe
la"reates, and of co"rse a scattering of (obertsons and )mythes and )mythe(obertsons,
along 6ith a 6ide assortment of other dignitaries and celebrities from all over the 6orld.
*)o yo" sho6ed "p after all,- ?agdesc" said. *I had my do"bts right "p to the last
*
Andre6 6as str"c, by ho6 small and bent ?agdesc" loo,ed, ho6 frail, ho6
6eary. /"t there 6as still a glo6 of the old mischief in the man=s eyes.
*1o" ,no6 I co"ld not have stayed a6ay,- Andre6 told him. *7ot really.-
*I=m glad, Andre6. 1o"=re loo,ing good.-
*And so are yo", Alvin.-
?agdesc" smiled r"ef"lly. *1o" get more and more h"man all the time, don=t
yo"D 1o" lie ;"st li,e one of "s, no6. And ho6 easily that bit of flattery rolled off yo"r
lips, Andre6F 1o" didn=t even hesitate.-
*&here is really no la6 against a robot=s telling an "ntr"th to a h"man being,- said
Andre6. *.nless the "ntr"th 6o"ld do harm, of co"rse. And yo" do loo, good to me,
Alvin.-
*+or a man my age, yo" mean.-
*1es, for a man yo"r age, I s"ppose I sho"ld say. If yo" insist on my being so
precise.-
&he afterdinner speeches 6ere the "s"al orot"nd pompo"s things: e<pressions of
admiration and 6onder over Andre6=s many achievements. 2ne spea,er follo6ed
another, and they all seemed pondero"s and dreary to Andre6, even those 6ho in fact
managed a good bit of 6it and grace. &heir styles of delivery might vary, b"t the content
6as al6ays the same. Andre6 had heard it all before, many too many times.
And there 6as an "nspo,en s"bte<t in each speech that never ceased to tro"ble
him: the patroniAing implication that he had done 6onderf"l things for a robot, that it
6as close to mirac"lo"s that a mere mechanical constr"ction li,e himself sho"ld have
been able to thin, so creatively and to transm"te his tho"ghts into s"ch e<traordinary
accomplishments. !erhaps it 6as the tr"th@ b"t it 6as a painf"l tr"th for Andre6 to face,
and there seemed no 6ay of escaping it.
?agdesc" 6as the last to spea,.
It had been a very long evening, and ?agdesc" loo,ed pale and tired as he stood
"p. /"t Andre6, 6ho 6as seated ne<t to him, observed him ma,ing a stren"o"s effort to
p"ll himself together, raising his head high, sB"aring his sho"lders, filling his l"ngshis
Andre6 ?artin Laboratories prosthetic l"ngs6ith a deep dra"ght of air.
*?y friends, I 6on=t 6aste yo"r time repeating the things that everyone else has
said here tonight. Ee all ,no6 6hat Andre6 ?artin has done for man,ind. ?any of "s
have e<perienced his 6or, at first handfor I ,no6 that sitting before me tonight as I
spea, are scores of yo" 6ho have Andre6=s prosthetic devices installed in yo"r bodies.
And I am of yo"r n"mber. )o I 6ant to say, simply, that it 6as my great privilege to
6or, 6ith Andre6 ?artin in the early days of prosthetologyfor I myself played a small
part in the development of those devices of his 6hich are so essential to o"r lives today.
And in partic"lar I 6ant to ac,no6ledge that I 6o"ld not be here tonight b"t for Andre6
?artin. /"t for him and his magnificent 6or,, I 6o"ld have been dead fifteen or t6enty
years agoand so 6o"ld many of yo".
*&herefore, my friends, let me propose a toast. lift yo"r glasses 6ith me no6, and
ta,e a sip of this good 6ine, in honor of the remar,able individ"al 6ho has bro"ght s"ch
great changes to medical science, and 6ho today attains the imposing and significant age
of one h"ndred fifty yearsI give yo", my friends, Andre6 ?artin, the )esB"icentennial
(obotF-
Andre6 had never managed to c"ltivate a li,ing for 6ine or even any
"nderstanding of its merits, b"t as a res"lt of his comb"stionchamber "pgrades at least
he had the physiological capacity to cons"me it. )ometimes he act"ally did, 6hen social
conte<ts seemed to reB"ire him to. And so 6hen Alvin ?agdesc" t"rned to6ard him,
therefore, his eyes shining 6ith emotion, his face fl"shed, his glass "praised, Andre6
raised his o6n glass in response, and do6ned a long drin, of the 6ine that it contained.
/"t in fact he felt little ;oy. &ho"gh the sine6s of his face had long since been
redesigned to display a range of emotions, he had sat thro"gh the entire evening loo,ing
solemnly passive, and even at this climactic moment he co"ld manage nothing better
than a perf"nctory halfsmile. Even that too, effort. ?agdesc" had meant 6ell, b"t his
6ords had given Andre6 pain. 0e did not 6ant to be a )esB"icentennial (obot.
EI30&EE7
I& EA) !(2)&0E&2L231 that finally too, Andre6 off the Earth. 0e had not felt any
need in the past to ta,e trips into spaceor to travel very 6idely on Earth itself, for that
matterb"t Earth 6as no longer the prime center of h"man civiliAation, and most of
6hat 6as ne6 and eventf"l 6as ta,ing place in the off6orld settlementsnotably on the
?oon, 6hich no6 had come to be a 6orld more Earthli,e than Earth in every respect
b"t its gravitational p"ll. &he "ndergro"nd cities that had beg"n as mere cr"de cavern
shelters in the &6enty+irst Cent"ry no6 6ere op"lent, brightly lit cities, densely
pop"lated and rapidly gro6ing.
&he citiAens of the ?oon, li,e h"mans every6here, had need of prosthetic 6or,.
7o one 6as content any more 6ith the traditional three score and ten, and 6hen organs
bro,e do6n, it 6as standard proced"re to replace them.
/"t the lo6 l"nar gravity, tho"gh in some 6ays it had its advantages for h"mans
living "nder red"ced gravitational stress, created a host of problems for the prosthetic
s"rgeons. #evices designed to deliver a smooth and reg"lar flo6 of blood or hormones
or digestive fl"id or some other f"ndamental s"bstance of life in Earth=s gravity 6o"ld
not f"nction as reliably "nder a gravitational p"ll that 6as only one si<th as great. &here
6ere problems, too, of tensile strength, of d"rability, of "ne<pected and "n6anted
feedbac, complications.
&he l"nar prosthetologists had begged Andre6 for years to visit the ?oon and get
a firsthand loo, at the problems of adaptation that they 6ere forced to deal 6ith. &he ..
). (obots mar,eting division on the ?oon repeatedly "rged him to go.
2n a co"ple of occasions, it 6as even s"ggested that, "nder the terms of the
licensing agreement, Andre6 6as reB"ired to go@ b"t Andre6 met that s"ggestionand it
6as phrased as a s"ggestion, not as an order6ith s"ch chilly ref"sal that the company
did not attempt to raise the iss"e a third time.
/"t still the reB"ests for help came from the doctors on the ?oon. And again and
again Andre6 declined"ntil, s"ddenly, he fo"nd himself as,ing himself, Ehy not go D
Ehy is it so important to stay on Earth all the timeD
2bvio"sly he 6as needed "p there. 7o one 6as ordering him to gono one 6o"ld
dare, not these daysb"t nevertheless he co"ld not lose sight of the fact that he had been
bro"ght into the 6orld for the p"rpose of serving man,ind, and nothing said that the
sphere of his service 6as limited only to Earth. )o be it., Andre6 tho"ght. And 6ithin an
ho"r his acceptance of the latest invitation 6as being beamed ?oon6ard.
2n a cool, driAAly a"t"mn day Andre6 6ent by flitter do6n to )an +rancisco, and
from there too, the "ndergro"nd t"be to the big Eestern )paceport +acility in the district
of 7evada. 0e had never gone any6here by t"be before. 2ver the past fifty years
n"clearpo6ered s"bterrenes had drilled a net6or, of 6ide t"nnels thro"gh the deep
lying roc,s of the continent, and no6 highspeed trains moving on silent inertialess
trac,s offered s6ift and simple longdistance travel, 6hile m"ch of the s"rface Aone 6as
allo6ed to revert to its nat"ral state. &o Andre6 it seemed that he 6as reaching the
spaceport in 7evada almost before the train had set o"t from the )an +rancisco terminal.
And no6 into space at lastthe l"nar ;o"rney
0e 6as handled at every stage of the embar,ation proced"re li,e some fine and
highly brea,able piece of rare porcelain. Important officials of .. ). (obots cl"stered
aro"nd him, eagerly assisting him 6ith the min"tiae of chec,ing in and being cleared for
flight.
&hey 6ere s"rprised at ho6 little baggage he had bro"ght 6ith him;"st one small
bag, containing a co"ple of changes of clothing and a fe6 holoc"bes for reading d"ring
the tripconsidering that he 6as li,ely to be staying on the ?oon any6here from three
months to a year. /"t Andre6 simply shr"gged and said that he had never felt the need
to ha"l a lot of possessions aro"nd 6ith him 6hen he traveled. &hat 6as tr"e eno"gh@
b"t of co"rse Andre6 had never ta,en a ;o"rney of more than a fe6 days= d"ration
before, either.
It 6as necessary for him to go thro"gh an elaborate decontamination process
before boarding the ship: a virt"al f"migation and steriliAation, in fact. *&he ?oon
people have very strict r"les, yo" "nderstand,- the apologetic spaceport f"nctionary told
him, as Andre6 6as reading thro"gh the long list of proced"res that 6o"ld be performed
on all departing passengers. *&hey live in s"ch complete isolation from o"r terrestrial
microbes "p there, yo" seeand so they feel that they=d be at high ris, of epidemic if
anything that their systems co"ldn=t handle sho"ld happen to be bro"ght to them from
Earth-
Andre6 sa6 no need to e<plain that his android body 6as not s"b;ect to infection
by microorganisms of any ,ind. &he spaceport f"nctionary 6as s"rely a6are that
Andre6 6as a robotit said so right on his embar,ation papers, serial n"mber and all. It
didn=t ta,e m"ch intelligence to realiAe that robots, even android robots, 6ere "nli,ely to
be carriers of plag"es.
/"t the man 6as a b"rea"crat first and foremost, and it 6as his ;ob to see to it that
everyone 6ho boarded the ship to the ?oon "nder6ent the f"ll and proper
decontamination proced"res, 6hether or not that person 6as capable of becoming
contaminated in the first place.
Andre6 had had eno"gh e<perience 6ith this variety of h"manity by this time to
,no6 that it 6o"ld be a 6aste of time and breath to raise any ob;ections. And so
patiently, tolerantlyhe let himself be p"t thro"gh the entire prepostero"s series of
treatments. &hey co"ld do him no harm and by accepting them he avoided the dreary
endless b"rea"cratic disc"ssions that his ref"sal 6o"ld be li,ely to provo,e. /esides, he
too, a ,ind of perverse satisfaction in being treated li,e everyone else.
&hen at last he 6as on board the ship.
A ste6ard came by to see to it that Andre6 6as safely sto6ed in his gravity sling,
and handed him a pamphletit 6as the fo"rth time he had been given a copy of it in the
past t6o dayson 6hat he 6as li,ely to e<perience d"ring the short ;o"rney.
It 6as designed to be reass"ring. &here 6o"ld be some mild stress d"ring the
initial moments of acceleration, he 6as told, b"t nothing that he 6o"ld have diffic"lty in
handling. 2nce the ship 6as in f"ll flight, its gravitycontrol mechanisms 6o"ld be
bro"ght into play to compensate for the Aero gravitational p"ll that the vessel 6o"ld be
"nder, so that the passengers 6o"ld never be e<posed to the sensations of free fall.
K.nless they 6anted to be, in 6hich case they 6ere 6elcome to enter the Aerograv
lo"nge in the aft compartment.L #"ring the voyage, the sim"lated gravity aboard ship
6o"ld steadily b"t imperceptibly be red"ced, so that by the time the ship reached its
destination the passengers 6o"ld be acclimated to the m"ch 6ea,er p"ll that they 6o"ld
be e<periencing d"ring their stay in the l"nar settlements. And so on and so on, details of
mealtime proced"res and e<ercise programs and other s"ch things, a stream of bland,
soothing information.
Andre6 too, it all in stride. 0is android body had been designed to 6ithstand
higher than Earthnorm gravitation from the o"tset, not by his special reB"est, b"t
simply beca"se it had been relatively easy for the designers, starting from scratch, to
b"ild all sorts of little s"periorities into the nat"ral h"man form. 0o6 and 6hen he too,
his meals aboard the ship, and 6hat might be on the men", 6ere all irrelevant items to
him. )o 6as the e<ercise sched"le. Andre6 had often fo"nd "ndeniable pleas"re in
ta,ing a bris, 6al, along the beach or a stroll thro"gh the forest s"rro"nding his
property, b"t his body needed no program of reg"lar e<ercise to maintain its tone.
&he voyage, then, became for him mainly a matter of 6aiting. 0e anticipated fe6
if any problems of adaptation to space travel and he e<perienced none. &he ship lifted
easily from its pad@ the ship B"ic,ly left Earth=s atmosphere behind@ the ship arced
smoothly thro"gh the dar, emptiness of space and follo6ed its ro"tine co"rse to6ard the
?oon. )pace travel had long since passed o"t of the stage of being e<citing@ even for a
firsttime traveler, it 6as a h"mdr"m affair these days, 6hich 6as pretty m"ch the 6ay
most people preferred it to be.
&he one aspect of the voyage that Andre6 did find stirring 6as the vie6 from the
ship=s observation 6indo6. It gave him shivers do6n his ceramic spine@ it sent the blood
p"lsing faster thro"gh his dacron arteries@ it set "p a tingling of e<citement in the
synthetic epidermal cells of his fingertips.
&he Earth seen from space loo,ed e<traordinarily lovely to him: a perfect dis, of
bl"e, stippled 6ith 6hite masses of clo"ds. &he o"tlines of the continents 6ere
s"rprisingly indistinct. Andre6 had e<pected to see them sharply traced as they 6ere on
a geographic globe@ b"t in fact they 6ere no more than vag"ely apparent, and it 6as the
6ondro"s s6irling of the atmospheric clo"ds against the vastness of the seas that gave
the Earth its bea"ty from this vantagepoint. It 6as strange and 6ondro"s, also, to be
able to loo, "pon the entire face of the 6orld at once this 6ay for the ship had moved
very s6iftly o"t into space and the planet behind them 6as no6 small eno"gh to be seen
in its entirety, a t"rning bl"e ball constantly d6indling against the blac, starflec,ed
bac,gro"nd of space.
Andre6 felt a po6erf"l "rge to carve a plaB"e that 6o"ld represent something of
6hat he sa6 no6 as he loo,ed do6n on the small Earth set against that gigantic
bac,gro"nd. 0e co"ld "se inlays in dar, 6oods and light ones, he told himself, to sho6
the contrast bet6een the sea and the clo"d patterns. And Andre6 smiled at that@ for it
6as the first time in years that he had so m"ch as tho"ght of doing any 6or, in 6ood.
&hen there 6as the ?oon, brilliantly 6hite, its scarred face gro6ing ever larger.
Its bea"tyof a different ,inde<cited Andre6 too: the star,ness, the simplicity, the
airless static "nchangeability of it.
7ot all of Andre6=s fello6 passengers agreed. *0o6 "gly it isF- e<claimed one
6oman 6ho 6as ma,ing her first l"nar ;o"rney. *1o" loo, at it from Earth on a night
6hen it=s f"ll and yo" thin,, 0o6 bea"tif"l, ho6 6onderf"lly romantic. And then yo"
get o"t here and yo" see it close "p and yo" can=t help sh"ddering at all the poc,mar,s
and crac,s and blemishes. And the sheer deadness of itF-
!erhaps yo" may sh"dder at it, Andre6 tho"ght, listening to her go on. /"t I do
not.
&o him the mar,s on the ?oon=s face 6ere a fascinating ,ind of inscription: the
long record of time, a lengthy poem that had ta,en billions of years to create and
demanded admiration for its immensity. And he co"ld find no deadness in the ?oon=s
6hite face, only p"rity, a bea"tif"l a"sterity, a 6onderf"l cool ma;esty that seemed
almost li,e something sacred.
/"t 6hat do I ,no6 abo"t bea"tyD Andre6 as,ed himself acidly. 2r abo"t 6hat
might be sacredD I am only a robot, after all. Ehatever aesthetic or spirit"al perceptions
I may thin, I have are mere accidents of the positronic path6ays, "nintended, "nreliable,
perhaps to be regarded as man"fact"ring defects rather than any ,ind of meritorio"s
special feat"re of my constr"ction.
0e t"rned a6ay from the vie6ing screen and spent most of the rest of the voyage
sitting calmly in his gravity sling, 6aiting to get to the ?oon.
&hree officials of the l"nar office of .. ). (obots and ?echanical ?en 6ere at the
L"na City spaceport to greet Andre6 6hen he disembar,ed: t6o men and a 6oman.
&hey provided him6hen he 6as done 6ith all the maddening little b"rea"cratic
mane"vers of arrival and 6as finally allo6ed to step o"t of the ship and approach the
6elcoming committee6ith one of the most po6erf"l s"rprises of his long life.
Ehen he first noticed them they 6ere 6aving to him. Andre6 ,ne6 that they 6ere
here for him beca"se the 6oman carried a brightly lettered placard that said,
EELC2?E &2 L.7A CI&1, A7#(EE ?A(&I7F /"t 6hat he didn=t e<pect 6as that
the yo"nger of the t6o men in the gro"p 6o"ld 6al, "p to him, p"t o"t his hand, and say
6ith a 6arm smile, *Ee=re absol"tely thrilled that yo" decided to ma,e the trip, #r.
?artin.-
#r. ?artinD #r. ?artinD
&he only doctorates that Andre6 had received 6ere honorary ones, and he 6o"ld
hardly have had the a"dacity ever to refer to himself as *#r. ?artin.- /"t if the .. ).
(obots man had greeted him simply as *?r. ?artin,- that 6o"ld have been asto"nding
eno"gh.
7o one on Earth had ever called him *#r. ?artin- or *?r. ?artin- or anything
else b"t *Andre6,- not even once, never in all his h"ndred fiftypl"s years.
It 6as "nthin,able for anyone to do so. 2n formal occasions6hen he had
appeared in co"rt, or 6hen he 6as being given an a6ard or an honorary degreehe 6as
"s"ally addressed as * Andre6 ?artin,- b"t that 6as as far in the direction of formality
as anybody ever 6ent. 2ften eno"gh, even 6hen he 6as the g"est of honor at some
scientific meeting, he 6as addressed straightfor6ardly as * Andre6- by perfect strangers
and no one, not even he, tho"ght anything of it. &ho"gh most people tended to call
robots by nic,names based on their serial designations rather than by the serial
designations themselves, it 6as rare for a robot to have a s"rname at all. It had been )ir=s
special little pleas"re to refer to him as * Andre6 ?artin *a member of the family
rather than ;"st * Andre6,- and the c"stom had become permanent.
/"t to be called *#r. ?artin-even *?r. ?artin-
*Is anything 6rong, sirD- the .. ). (obots man as,ed, as Andre6 stood blin,ing
6ith amaAement before him.
*7o, of co"rse not. E<ceptit=s only thatah-
*)irD-
/eing called *sir- li,e that didn=t ma,e things any easier. It 6as li,e a repeated
electrical ;olt.
*)ir, 6hat=s the matterD-
&hey 6ere all concerned no6, fro6ning and gathering close aro"nd him.
Andre6 said, *Are yo" a6are that I=m a robotD-
*Eell- &hey e<changed tro"bled glances. &hey loo,ed tremendo"sly fl"stered.
*1es, sir. 1es, 6e are.-
*And yet yo" call me G#r. ?artin= and Gsir=D-
*Eellyes. 2f co"rse. 1o"r 6or,, siryo"r e<traordinary achievementsa simple
mar, of respectyo" are Andre6 ?artin, after allF-
*Andre6 ?artin the robot, yes. 2n Earth it=s not the c"stom to address robots as
G#r.= something or G?r.= something or Gsir.= I=m not acc"stomed to it. It=s never happened
to me at all, as a matter of fact. It simply isn=t done.-
*#oes it offend yo"sirD- the 6oman as,ed, and as that last 6ord escaped she
loo,ed as tho"gh she 6o"ld have li,ed to s6allo6 it.
GGIt s"rprises me, act"ally. It s"rprises me very m"ch. 2n Earth-
*Ah, b"t this isn=t Earth,- said the older of the t6o men. *Ee=re a different sort of
society here. 1o" have to "nderstand that, #r. ?artin. Ee=re a lot more free6heelinga
lot more informal than people are on Earth-
*InformalD And so yo" call a robot G#r.=D I 6o"ld e<pect informal people to be
calling strangers by their first names, and instead yo" greet me 6ith highflo6n formal
honorifics, giving me a title 6hich in fact I=ve never earned and have no b"siness letting
yo" "se, and-
&hey 6ere beginning to loo, less distressed no6. &he 6oman said, *I thin, I
"nderstand. Eell, sirI hope yo" don=t mind if I call yo" that, sir 6e do call each other
by o"r first names most of the timeI=m )andra, this is #avid, this is Carlosand 6e
generally call o"r robots by first names too, ;"st as people do on Earth. /"t yo" are
special. 1o" are the famo"s Andre6 ?artin, sir. 1o" are the fo"nder of prosthetology,
yo" are the great creative geni"s 6ho has done so m"ch for man,ind. Informal tho"gh
6e may be among o"rselves, it=s ;"st a matter of elementary respect, sir, 6hen 6e-
*1o" see, it=s really hard for "s to 6al, right "p to yo" and call yo", Andre6= ;"st
li,e that,- the one called Carlos said. *Even tho"gh in fact yo" areyo" are-
0e faltered into silence- A robotD- Andre6 finished for him.
*A robot, yes,- Carlos said indistinctly, not meeting Andre6=s gaAe.
*/esides,- #avid said, *yo" don=t loo, m"ch li,e a robot. 1o" don=t loo, li,e a
robot at all, as a matter of fact. Ee ,no6 that yo" are, of co"rse, b"t neverthelessI
meanthat is- And he fl"shed and loo,ed a6ay, too.
&hings 6ere getting tangled again. &hey seemed destined to p"t their feet in their
mo"ths no matter 6hat they tried to say. Andre6 felt sorry for them, b"t a little annoyed,
too.
*!lease,- he said, *I may not loo, m"ch li,e a robot, b"t a robot is 6hat I have
been for more than a h"ndred fifty years and it comes as no great shoc, to me to thin, of
myself as one. And 6here I come from, robots are addressed by their first names only.
&hat seems to be the c"stom here too, I gathere<cept for me. If yo" have too m"ch
respect for my great accomplishments to be able to do that easily, then I appeal to the
free6heeling informality yo" 6ere ;"st telling me abo"t. &his is a frontier 6orld: let=s all
be eB"als, then. If yo" are )andra and Carlos and #avid, then I am Andre6. Is that all
rightD-
&hey 6ere beaming no6.
*Eell, if yo" p"t it that 6ay, Andre6- Carlos said, and st"c, o"t his hand a
second time.
After that everything 6ent more smoothly. )ome of the .. ). (obots people called
him *Andre6,- and some called him *#r. ?artin,- and some of them 6o"ld go bac, and
forth bet6een the t6o almost at random.
Andre6 gre6 "sed to it. 0e sa6 that this 6as indeed a ro"gh and ready c"lt"re "p
here, 6ith many fe6er taboos and ingrained social patterns than on Earth. &he line
bet6een h"mans and robots 6as still a distinct one, yes@ b"t Andre6 himself, beca"se of
his android body and his record of high scientific achievement, occ"pied an ambig"o"s
place some6here along that bo"ndary, and in the easygoing society on the ?oon it
evidently 6as possible for the people he 6or,ed among to forget for long stretches of
time that he 6as a robot at all.
As for the l"nar robots, they didn=t seem to recogniAe any sign of his robot
origins. Invariably they treated him 6ith the robotic obseB"io"sness that 6as considered
a h"man being=s d"e. 0e 6as al6ays *#r. ?artin- to them, 6ith plenty of bo6ing and
scraping and general s"bservience.
Andre6 had mi<ed feelings abo"t all of this. #espite all that he had told them
abo"t being B"ite acc"stomed to thin,ing of himself as a robot and being addressed li,e
one, he 6as not completely s"re that it 6as tr"e.
2n the one hand, being called *?r.- or *#r.- instead of *Andre6- 6as a trib"te to
the e<cellence of his android "pgradings and to the high B"ality of his positronic brain. It
had been his intention for many years to transform himself in s"ch a 6ay that he 6o"ld
move from a p"rely robotic identity into the gray Aone of an identity that approached
being h"man, and obvio"sly he had achieved ;"st that.
And yetand yet
0o6 strange it felt to be addressed in terms of s"ch respect by h"mansF 0o6
"ncomfortable it made him, really. 0e gre6 "sed to it b"t Andre6 never really felt at
ease 6ith it.
&hese people co"ldn=t seem to remember for any significant length of time that he
6as a robot@ b"t a robot 6as 6hat he 6as, all the samem"ch as he sometimes 6o"ld
li,e to pretend other6iseand it felt vag"ely fra"d"lent to be treated li,e a fello6 h"man
being by them.
Indeed, Andre6 ,ne6, he had e<plicitly as,ed for it. *Let=s all be eB"als, then,- he
had told )andra and Carlos and #avid at the spaceport. And they had agreed.
/"t there 6as hardly a day thereafter 6hen he 6as not amaAed at his o6n
boldness. EB"alsD EB"alsD 0o6 co"ld he have dared even to s"ggest s"ch a thingD
!hrasing it as a direct instr"ction, no lessvirt"ally an orderF )aying it in a cas"al,
;a"nty 6ay, li,e one h"man being to another.
0ypocrisy, Andre6 tho"ght
Arrogance.
#el"sions of grande"r.
1es. 1es. 1es. 0e co"ld b"y a h"manappearing body for himself, he co"ld fill it
6ith prosthetic devices that performed many of the f"nctions of a h"man body 6hether
he needed those f"nctions performed or not, he co"ld loo, h"man beings straight in the
eye and spea, coolly to them as tho"gh he 6ere their eB"alb"t none of that made him
their eB"al. &hat 6as the reality that Andre6 co"ld not deny.
In the eyes of the la6 he 6as a robot and al6ays 6o"ld be, no matter ho6 many
"pgrades he 6as given, or ho6 ingenio"s they might be. 0e had no citiAenship. 0e co"ld
not vote. 0e co"ld not hold p"blic office, even the most trivial. Abo"t the only civil
rights Andre6 had, despite all that the Charneys had done over the years on his behalf,
6ere the right to o6n himself, and the right to go abo"t freely 6itho"t being h"miliated
by any passing h"man 6ho cared to harass him, and the right to do b"siness as a
corporation. And also the rights"ch as it 6asto pay ta<es.
*Let=s all be eB"als,- he had said, as if by merely saying so he co"ld ma,e it be.
Ehat follyF Ehat gallF
/"t the mood soon passed and rarely ret"rned. E<cept in the dar, moments 6hen
he berated himself this 6ay, tho"gh, Andre6 fo"nd himself en;oying his stay on the
?oon, and it 6as a partic"larly fr"itf"l time for him creatively.
&he ?oon 6as an e<citing, intellect"ally stim"lating place. &he civiliAation of
Earth 6as mat"re and sedate, b"t the ?oon 6as the frontier, 6ith all the 6ild energy that
frontier challenges inevitably called forth.
Life 6as a little on the frantic side in the "ndergro"nd l"nar citiesconstant
e<pansion 6as going on, and yo" co"ld not help being a6are of the eternal throbbing of
the ;ac,hammer s"bterrenes as ne6 caverns 6ere melted into being daily so that in si<
months the ne<t gro"p of s"b"rbs co"ld be "ndergoing constr"ction. &he pace 6as fast
and the people 6ere far more competitive and vigoro"s than those Andre6 had ,no6n
on Earth. )tartling ne6 technical developments came thic, and fast there. (adical ne6
ideas 6ere proposed at the beginning of one 6ee, and enacted into la6 by the end of the
ne<t.
2ne of the prosthetologists e<plained it to him: *It=s a genetic thing, Andre6.
Everyone on Earth 6ith any get"pandgo got "p and 6ent a long time ago, and here 6e
all are o"t on the edge of civiliAation, inventing o"r 6ay as 6e go along, 6hile those
6ho remained behind have raised a race that=s been bred to remain behind and do things
the most familiar comfortable 6ay possible. +rom here on in, I thin,, the f"t"re belongs
to those of "s 6ho live in space. Earth 6ill become a mere bac,6ater 6orld.-
*1o" really believe thatD- Andre6 as,ed.
*1es. I do.-
0e 6ondered 6hat 6o"ld become of him, living on and on thro"gh the decades
and cent"ries ahead, if any s"ch decadence and decline tr"ly 6as going to overcome the
6orld. 0is immediate ans6er 6as that it made no difference to him if Earth became
some sort of sleepy bac,6ater 6here *progress- 6as an obscene 6ord. 0e no longer had
need of progress no6 that he had attained the "pgrade he had most deeply desired. 0is
body 6as virt"ally h"man in form@ he had his estate@ he had his 6or,, in 6hich he had
achieved enormo"s s"ccess@ he 6o"ld live as he al6ays had, no matter 6hat might be
going on aro"nd him.
/"t then he sometimes tho"ght 6istf"lly of the possibility of remaining on the
?oon, or even going deeper o"t into space. 2n Earth he 6as Andre6 the robot, forced to
go into co"rt and do battle every time he 6anted one of the rights or privileges that he
felt his intelligence and contrib"tions to society entitled him to have. 2"t here, tho"gh,
6here everything 6as starting 6ith a fresh slate, it 6as B"ite conceivable that he co"ld
simply leave his robot identity behind and blend into the h"man pop"lation as #r.
Andre6 ?artin.
7obody here seemed to be tro"bled by that possibility. +rom his very first
moments on the ?oon they had virt"ally been inviting him to step across the invisible
bo"ndary bet6een h"man and robot if that 6as 6hat he 6anted to do.
It 6as tempting.
It 6as very tempting indeed.
&he months t"rned into yearsthree of them, no6and Andre6 remained on the
?oon, 6or,ing 6ith the l"nar prosthetologists, helping them ma,e the adaptations that
6ere necessary in order that the Andre6 ?artin Laboratories artificial organs co"ld
f"nction at perfect efficiency 6hen installed in h"man beings 6ho lived "nder lo6
gravity conditions.
It 6as challenging 6or,, for, tho"gh he himself 6as "ntro"bled by the lo6er
gravity of the l"nar environment, h"mans in 6hom standard Earthmodel prosthetic
devices had been installed tended to have a m"ch more diffic"lt time of it. Andre6 6as
able, tho"gh, to meet each diffic"lty 6ith a "sef"l modification, and one by one the
problems 6ere resolved.
7o6 and then Andre6 missed his estate on the California coastnot so m"ch the
grand ho"se itself as the cool fogs of s"mmer, the to6ering red6ood trees, the r"gged
beach, the crashing s"rf. /"t it began to seem to him as tho"gh he had settled into
permanent residence on the ?oon. 0e stayed on into a fo"rth year, and a fifth.
&hen one day he paid a visit to a b"bbledome on the l"nar s"rface, and sa6 the
Earth in all its 6ondro"s bea"ty hanging in the s,ytiny, at this distance, b"t vivid,
glo6ing, a bl"e ;e6el that glistened brilliantly in the night.
It is my home, he tho"ght s"ddenly. &he mother 6orldthe fo"ntain of h"manity
Andre6 felt it p"lling himcalling him home. At first it 6as a p"ll he co"ld
scarcely "nderstand. It seemed 6holly irrational to him.
And then "nderstanding came. 0is 6or, on the ?oon 6as done, basically. /"t he
still had "nfinished b"siness do6n there on Earth.
&he follo6ing 6ee,, Andre6 boo,ed his passage home on a liner that 6as leaving
at the end of the month. And then he called bac, and arranged to ta,e an even earlier
flight.
0e ret"rned to an Earth that seemed coAy and ordinary and B"iet in comparison to
the dynamic life of the l"nar settlement. 7othing of any significance appeared to have
changed in the five years of his absence. As his ?oonship descended to6ard it, the
Earth seemed to Andre6 li,e a vast placid par,, sprin,led here and there 6ith the small
settlements and minor cities of the decentraliAed &hird ?illenni"m civiliAation.
2ne of the first things Andre6 did 6as to visit the offices of +eingold and
Charney to anno"nce his ret"rn.
&he c"rrent senior partner, )imon #eLong, h"rried o"t to greet him. In !a"l
Charney=s time, #eLong had been a very ;"nior cler,, callo6 and selfeffacing, b"t that
had been a long time ago and he had mat"red into a po6erf"l, commanding fig"re
6hose "nchallenged ascent to the top r"ng of the firm had been inevitable. 0e 6as a
broadsho"ldered man 6ith heavy feat"res, 6ho 6ore his thic, dar, hair shaven do6n
the middle in the tons"red style that had lately become pop"lar.
&here 6as a s"rprised loo, on #eLong=s face. *Ee had been told yo" 6ere
ret"rning, Andre6,- he said6ith ;"st a bit of "ncertainty in his voice at the end, as
tho"gh he too had briefly considered calling him *?r. ?artin--b"t 6e 6eren=t
e<pecting yo" "ntil ne<t 6ee,.-
*I became impatient,- said Andre6 br"sB"ely. 0e 6as an<io"s to get to the point.
*2n the ?oon, )imon, I 6as in charge of a research team of t6enty or thirty h"man
scientists. I gave orders and nobody B"estioned my a"thority. ?any of them referred to
me as G#r. ?artin= and I 6as treated in all 6ays as an individ"al 6orthy of the highest
respect. &he l"nar robots deferred to me as they 6o"ld to a h"man being. +or all
practical p"rposes I 6as a h"man being for the entire d"ration of my stay on the ?oon.-
A 6ary loo, entered #eLong=s eyes. !lainly he had no idea 6here Andre6 6as
heading 6ith all this, and it 6as the nat"ral ca"tion of a la6yer 6ho did not B"ite
"nderstand yet the tro"blesome ne6 direction in 6hich an important client seemed to be
veering.
*0o6 "n"s"al that m"st have seemed, Andre6,- he said, in a flat, remote 6ay.
*.n"s"al, yes. /"t not displeasing. 7ot displeasing at all, )imon.-
*1es. I=m s"re that=s so. 0o6 interesting, Andre6.-
Andre6 said sharply, *Eell, no6 I=m bac, on Earth and I=m a robot again. 7ot
even a secondclass citiAennot a citiAen at all, )imon. 7othing. I don=t care for it. If I
can be treated as a h"man being 6hile I=m on the ?oon, 6hy not hereD-
Eitho"t varying his caref"l, ca"tio"s tone #eLong said, */"t yo" are treated as a
h"man being here, my dear Andre6F 1o" have a fine home and title to it is vested in
yo"r name. 1o" are the head of a great research laboratory. 1o"r income is so h"ge it
staggers the mind, and no one 6o"ld B"estion yo"r right to it. Ehen yo" come here to
the offices of +eingold and Charney, the senior partner himself is at yo"r bec, and call,
as yo" see. In every de facto 6ay yo" have long since 6on acceptance for yo"rself as a
h"man being, on Earth and on the ?oon, by h"mans and by robots. Ehat more can yo"
6antD-
*&o be a h"man being de facto isn=t eno"gh. I 6ant not only to be treated as one,
b"t to have the legal stat"s and rights of one. I 6ant to be a h"man being de ;"re. *
*Ah,- #eLong said. 0e loo,ed e<tremely "ncomfortable. * Ah. I see.-
*#o yo", )imonD-
*2f co"rse. #on=t yo" thin, I ,no6 the 6hole bac,gro"nd of the Andre6 ?artin
storyD 1ears ago, !a"l Charney spent ho"rs going over yo"r files 6ith mesho6ing yo"r
stepbystep evol"tion, beginning as a metallic robot of the7#( series, 6as itDand
going on to the transformation into yo"r android identity. And of co"rse I=ve been
apprised of each ne6 "pgrading of yo"r present body. &hen the details of the legal
evol"tion as 6ell as the physicalthe 6inning of yo"r freedom, and the other civil rights
that follo6ed. I=d be a fool, Andre6, if I didn=t realiAe that it=s been yo"r goal from the
start to t"rn yo"rself into a h"man being.-
*!erhaps not from the start, )imon. I thin, there 6as a long period 6hen I 6as
content simply to be a s"perior robota period 6hen I denied even to myself any
a6areness of the f"ll capabilities of my brain. /"t I deny it no longer. I=m the eB"al of
any h"man being in any ability yo" co"ld name, and s"perior to most. I 6ant the f"ll
legal stat"s that I=m entitled to.-
*EntitledD-
*Entitled, yes.-
#eLong p"rsed his lips, toyed nervo"sly 6ith one earlobe, ran his hand do6n the
middle of his scalp 6here a s6ath of thic, blac, hair had been mo6ed a6ay.
*Entitled,- he said again, after a moment or t6o. *7o6 that=s another matter
altogether, Andre6. Ee have to face the "ndeniable fact that, ho6ever m"ch yo" may be
li,e a h"man being in intelligence and capabilities and even appearance, nevertheless
yo" simply are not a h"man being.-
*In 6hat 6ay notD- Andre6 demanded. *I have the shape of a h"man being and
bodily organs eB"ivalent to some of those that a prosthetiAed h"man being has. I have
the mental ability of a h"man beinga highly intelligent one. I have contrib"ted
artistically, literarily, and scientifically to h"man c"lt"re as m"ch as any h"man being
no6 alive. Ehat more can one as,D-
#eLong fl"shed. *+orgive me, Andre6: b"t I have to remind yo" that yo" are not
part of the h"man gene pool. 1o" are o"tside it entirely. 1o" resemble a h"man being b"t
in fact yo" are something else, somethingartificial.-
*3ranted, )imon. And the people 6ho are 6al,ing aro"nd 6ith bodies f"ll of
prosthetic devicesD #evices 6hich, incidentally, I invented for themD Are those people
not artificial at least in partD-
*In part, yes.-
*Eell, I=m h"man in part.-
#eLong=s eyes flashed. *Ehich part, Andre6D-
*0ere,- said Andre6. 0e pointed to his head. *And here.- 0e tapped a finger
against his chest. *?y mind. ?y heart. I may be artificial, alien, inh"man so far as yo"r
strict genetic definition goes. /"t I=m h"man in every 6ay that co"nts. And I can be
recogniAed as s"ch legally. In the old days 6hen there 6ere a h"ndred separate co"ntries
on the Earth and each one had its o6n complicated r"les of citiAenship, it 6as, even so,
possible for a +renchman to become English or a Iapanese to become a /raAilian,
simply by going thro"gh a set of legal proced"res. &here 6as nothing genetically
/raAilian abo"t the Iapanese, b"t he became /raAilian all the same, once the la6 had
recogniAed him as s"ch. &he same can be done for me. I can become a nat"raliAed
h"man the 6ay people once became nat"raliAed as citiAens of co"ntries not their o6n.-
*1o"=ve devoted a lot of tho"ght to all of this, haven=t yo", Andre6D-
*1es. I have.-
*Cery ingenio"s. Cery, very ingenio"s. A nat"raliAed h"man beingF and 6hat
abo"t the &hree La6s, thenD-
*Ehat abo"t themD-
*&hey=re an innate part of yo"r positronic brain. I need hardly remind yo" that
they p"t yo" in a condition of permanent s"bservience to h"mans that=s beyond the
po6er of any co"rt of la6 to remedy. &he &hree La6s can=t be edited o"t of yo", can
they, Andre6D-
*&r"e eno"gh.-
*&hen they=ll have to remain, 6on=t theyD And they 6ill contin"e to reB"ire yo" to
obey all h"mans, if necessary to lay do6n yo"r life for them, to refrain from doing them
any sort of harm. 1o" may someho6 be able to get yo"rself declared h"man, b"t yo"=ll
still be governed by b"iltin operating r"les that no h"man being has ever been s"b;ect
to.-
Andre6 nodded. * And the Iapanese 6ho became /raAilians still had s,in of the
Iapanese color and eyelids of the Iapanese type and all of the other special racial
characteristics that 2riental people have and the E"ropeandescended inhabitants of
/raAil do not. /"t "nder /raAilian la6 they 6ere /raAilians even so. And "nder h"man
la6 I 6ill be h"man, even tho"gh I still have the &hree La6s str"ct"re b"ilt into me.-
*/"t the very presence of that str"ct"re 6ithin yo"r brain may be deemed to
disB"alify yo" from-
*7o,- Andre6 said. *Ehy sho"ld itD &he +irst La6 simply says I m"stn=t in;"re
any h"man being or allo6 one to come to harm thro"gh my inaction. Aren=t yo" bo"nd
by the same restrictionD Isn=t every civiliAed personD &he only difference is that I have
no choice b"t to be la6abiding, 6hereas other h"man beings can opt to behave in an
"nciviliAed 6ay if they=re 6illing to ta,e their chances 6ith the police. And then the
)econd La6: it reB"ires me to obey h"mans, yes. /"t they aren=t reB"ired to give me
orders, and if I have f"ll h"man stat"s it might 6ell be deemed a breach of civility for
anyone to p"t me in a position 6here thro"gh my o6n innate ma,e"p I 6o"ld be obliged
to do something against my 6ill. &hat 6o"ld be ta,ing advantage of my handicap, so to
spea,. &he fact that I have the handicap doesn=t matter. &here are plenty of handicapped
h"man beings and nobody 6o"ld say that they aren=t h"man. And as for the &hird La6,
6hich prevents me from acting selfdestr"ctively, I 6o"ld hardly say that that is m"ch of
a b"rden for a sane person to bear. And so yo" see, )imon-
*1es. 1es, Andre6, I do see.- #eLong 6as ch"c,ling no6. *All right. 1o"=ve
beaten me do6n and I give in. 1o"=re as h"man as anyone needs to be: yo" deserve to
have that confirmed in some legal 6ay.-
*Eell, then, if +eingold and Charney 6ill set abo"t the process of-
*7ot so fast, please, Andre6. 1o"=ve handed me a very tall order. 0"man
pre;"dice hasn=t vanished overnight, yo" ,no6. &here=ll be tremendo"s opposition to
any attempt 6e might ma,e to get yo" declared h"man.-
*I 6o"ld e<pect so. /"t 6e=ve defeated tremendo"s opposition before, going bac,
to the time 6hen 3eorge Charney and his son !a"l 6ent o"t and 6on me my freedom.-
*1es. &he tro"ble is that this time 6e=d have to go before the Eorld Legislat"re,
not the (egional one, and get a la6 passed that 6ill define yo" as a h"man being.
+ran,ly, I 6o"ldn=t be very optimistic abo"t that.-
*I=m paying yo" to be optimistic.-
*1es. 1es, of co"rse, Andre6.-
*3ood. Ee=re agreed, then, that this can be accomplished. &he only B"estion is
ho6. Ehere do yo" thin, 6e o"ght to beginD-
#eLong said, after only the briefest of hesitations, *2ne good starting point 6o"ld
be for yo" to have a conversation 6ith some infl"ential member of the Legislat"re.-
*Any partic"lar oneD-
*&he Chairman of the )cience and &echnology Committee, perhaps.-
*An e<cellent idea. Can yo" arrange a meeting for me right a6ay, )imonD-
*If yo"=d li,e. /"t yo" scarcely need me to serve as yo"r intermediary, Andre6.
)omeone as 6idely ,no6n and honored as yo" can easily-
*7o. 1o" arrange it.- KIt didn=t even occ"r to Andre6 that he 6as giving a flat
order to a h"man being. 0e had gro6n acc"stomed to that on the ?oon. L *I 6ant him to
,no6 that the firm of +eingold and Charney is bac,ing me in this to the hilt.-
*Eell, no6-
*&o the hilt, )imon. In one h"ndred and seventythree years I have in one fashion
or another contrib"ted greatly to this firm. I might almost say that the firm in its present
form 6o"ld not e<ist b"t for the 6or, that I have provided for it to do. I bro"ght that
6or, here beca"se in times past I have been very 6ell served by certain members of this
firm, and I have felt myself "nder an obligation to reciprocate. I am "nder no obligation
to +eingold and Charney no6. It is rather the other 6ay aro"nd, no6, and I am calling in
my debts.-
#eLong said, *I=ll do 6hatever I can.-
7I7E&EE7
&0E C0AI(?A7 of the )cience and &echnology Committee of the Eorld Legislat"re
came from the East Asian (egion and she 6as a 6oman: a small, delicately b"ilt, almost
elfin 6oman 6ho very li,ely 6as not nearly as fragile as she appeared. 0er name 6as
Chee Lihsing and her transparent garments K6hich obsc"red 6hat she 6anted obsc"red
by sheer daAAle aloneL gave her the loo, of being nothing more than an elegant little
trin,et 6rapped in plastic. In the splendor of her h"ge highceilinged office on the
eightyfo"rth floor of the magnificent greenglass to6er that 6as the 7e6 1or,
headB"arters of the Eorld Legislat"re she appeared tiny, almost insignificant. 1et she
radiated a loo, of great competence, efficiency, forcef"lness.
)he said, *I sympathiAe 6ith yo"r 6ish to have f"ll h"man rights. As perhaps yo"
,no6, there have been times in history 6hen great segments of the h"man pop"lation
have been deprived of their o6n h"man rights, and have fo"ght f"rio"slyand
"ltimately s"ccessf"llyto regain them. /"t those people s"ffered greatly "nder
tyrannies of one ,ind or another before they 6on their freedom. 1o", on the other hand,
have en;oyed a s"ccessf"l and re6arding life of "nending achievement and re6ard. I
imagine yo" are a 6idely envied person. )o tell me, please: 6hat rights can yo" possibly
6ant that yo" do not already haveD-
*As simple a thing as my right to life,- Andre6 replied. * A robot can be
dismantled at any time.-
*A h"man being can be e<ec"ted at any time.-
*And 6hen, I as, yo", 6as the last time that s"ch an e<ec"tion too, placeD-
*Ehy- Lihsing shr"gged. *2f co"rse, the death penalty is not c"rrently
employed in o"r civiliAation, and it hasn=t been for a long time. /"t certainly it=s been
imposed to an enormo"s e<tent thro"gho"t history. And there=s no f"ndamental reason
6hy it co"ldn=t be reinstated ne<t year, if the citiAens and the Legislat"re sa6 fit to do
so.-
*All right. 1o" can all go bac, to c"tting each other=s heads off, or giving each
other lethal ;olts of electricity, or 6hatever, at a moment=s notice, if yo" li,e. /"t the fact
remains that no h"man being has been p"t to death by legal e<ec"tion in so many years
that nobody can remember the last time, and there=s absol"tely no agitation that I=ve
ever heard of to start performing s"ch e<ec"tions again. Ehereas even no6right no6,
here, todayI co"ld be ended merely by the 6ord of a h"man being in a"thority. 7o
trial. 7o appeals proced"re. 1o" yo"rself co"ld ring a bell and call yo"r sec"rity g"ards
in and say, G&his robot has displeased me. &a,e him o"t and dismantle him.= And they
6o"ld ta,e me o"t and dismantle me, ;"st li,e that.-
*ImpossibleF-
*I ass"re yo" it 6o"ld be perfectly legal.-
*/"t yo" are the head of a great companya person of 6ealth and s"bstance and
high rep"tation-
*?aybe after it had been done my company 6o"ld be able to s"e the Legislat"re,
then, for loss of my services. /"t I=d still be terminated, 6o"ldn=t ID &he only la6s that
protect robots are property la6s. If yo" terminate somebody else=s robot "n;"stifiably,
that person can see, damages against yo", and collect the val"e of the robot and maybe
a p"nitive a6ard as 6ell. +ine. Cery fine, if yo"=re the h"man being in the case 6ho=s
been damaged. /"t if yo"=re the robot 6ho happened to be terminated, 6hy, the la6s"it
doesn=t bring yo" bac, into e<istence, does itD #oes it, ?adam ChairmanD-
*&his is a mere red"ctio ad abs"rd"m. 7o one 6o"ld dream ofdismantlingyo".
2f terminating yo".-
*!erhaps not. /"t 6here is my legal protection against having it done to meD-
*I repeat: a red"ctio ad abs"rd"m. 1o"=ve lived for nearly t6o h"ndred years, as I
"nderstand it. &ell me: ho6 many times d"ring that considerable period have yo" ever
been in danger ofterminationD-
*2nce, act"ally. I 6as resc"ed. /"t the order for my dismantling had already been
given.-
*I find that hard to believe,- said Chee Lihsing.
*It 6as many years ago. I 6as still in the metallic form, then, and had only ;"st
6on my freedom.-
*&here. ?y point is proven. 7o one 6o"ld dare to to"ch yo" no6adaysF-
*/"t I have no more legal protection no6 than I did then. I remain a robot in the
eyes of the la6. And if someone chose to have me dismantled, I 6o"ld have no
reco"rse- Andre6 bro,e off in midsentence. &his line of reasoning 6as getting him
no6here. It 6as too farfetched, he sa6. * All right. !erhaps no one 6o"ld attempt to
harm me. /"t even soeven so- Andre6 tried desperately to allo6 no sign of pleading
to sho6, b"t his caref"lly designed tric,s of h"man e<pression and tone of voice
betrayed him here. And at last he gave in entirely. *Ehat it really comes do6n to is this:
I very m"ch 6ant to be a man. I have 6anted it more and more thro"gh si< generations
of h"man beings, as the f"ll capacity and range of my mind grad"ally became apparent
to me, and no6 the "rge is over6helming in me. I can=t bear to thin, of myself as a
robot any moreor to have others thin, of me that 6ay.-
Chee Lihsing loo,ed "p at Andre6 o"t of dar,ly sympathetic eyes.
*)o that is it,- she said. *As simple as that.-
*)impleD-
*A desire to belong to the h"man race. A po6erf"l yearningno matter ho6
irrational. It=s very h"man of yo" to have s"ch feelings, Andre6.-
*&han, yo".- 0e 6asn=t certain 6hether she had meant to patroniAe him. 0e
hoped not.
Lihsing said, *I can ta,e yo"r case before the Legislat"re, yes. And I s"ppose the
Legislat"re co"ld indeed pass a la6 declaring yo" to be a h"man being. &he Legislat"re
has the po6er to pass a la6 declaring a stone stat"e to be defined as a h"man being, if it
cared to. /"t the stat"e 6o"ld still be a stat"e, nonetheless. And yo"-
*7o. It=s not the same thing. A stat"e is an inanimate thing of stone, 6hereas I
I-
*2f co"rse. It is different. I "nderstand that. /"t the Legislators may not see it that
6ay. &hey 6ill not pass any la6s t"rning stat"es into living things, and I do"bt very
m"ch that they=d be 6illing to pass a la6 t"rning a robot into a h"man, either, no matter
ho6 eloB"ently I present yo"r case. Legislators are as h"man as the rest of the
pop"lation and I need hardly point o"t to yo" that there are certain elements of s"spicion
and pre;"dice against robots that have e<isted since the first robots 6ere developed.-
*And e<ist even no6D-
*Even no6. As yo" s"rely m"st ,no6. And so the Legislat"re 6o"ld be "n6illing
to act in the 6ay yo" 6ish it to. Ee 6o"ld all readily concede the fact that yo" have
earned the priAe of h"manity many times over, and yet 6e 6o"ld be frightened by the
political conseB"ences of setting an "ndesirable precedent.-
*.ndesirableD- Andre6 cried, "nable to ,eep a tone of e<asperation from
creeping into his voice. *Ehy "ndesirableD If I=m s"ch a 6onderf"l benefactor of
h"manity-
*1es. /"t yo" are a robot. I can hear the o"tcry no6. G3ive one robot h"man
stat"s, and they=ll all be as,ing for it ne<t, and then 6hat=s going to happen to= *
*7o,- Andre6 said. *7ot so. I 6ent to co"rt years before yo" 6ere born and got
myself declared a free robot, and the same o"tcry 6as raised then. Ee 6ere able to
defeat it. And I=m still the only free robot in the 6orld. 7o other robot has so m"ch as
reB"ested free stat"s, let alone been granted it. And none ever 6ill. I=m "niB"e, ?adam
Chairman. I=m the only robot of my type that e<ists, and yo" can be B"ite certain that
there 6on=t ever be another. If yo" don=t believe me, as, the head of .. ). (obots and
?echanical ?en, and he=ll tell yo" that they=ll never again allo6 the constr"ction of a
robot as intelligent, as diffic"ltminded, as tro"blesome as I t"rned o"t to be.-
*G7ever= is a long time, Andre6. 2r 6o"ld yo" prefer that I call yo" G?r. ?artin=D
I 6ill, yo" ,no6. I 6ill gladly give yo" my personal accolade as h"man. /"t yo"=ll find
that most Legislators 6ill be "n6illing to set s"ch a startling precedent, even tho"gh yo"
provide ironclad ass"rances that yo" are "niB"e and so it 6ill be no precedent at all. ?r.
?artin, yo" have my 6armest sympathies. /"t I can=t offer yo" any real hope.-
*1o" can=tD 7othing at allD-
Chee Lihsing sat bac, and her forehead f"rro6ed in a deep fro6n. *&he one thing
I can offer yo", ?r. ?artin, is a friendly 6arning. 1o" are placing yo"rself in great
danger, yo" need to realiAe, by ma,ing these demands. Indeed, if the iss"e gro6s too
heated, there might 6ell arise a certain sentiment, both inside the Legislat"re and
certainly o"tside it, for the very dismantling that yo" mentioned. A robot of yo"r
e<traordinary level of attainment co"ld easily be seen as highly threatening, ?r. ?artin.
#oing a6ay 6ith yo" co"ld remove that threat and be the easiest 6ay of resolving the
diffic"lt political dilemma that yo" 6ill be forcing "pon my colleag"es. Consider that, I
beg yo", before deciding to p"sh matters. *
Andre6 said, * And 6ill no one remember that the techniB"e of prosthetology,
6hich is allo6ing the members of the Legislat"re to go on holding their seats decade
after decade 6hen they sho"ld by rights be doddering off to their graves, is something
that is almost entirely mineD-
*It may seem cr"el of me to say it, b"t they 6on=t. 2r if they do, it=ll be something
that they=ll hold against yo" rather than co"nt in yo"r favor. 0ave yo" ever heard the old
saying, G7o good deed goes "np"nishedD= *
Andre6 shr"gged and shoo, his head. *)"ch a statement ma,es no sense to me.-
*I s"ppose not. 1o" still aren=t very comfortable 6ith o"r little h"man
irrationalities, are yo"D /"t 6hat it means, basically, is that 6e have a 6ay of t"rning on
those 6ho do "s the greatest ,indnesses. 7o, don=t try to disp"te it. It=s ;"st the 6ay 6e
are.-
*Cery 6ell. And ho6 does this apply to meD-
*It=ll be said, perhaps, that yo" created prosthetology mainly to serve yo"r o6n
needs. &he arg"ment 6ill be raised that the 6hole science 6as merely part of a
campaign to roboticiAe h"man beings, or to h"manify robots, and in either case it is
something evil and vicio"s.-
*7o,- Andre6 said. *I=m not able to comprehend that ,ind of reasoning.-
*7o. 1o" can=t, can yo"D /eca"se "ltimately yo" are still a logical creat"re
controlled by yo"r positronic path6ays. And there=s no sort of "pgrade, I s"ppose, that
can ma,e yo"r 6ay of thin,ing as erratic as o"rs can sometimes be. &he tr"e depths of
irrationality are beyond yo"r reach 6hich yo" sho"ld not ta,e as any criticism of yo",
only as a simple statement of the realities. 1o" are very h"man in most essential
respects, ?r. ?artin, b"t yo" are incapable, I=m afraid, of "nderstanding ;"st ho6 far
from rationality h"man beings 6ill go 6hen they believe that their interests are at sta,e.-
*/"t if their interests are at sta,e,- Andre6 said, *I 6o"ld thin, they 6o"ld
attempt to be as rational as possible, so that they 6o"ld be able to-
*7o. !lease. &here=s no 6ay I can ma,e yo" tr"ly "nderstand. I can only as, yo"
to accept the validity of 6hat I=m saying. &o ta,e it on faith, if that concept has any
meaning for yo". 1o" have never been the ob;ect of a political hate campaign, have
yo", ?r. ?artinD-
*I don=t believe so.-
*1o" 6o"ld have ,no6n it if yo" had. Eell, yo" 6ill be no6. If yo" persist in this
campaign to have yo"rself declared h"man, yo"=ll be the ob;ect of vilification of a ,ind
neither yo" nor I 6o"ld credit and there=ll be millions of people 6ho 6ill believe every
6ord of it. ?r. ?artin, ta,e a 6ord of advice from me. Accept the condition of yo"r life
as it is no6. &o try to do 6hat yo" 6ant to do no6 6o"ld be the greatest folly.-
*&hat is 6hat yo" believe, is itD-
*1es. &hat is 6hat I believe.- And Chee Lihsing rose from her des, and 6al,ed
to6ard the 6indo6 and stood there 6ith her bac, to Andre6. /rilliant light 6as
streaming in, o"tlining her form 6ith great clarity. +rom 6here Andre6 sat, her bare
fig"re 6ithin the shimmering plastic 6rap seemed almost li,e that of a childor a doll.
0e loo,ed to6ard Lihsing for a fe6 moments 6itho"t saying anything.
&hen he as,ed, *If I decide to fight for my h"manity despite all yo"=ve said, 6ill
yo" be on my sideD-
)he contin"ed to stare o"t the 6indo6. Andre6 st"died her long glossy blac, hair,
her thin sho"lders, her delicate arms. )he seemed very m"ch li,e a doll, he tho"ght. And
yet he 6as very m"ch a6are by no6 that indeed there 6as nothing dollli,e abo"t the
Chairman of the Eorld Legislat"re=s )cience and &echnology Committee e<cept her
appearance. &here 6as real strength behind that fragile s"rface.
After a time she said, *1es, I 6ill-
*&han, yo".-
*insofar as it=s possible for me to be,- Lihsing contin"ed smoothly. */"t yo"
have to realiAe that, if at any time my ta,ing a stand in yo"r favor 6o"ld appear to
threaten my political career in a serio"s 6ay, I might have to abandon yo", since this
isn=t an iss"e that I feel to be at the very root of my beliefs. Ehat I=m trying to say, ?r.
?artin, is that I feel for yo", I am saddened by yo"r predicament, b"t I don=t intend to
6rec, my political f"t"re for yo". I=m trying to be as honest as I can 6ith yo".-
*I=m gratef"l for that, and I can as, no more.-
*And do yo" intend to fightD- she said.
*1es. 1es, I do. I=ll fight it thro"gh to the end, 6hatever the conseB"ences. And
I=ll co"nt on yo"r helpb"t only for as long as yo" can give it.-
&EE7&1
I& EA) 72& A #I(EC& +I30&. Andre6 had given )imon #eLong the cl"e to the
right strategy to "se, and Andre6 agreed 6ith the tactic@ b"t it 6as #eLong=s considered
professional opinion that the campaign 6as going to be ro"ndabo"t and slo6. #eLong
co"nseled patience.
*I have an endless s"pply of that, I s"ppose,- Andre6 m"ttered grimly.
+eingold and Charney then entered into a campaign to narro6 and restrict the area
of combat.
A certain (oger 0ennessey of )an +rancisco, 6ho had been the recipient of a
?artin prosthetic heart seven years before, had s"pplied robot ;anitorial services to the
+eingold and Charney offices "nder a contract that had been in effect since the days of
!a"l Charney. Abr"ptly +eingold and Charney stopped paying 0ennessey=s bills. &he
acco"nt 6as a good one and it 6ent bac, many years, so for a time 0ennessey said
nothing abo"t it. /"t 6hen five months of "npaid bills had piled "p, 0ennessey fo"nd an
occasion to stop by at +eingold and Charney to have a chat 6ith )imon #eLong.
*I=m s"re yo"=re not a6are of it, )imon, b"t something seems to have gone 6rong
6ith yo"r acco"nting proced"res lately. Ehat I mean is, my invoices have been sitting
here open since #ecember, and it=s coming "p on I"ne no6, and-
*1es. I ,no6.-
*it really isn=t at all li,e +eingold and Charney to let an acco"nt r"n R$-
0ennessey pa"sed and blin,ed. *Ehat did yo" sayD 1o" ,no6, )imonD-
*1es. &he acco"nt has gone "npaid on my direct instr"ctions, as a matter of fact.-
)till blin,ing in astonishment, 0ennessey said, *I m"st be losing my hearing. 2r
else yo"=re starting to lose yo"r mind, )imon. #id yo" act"ally say yo"=re deliberately
6ithholding paymentD-
*&hat=s right.-
*+or 3od=s sa,e, 6hyD-
*/eca"se 6e don=t 6ant to pay yo".-
*Ehat do yo" mean, yo" don=t 6ant to pay meD #o yo" ,no6 ho6 many years
my robots have been cleaning these offices, )imon D 0ave yo" ever had the slightest
reason in all that time to complain abo"t the B"ality of the 6or,D-
*7ever. And 6e intend to retain yo"r services ;"st as before. /"t 6e=re not going
to pay yo" any more, (oger.-
0ennessey scratched his head and stared. *1o"=ve gone completely aro"nd the
bend, haven=t yo"D &o sit there 6ith a straight face and tell me a craAy thing li,e thatD
1o" ,no6 that 6hat yo"=re saying is absol"te malar,ey, so 6hy are yo" saying itD
Ehat=s the matter 6ith yo", manD 0o6 in the name of 3od=s green Earth can yo" spea,
s"ch insane drivelD-
#eLong smiled. *&here=s B"ite a good reason for it.-
*And 6hat may that be, can I dare to as,D-
#eLong said, *Ee aren=t going to pay yo" beca"se 6e don=t have to. Ee=ve
decided that yo"r contract 6ith "s is invalid, and from no6 on yo"r robots are going to
6or, for "s for nothing if they go on 6or,ing here at all. &hat=s the story, (oger. If yo"
don=t li,e it, s"e "s.-
*EhatD EhatD- 0ennessey cried, sp"ttering. *&his gets craAier and craAier. Eor,
for nothingD /ac, pay 6ithheldD 1o" people are la6yersF 0o6 can yo" let yo"rself
spo"t s"ch coc,eyed nonsenseD Contract invalidD +or heaven=s sa,e, 6hyD-
*/eca"se yo"=re a robot, (oger. &here=s only one robot in the 6orld 6ho has the
right to enter into binding contracts, and his name is Andre6 ?artin. &he rest of yo",
beca"se yo" are not free robots, have no legal right to enforce-
0ennessey t"rned bright scarlet and rose from his chair. *0old it ;"st a moment,
yo" damned l"naticF 0old it right thereF Ehat are yo" sayingD A robotD ?eD 7o6 I
,no6 yo"=re o"t of yo"r mindF- 0ennessey ripped open the ornate bodyc"mmerb"nd
he 6as 6earing to reveal his pin,, hairy chest. *#oes this loo, to yo" li,e a robot=s
chest, manD #oes itD #oes itD- 0ennessey pinched his o6n ab"ndant flesh. *Is this robot
meat, )imonD #amn it, I can=t even begin to "nderstand any of this, b"t I tell yo", if yo"
thin, yo" can sit there li,e that and ma,e a fig"re of f"n o"t of me for yo"r o6n
perverse pleas"re, I=ll s"e yo" people, all right, I=ll s"e yo" blac, and bl"e from here to
?ars and bac,, by 3od, and I=ll see to it that yo"-
#eLong 6as la"ghing.
0ennessey halted in midflo6 and said icily, *Ehat=s so damned am"sing,
)imonD-
*I=m sorry. I sho"ldn=t be la"ghing. I o6e yo" a tremendo"s apology for letting
this go on so long.-
*I thin, yo" do. I don=t e<pect la6yers to have m"ch of a sense of h"mor, b"t a
d"mb ;o,e li,e this-
*It isn=t a ;o,e, tho"gh. Ee really are going to 6ithhold yo"r fees, (oger. Ee
really do 6ant yo" to ta,e "s to co"rt. 2"r arg"ment indeed is going to be that yo" are a
robot, and that therefore it is B"ite 6ithin the la6 for "s to th"mb o"r collective nose at
o"r contract 6ith yo". And 6e 6ill defend o"r position 6ith all the s,ill at o"r disposal.-
*Eill yo", no6D-
*/"t it is o"r profo"nd hope, and o"r intention as 6ell,- #eLong 6ent on, *to lose
the s"it. And 6hen 6e do, yo"=ll not only be paid the bac, fees that 6e o6e yo", 6hich
6ill be placed in escro6 for yo" accr"ing interest, b"t 6e 6ill pay all yo"r legal fees as
6ell, and I can tell yo", strictly off the record, that there=ll be a considerable bon"s
payment for yo" besides to compensate yo" for any incidental diffic"lties that this case
may ca"se yo". A very considerable bon"s payment.-
0ennessey ad;"sted his c"mmerb"nd and too, his seat again. 0e blin,ed a fe6
more times and shoo, his head. 0e peered at #eLong for a time in silence.
&hen he said B"ietly, *I=m tr"ly sorry for yo"r tro"bles, )imon. 1o" really have
gone completely o"t of yo"r mind, then. Ehat a great pity that is.-
*7ot at all. I=m as sane as I ever 6as.-
*Ah. Are yo", do yo" thin,D-
*Absol"tely.-
*In that case, do yo" have any ob;ection to telling me 6hat this is all abo"tD-
*I=m afraid it 6o"ld be improper for "s to disclose that to yo" in advance of the
litigation. /"t I 6ill say, (oger, that 6e have an e<cellent reason for it all, 6hich 6ill
ma,e sense to yo" in the f"llness of time, and I hope that yo"=ll cooperate 6ith "s even
in the dar,, so to spea,, o"t of consideration for yo"r long relationship 6ith "s. Ee need
yo" to play along 6ith "s, (oger, and 6e=ll ta,e care of yo" properly after6ard.-
0ennessey nodded. 0e loo,ed a little relieved.
*)o it=s all a mane"ver of some sort, thenD-
*1o" co"ld call it that, I s"ppose.-
*/"t yo" 6on=t tell me 6hat=s going onD-
*7o. 7ot no6. &hat 6o"ld be too m"ch li,e entering into a conspiracy 6ith yo".-
*/"t yo" are entering into a conspiracy 6ith meF-
#eLong grinned. * Are 6eD All 6e=re doing is ref"sing to pay yo"r bill. /ear 6ith
"s, (oger. 1o" 6on=t regret it. 1o" have my promise.-
*Eell- said 0ennessey, gr"dgingly.
0ennessey=s bill contin"ed to go "npaid. After three months more 0ennessey d"ly
notified +eingold and Charney that he co"ld no longer carry their acco"nt. 0e canceled
their service contract and filed s"it for bac, charges. +eingold and Charney arranged for
a temporary ;anitorial service to clean the office, and let the Co"rt ,no6 that it 6as
ready to defend its position.
Ehen the case of 0ennessey vs. +eingold and Charney came to trial, it 6as one of
the ;"nior partners 6ho made the arg"ment in co"rt. 0e said, simply, that inasm"ch as
(oger 0ennessey co"ld be sho6n to be a robot rather than a h"man being +eingold and
Charney felt "nder no obligation to go on honoring its service contract, and had
"nilaterally abrogated it.
&he robot 0ennessey, the la6yer contin"ed, had gone on sending in his robot
;anitorial cre6s for another fe6 months even so, b"t +eingold and Charney had not
as,ed him to do so and did not believe that payment 6as necessary, or that 0ennessey,
as a robot, had any legal right to force them to pay. (obots, the ;"nior partner pointed
o"t, had none of the constit"tional protections that h"man beings en;oyed. In disp"tes
over contracts involving robots, only their o6ners co"ld s"e, not the robots themselves.
*/"t my client is not a robotF- 0ennessey=s la6yer th"ndered. *It=s as plain as the
nose on my client=s face that he=s as h"man as any of "s hereF-
*1o"r client,- the +eingold and Charney man replied, *6as eB"ipped some years
ago 6ith a robotic prosthetic heart, is that not the caseD-
*Ehypossibly he 6as. I=d need to chec, 6ith him on that. /"t 6hat possible
relevance can this-
*It is B"ite relevant, I ass"re yo". And I respectf"lly reB"est the Co"rt to obtain a
determination on this point.-
&he ;"dge loo,ed to6ard 0ennessey. *Eell, ?r. 0ennesseyD-
*I=ve got a prosthetic tic,er, s"re. /"t 6hat-
&he +eingold and Charney man said, *2"r position, yo"r honor, is that the
presence of a lifes"staining mechanical artifact of that ,ind in ?r. 0ennessey=s body
changes his entire legal stat"s. It is reasonable to arg"e that he 6o"ld not be alive today
b"t for the robotic component of his body. Ee proceed to assert, therefore, that the partly
prosthetic ?r. 0ennessey is in fact a robot and has been for some years no6, and
therefore that all contracts into 6hich he may have entered as a h"man being became
n"ll and void 6hen he attained the stat"s of a robot.-
*)o that=s itF- 0ennessey m"ttered. *Eell, may I be dippedF &he heart ma,es me a
robot, they sayD #o they, no6D #o theyD- And he thre6 bac, his head and began to
la"gh.
&he "proar in the co"rtroom 6as tremendo"s. &he ;"dge po"nded his gavel and
sho"ted, b"t he co"ld scarcely be heard for min"tes. &hen at last 6hat he 6as saying
came thro"gh the f"ror. &he case 6as dismissed, 6ith a directed verdict in favor of the
plaintiff. ?r. (oger 0ennessey6hom the Co"rt fo"nd to be "ndeniably h"man6as
entitled to his ;anitorial fees pl"s interest pl"s additional compensation.
+eingold and Charney appealed.
&he case had a more elaborate debate at the appellate level, 6ith e<pert 6itnesses
called in to disc"ss definitions of h"manity. &he iss"e 6as approached from every
anglescientific, theological, semantic, philosophic.
&he verdict in favor of 0ennessey 6as affirmed.
+eingold and Charney appealed again.
&hey fo"ght the matter s,illf"lly and tenacio"sly, losing at every step b"t al6ays
in s"ch a 6ay that the iss"e 6idened steadily, from a simple )hall 0ennessey=s bill be
paidD to, "ltimately, Ehat is a h"man beingD At each level they forced the decision to be
as broad as possible.
It too, years, and millions of dollars. Event"ally the case reached the ;"risdiction
of the Eorld Co"rt.
Ehich affirmed the original 0ennessey r"ling and "pheld all the accreted r"lings
having to do 6ith the valid h"man stat"s of individ"als in 6hom robotic prostheses had
been installed. It is the brain, the Eorld Co"rt declared, that is the highest determinant of
h"manity. &he "se of a"<iliary devices to s"stain the life of the brain can in no 6ay
invalidate the f"ndamental and inalienable h"manity of that brain. It is "nacceptable, the
Co"rt said, to arg"e that the presence of robotic prostheses 6ithin a h"man being=s body
gives that person the stat"s of a robot.
Ehen the final decision 6as handed do6n, )imon #eLong held 6hat amo"nted to
a victory celebration over the definitive legal defeat. Andre6 6as, of co"rse, present in
the company offices for the great occasion.
*Eell, Andre6, 6e can feel completely satisfied. Ee=ve accomplished the t6o
things 6e set o"t to do. +irst of all, 6e have managed to establish the legal point that no
n"mber of prosthetic artifacts in the h"man body ca"ses it to cease being a h"man body.
)econdly, 6e have engaged p"blic opinion in the B"estion in s"ch a 6ay as to p"t it
fiercely on the side of a broad and loose interpretation of 6ho is h"mansince there isn=t
a h"man being in e<istence, on this 6orld or any other, 6ho doesn=t e<pect to en;oy a
greatly e<tended lifespan as a res"lt of the availability of a 6ide array of prosthetic
devices.-
*And do yo" thin, the Legislat"re 6ill no6 grant me my h"manityD- Andre6
as,ed.
#eLong loo,ed a little "neasy.
*!erhaps. !erhaps not.-
*Is that the best yo" can offer, after all these years of legal str"ggleD-
#eLong said, *I 6ish that I co"ld be as optimistic as yo"=d li,e me to be. /"t the
real battle isn=t 6on yet. &here remains the one organ 6hich the Eorld Co"rt has "sed as
the criterion of h"manity.-
*&he mind.-
*&he brain, Andre6. &hat=s 6hat the Co"rt singled o"t, not the mind. &he mind is
an abstract concept@ the brain is a bodily organ. And h"man beings have organic cell"lar
brains 6hereas robots have a platin"miridi"m positronic brain if they have one at all
and yo" certainly have a positronic brain. 7o, Andre6, don=t get that loo, in yo"r eye.
I ,no6 6hat yo"=re thin,ing. /"t I=ve been ass"red that 6e lac, the ,no6ledge to
d"plicate the f"nctions of a cell"lar brain in an artificial str"ct"re that 6o"ld be close
eno"gh to the organic type to allo6 it to fall 6ithin the Co"rt decision. 7ot even yo"
co"ld do it.-
*Ehat sho"ld 6e do, thenD-
*?a,e the attempt, of co"rse. Congress6oman Chee 6ill be on o"r side and so
6ill a gro6ing n"mber of other Legislators. &he Eorld Coordinator 6ill "ndo"btedly go
along 6ith 6hatever a ma;ority of the Legislat"re decides.-
*#o 6e have a ma;orityD-
*7o,- #eLong said. *+ar from it. /"t 6e might manage to p"t one together if the
p"blic 6ill allo6 its desire for a broad interpretation of h"manity to e<tend to yo". A
small chance, I admit. /"t yo" are, after all, the man 6ho gave them the prosthetics on
6hich their lives no6 depend.-
Andre6 smiled. *&he man, is that 6hat yo" saidD-
*&hat=s 6hat I said, yes. Isn=t that 6hat 6e=ve been fighting for, Andre6D-
*2f co"rse.-
*&hen 6e might as 6ell begin thin,ing that 6ay here. And carry o"r thin,ing
on6ard and o"t6ard to the rest of the 6orld "ntil everyone else agrees. It 6on=t be easy,
Andre6. 7one of this has been, and there=s no reason to thin, it 6ill get any better. &he
odds are very m"ch against "s, I 6arn yo". /"t "nless yo" 6ant to give "p, 6e have to
ta,e the gamble.-
*I don=t 6ant to give "p,- Andre6 said.
&EE7&127E
C273(E))E2?A7 C0EE LI0)I73 6as considerably older no6 than she had been
6hen Andre6 first met her. 7o longer did she ind"lge in the coB"ettishness of
shimmering transparent garments. )he 6as dressed in some6hat more chaste t"b"lar
coverings, no6. 0er once l"stro"s blac, hair 6as strea,ed 6ith gray, and she 6ore it c"t
m"ch shorter.
Andre6, tho"gh, had of co"rse not changed at all. 0is face 6as as "nlined as ever@
his soft, fine hair 6as still bro6n. And he cl"ng, as closely as he co"ld 6ithin the limits
of reasonable taste, to the loose style of clothing that had prevailed 6hen he first adopted
clothing over a cent"ry before.
It 6as late in the year. &he harsh chill 6inds of 6inter 6ere blo6ing thro"gh the
ancient canyons of 7e6 1or, and faint 6isps of sno6 6ere s6irling thro"gh the air
above the giant gleaming to6er that ho"sed the Eorld Legislat"re. &he Legislat"re=s
6ordy str"ggles 6ere over for the season.
/"t for Andre6 the str"ggle never seemed to reach its end. &he debate had gone
on and onthe angry, baffled Legislators had tried to ta,e all possible sides of the iss"e
the voting p"blic, "nable to come to any clear philosophical position, had fallen bac, on
emotion, on primordial fear, on the deepestrooted of "ncertainties and pre;"dices
Congress6oman Chee had 6ithdra6n her bill, had modified it s"bstantially to
ta,e into acco"nt the st"bborn opposition that it had r"n into. /"t she had not yet offered
it again to the Legislat"re.
*Ehat do yo" thin,D- Andre6 as,ed. *Eill yo" introd"ce the revised bill in the
ne6 session or notD-
*Ehat do yo" 6ant me to doD-
*1o" ,no6 6hat I 6ant yo" to do.-
Lihsing nodded, a little 6earily. *I told yo" once, Andre6, that yo"r ca"se 6as
not really my ca"se, and that I might have to abandon it if I felt my career 6as at sta,e.
Eell, my career is at sta,e. And I still haven=t abandoned yo".-
*And do yo" still feel that my ca"se isn=t yo"r ca"seD-
*7o. It has become my ca"se. I have no do"bt that yo" are h"man, Andre6
perhaps made so by yo"r o6n hand, b"t h"man all the same. And I "nderstand that to
deny the h"manity of a single member of o"r ,ind is to raise the rene6ed possibility of
denying h"manity to 6hole m"ltit"des, as 6as done all too often in o"r "gly past. Ee
m"st never permit that to happen again. /"t even soeven so, Andre6-
)he faltered for a moment.
*3o on,- Andre6 said. *7o6 comes the point 6here yo" tell me that yo" have to
abandon me despite everything, isn=t that right, LihsingD-
*I didn=t say that. /"t 6e have to be realistic. I thin, 6e=ve gone as far as 6e can
go.-
*)o yo" 6on=t introd"ce the revised bill.-
*I didn=t say that, either. I intend to give it one more try after recess. /"t to be
honest, Andre6, 6e can=t 6in. Loo, at the n"mbers.- )he to"ched a b"tton and a screen
came to life on the 6all of her office. *&he gro"p on the left side of the chart, the section
in greenthose are the members 6ho are "nalterably opposed to any ,ind of loosening
of the definitions. &hat=s ;"st abo"t 5$O of the Legislat"re: immovable, permanently
committed to opposing yo". &he segment mar,ed in red: there are yo"r s"pporters. 2RO.
&he rest are the "ndecided ones.-
*In t6o different colorsD Ehy is thatD-
*1ello6 is the gro"p that=s "ndecided b"t leaning in yo"r direction. &hat=s a
12.4O slice. /l"e is "ndecided against yo". &hat=s 19.4O.-
*I see.-
*In order to get a ma;ority, 6e need to ,eep every single one of the "ndecideds in
the yello6 slice of the chart, and 6in over more than half of those 6ho are still on the
fence b"t c"rrently thin,ing of voting against yo". !l"s, of co"rse, retaining the solid
s"pport of yo"r basic 2RO gro"p. Even if 6e can manage to 6in over a fe6 of yo"r
diehard opponents, I don=t thin, 6e can p"t together the vote, Andre6.-
Andre6 said, *&hen 6hy bother even bringing the bill "p for debateD-
*/eca"se I o6e yo" that m"ch. As yo" can see, it isn=t going to 6or,, and I=m
afraid this is going to be my last try. 7ot beca"se I=m 6al,ing a6ay from the fightnot
at allb"t beca"se I=m not going to be in a position any longer 6here I can stay in it.
Everything that I=ve been doing on yo"r behalf is going to be 6rapped aro"nd my nec,
at the ne<t election and it=s going to p"ll me do6n to defeat. I have no do"bt of that. I=m
going to lose my seat.-
*I ,no6,- said Andre6, *and it distresses me. +or yo"r sa,e, not for mine. 1o"
sa6 it coming long ago, didn=t yo", LihsingD And yet yo" stayed 6ith me. EhyD Ehy,
after telling me at the start that yo"=d drop me if yo" fo"nd that I 6as endangering yo"r
careerD Ehy didn=t yo"D-
*2ne can change one=s mind, yo" ,no6. )omeho6, Andre6, abandoning yo"
involved paying a higher price than I 6as 6illing to pay for the sa,e of 6inning ;"st one
more term. As it is, I=ve been in the Legislat"re for over a B"arter of a cent"ry. &hat=s
long eno"gh, I thin,.-
*/"t if yo"r mind co"ld change, 6hy not the minds of the othersD-
*Ee=ve changed all that are amenable to reason. &he restand it=s a ma;ority of
them, I=m sorry to saysimply can=t be moved. It=s a matter of deeprooted emotional
antipathy.-
*&heirs, or the people 6ho voted for themD-
*)ome of each. Even those members of the Legislat"re 6ho are more or less
rational themselves tend no6 and then to ass"me that their constit"ents aren=t. /"t I=m
afraid that plenty of them have po6erf"l antipathies of their o6n, 6hen it comes to
anything robotic.-
*And is relying on emotional antipathy a valid 6ay for a Legislator to decide ho6
to voteD-
*2h, Andre6-
*1es. 0o6 terribly naive of me to say a thing li,e that.-
*7aive isn=t the right 6ord. /"t yo" ,no6 that they=d never admit they 6ere
voting their emotions. &hey=d offer this or that caref"lly reasonedo"t e<planation for
their decisionsomething abo"t the economy, or an analogy from (oman history, or
some antiB"ated religio"s arg"mentanything b"t the tr"th. /"t 6hat does it matterD It=s
ho6 they=ll vote that co"nts, not 6hy they do it.-
*It all comes do6n to the B"estion of the str"ct"re of the brain, thenisn=t that
soD-
*&hat=s the problem, yes.-
Andre6 said ca"tio"sly, *I don=t see 6hy that sho"ld be s"ch a stic,ing point for
them. Ehat a brain is made of isn=t the essential thing: it=s ho6 the brain f"nctions. Its
tho"ght patterns, its reaction time, its ability to reason and to generaliAe from
e<perience. Ehy does the 6hole iss"e have to be dra6n do6n to the level of organic
cells vers"s positronsD Is there no 6ay of p"shing thro"gh a f"nctional definitionD-
*+"nctionalD-
*?y brain does everything that an officially legal h"man brain can do does it
better, in many 6ays, faster, more directly, more logically. !erhaps that=s 6hat bothers
them. Eell, it=s too late for me to start hiding my intelligence, if that=s the problem. /"t
m"st 6e go on insisting that a h"man brain has to be made of some officially approved
cell"lar s"bstance in order to be legally h"manD Can=t 6e simply stip"late that a h"man
brain is somethinganything, organic or notthat is capable of attaining a certain
comple< level of tho"ghtD-
*It 6on=t 6or,,- said Lihsing.
*/eca"se if 6e defined h"manity by brain f"nction alone, too many h"mans
6o"ld fall belo6 the stip"lated level of intellect"al abilityD- Andre6 as,ed bitterly. *Is
that itD-
*Andre6, Andre6, Andre6F Listen to me: there are those 6ho are determined to
,eep a barrier "p bet6een themselves and robots at any cost. +or the sa,e of their o6n
selfesteem, if nothing else, they 6ant to believe that they belong to the only tr"e and
la6f"l h"man race and that robots are some sort of inferior creat"res. 1o"=ve spent the
past h"ndred years beating those people bac,, and yo"=ve 6on yo"r 6ay thro"gh to a
stat"s that 6o"ld have been "tterly inconceivable in the early years of robotics. /"t no6
they=ve got yo" on an iss"e 6here yo" can=t 6in. 1o"=ve p"t yo"rself inside a body that
for all intents and p"rposes is close eno"gh to being h"man as ma,es no real difference.
1o" eat, yo" breathe, yo" s6eat. 1o" go to fine resta"rants and order splendid meals and
drin, the best 6ines, I=ve noticed, tho"gh I can=t imagine 6hat val"e that can have for
yo" other than for appearance=s sa,e.-
*&hat is val"e eno"gh for me,- said Andre6.
*All right. !lenty of h"mans probably can=t appreciate the e<pensive 6ines they
drin, either, b"t they drin, them all the same, and for the same reason yo" do. 1o"r
organs are all artificial, b"t by no6 so are many of theirs. J"ite possibly there are people
o"t there living in bodies that are virt"ally identical to yo"rs, 6holesale artificial
replacements for the ones they 6ere born 6ith. /"t they aren=t complete replacements,
Andre6. 7obody has a prosthetic brain. 7o one can. And so yo" differ from everyone
else in one f"ndamental respect. 1o"r brain is manmade, the h"man brain is not. 1o"r
brain 6as constr"cted, theirs 6as nat"rally developed. &hey 6ere born, yo" 6ere
assembled. &o any h"man being 6ho is intent on ,eeping "p the barrier bet6een himself
and robots, those differences are li,e a steel 6all five ,ilometers high and five
,ilometers thic,.-
*1o" aren=t telling me anything I don=t ,no6. ?y brain is different in composition
from theirs, certainly. /"t not in its f"nction, not really. J"antitatively different, maybe,
b"t not B"alitatively. It=s ;"st a braina very good brain. &hey=re merely "sing the
positronicvs. cell"lar iss"e as a prete<t to ,eep from admitting that 6hat I am is a
h"man being of a ,ind some6hat different from them. 7o, Lihsing, if 6e co"ld
someho6 get at their antipathy to6ard me beca"se of my robotic originsthe very
so"rce of all their hostilitythis mysterio"s need they have to proclaim themselves
s"perior to someone 6ho is by every reasonable definition s"perior to them-
*After all yo"r years,- said Lihsing sadly, *yo" are still trying to reason o"t the
h"man being. !oor Andre6, don=t be angry at me for saying this, b"t it=s the robot in yo"
that drives yo" in that direction.-
*1o" ,no6 that there=s very little left of the robot in me by this time.-
*/"t there=s some.-
*)ome, yes. And if I 6ere to get rid of that-
Chee Lihsing shot him a loo, of alarm. *Ehat are yo" saying, Andre6D-
*I don=t ,no6,- he said. */"t I have an idea. &he problem is, Lihsing, that I have
h"man feelings trapped 6ithin a robot mind. /"t that doesn=t ma,e me h"man, only an
"nhappy robot. Even after all that has been done to improve my robot body, I=m still not
h"man. /"t there=s one more step that can be ta,en. If I co"ld bring myselfif I co"ld
only bring myself-
&EE7&1&E2
I+ 0E C2.L# 27L1 bring hirnself
And no6 he had, finally.
Andre6 had as,ed Chee Lihsing to hold off as long as possible before bringing
her revised bill to the Eorld Legislat"re floor for debate and vote, beca"se he planned to
"nderta,e a pro;ect in the very near f"t"re that might have some significant impact on
the iss"e. And no, Andre6 said, he didn=t care to disc"ss the details of the pro;ect 6ith
her. It 6as a highly technical thing@ she 6asn=t li,ely to "nderstand, and he 6asn=t at the
moment 6illing to ta,e the time to e<plain it to her. /"t it 6o"ld ma,e him more h"man,
he insisted. &hat 6as the essential detail, the only thing she really needed to ,no6. It
6o"ld ma,e him more h"man.
)he said she 6o"ld do the best she co"ld to give him eno"gh time for this
mysterio"s pro;ect of his, tho"gh she so"nded p"AAled and concerned.
Andre6 than,ed her, and set o"t at once to have a little tal, 6ith the highly
acclaimed robot s"rgeon 6hom he had chosen to do the 6or,. It 6as a diffic"lt
conversation. Andre6 fo"nd himself p"tting off the moment of decision for a long 6hile
6ith a sad line of B"estioning that reflected the t"rmoil 6ithin himself, 6hile the
s"rgeon gre6 more and more conf"sed by the "n"s"al and probably impossible nat"re of
6hat Andre6 seemed to be as,ing him to do.
&he +irst La6 of (obotics 6as the obstacle: the imm"table la6 that prevented a
robot from harming a h"man being in any 6ay. And so at last Andre6 co"ld delay things
no longer, and bro"ght himself to admit the one necessary fact that made it possible for
the robot s"rgeon to perform the operation, the one thing that the s"rgeon had not
s"spected: Andre6=s o6n proper stat"s as something other than a h"man being.
&he s"rgeon said, *I don=t believe I "nderstood yo" correctly, sir. 1o" claim that
yo" are a robot yo"rselfD-
*&hat is precisely 6hat I am.-
&he s"rgeon=s facial e<pression, calm and impassive as ever, co"ld not and did not
change. /"t the set stare of his glo6ing photoelectric eyes someho6 managed to reveal
great internal distress and Andre6 co"ld tell that the s"rgeon=s positronic brain 6as
being s6ept by tro"blesome conflicting potentials.
0e said, after a little 6hile, *I 6o"ld not pres"me to contradict yo", sir. /"t I m"st
tell yo" that I see nothing at all robotic abo"t yo"r e<ternal appearance.-
*1o" are correct. ?y e<ternal appearance has been altered e<tensively to ma,e
me appear h"man. /"t that does not mean I am h"man. Indeed, I have p"t myself to a
great deal of e<traordinary legal e<pense over the past fe6 years for the sa,e of
clarifying my stat"s and it appears, after all of that, that I remain a robot, despite
everything.-
*I 6o"ld never have tho"ght it, sir.-
*7o. 1o" never 6o"ld.-
Andre6 had not selected this s"rgeon for his daAAling personality, his B"ic, 6it,
his readiness to cope 6ith diffic"lt social sit"ations. 7one of that 6as important. Ehat
mattered 6as his s,ill as a s"rgeon, and by all acco"nts he had plenty of that. And also
that he 6as a robot. A robot s"rgeon 6as the only possible choice for 6hat Andre6 had
in mind, for no h"man s"rgeon co"ld be tr"sted in this connection, neither in ability nor
in intention. &he robot co"ld do the ;ob.
&he robot 6o"ld do the ;ob, too. Andre6 intended to see to that.
*As I have told yo", sir-
*)top calling me sirF-
&he robot halted, plainly perple<ed. &hen he began again. * As I have told yo",
?r. ?artin, to perform an operation s"ch as yo" reB"est on a h"man being 6o"ld be a
blatant violation of the +irst La6 and I co"ld in no 6ay carry it o"t. /"t if yo" are, as
yo" claim, a robot, then there is still a problem. !erforming the operation 6o"ld
constit"te inflicting damage on property, yo" see, and I 6o"ld be "nable to do it e<cept
at the direct instr"ctions of yo"r o6ner.-
*I am my o6ner,- Andre6 said. *I=m a free robot and I have the papers to prove
it.-
*AfreerobotD-
*Listen to me,- Andre6 said. 0e 6as seething 6ith inner ang"ish no6 and his
o6n positronic mind 6as being s6ept by tro"blesome potentials indeed. *Eno"gh of this
chatter. I 6on=t pretend to be h"man, and yo"=d discover soon eno"gh 6hen yo"
operated that I=m not, any6ay, so 6e can leave +irst La6 considerations entirely o"t of
this. /"t )econd La6 6ill apply. I am a free robot and yo" 6ill do as I say. 1o" 6ill not
oppose my 6ishes. Is that clearD- And he declared, 6ith all the firmness that he had
learned ho6 to "se even 6ith h"man beings over these past decades, *I order yo" to
carry o"t this operation on me.-
&he robot s"rgeon=s red eyes t"rned brighter than ever 6ith inner conf"sion and
conflict and for a long moment he 6as "nable to reply.
Andre6 ,ne6 6hat the s"rgeon m"st be going thro"gh. /efore him 6as a man
6ho insisted that he 6as not a man, or else a robot 6ho claimed to have as m"ch
a"thority over him as a h"man being, and either 6ay the s"rgeon=s path6ays m"st be
ab"AA 6ith incomprehension.
If this 6ere indeed a man, then +irst La6 6o"ld override )econd and the s"rgeon
co"ld not accept the commission. /"t if this 6ere a robot, did )econd La6 govern the
sit"ation or notD Ehat 6as there in )econd La6 that gave one robot the right to order
another one aro"ndeven a free robotD &his 6as a robot, tho"gh, 6ho denied being a
man b"t loo,ed entirely li,e one. &hat 6as an almost incomprehensible sit"ation. &he
ambig"ity of it 6as probably over6helming the s"rgeon=s positronic path6ays. All his
vis"al responses 6ere crying o"t that his visitor 6as h"man@ his mind 6as trying to
process the dat"m that his visitor 6as not. &he vis"al evidence 6o"ld tend to activate the
+irst and )econd La6s, the other evidence 6o"ld not.
+aced 6ith chaotic contradictions of that sort, it 6as conceivable that the
s"rgeon=s mind 6o"ld short o"t altogether. 2r perhaps, Andre6 hoped, the safest 6ay
o"t of the crisis for the s"rgeon 6o"ld be to ta,e a )econd La6 position: that this visitor,
6hile by his o6n admission not h"man eno"gh to invo,e +irst La6 prohibitions, had
s"fficiently h"man characteristics to be able to demand obedience from the s"rgeon.
Ehich 6as the path that the s"rgeon "ltimately too,, after a lengthy period of
hesitation.
*Cery 6ell,- the s"rgeon said, and there 6as an "nmista,able "ndertone of relief
in his voice. *I 6ill do 6hat yo" have as,ed me to do.-
*+ine.-
*&he fee 6ill not be small.-
*I=d be 6orried if it 6as,- said Andre6.
&EE7&1&0(EE
&0E 2!E(A&I73 (22? 6as nothing nearly as grand as the one in 6hich .. ).
(obots and ?echanical ?en had performed its vario"s "pgrades on Andre6 in recent
years, b"t Andre6 co"ld tell that the facility 6as s"perbly eB"ipped and completely
eB"al to the tas,. 0e loo,ed 6ith admiration and approval at the laser ban,, the board of
meas"ring dials and control panel, the spidery maAe of a"<iliary needles and t"bes and
pipes, and the main s"rgical stage itself, dais and bed and lights and instr"ments, 6hite
linens and daAAling chromesteel fi<t"res, everything in readiness for the "n"s"al
patient.
And the s"rgeon himself 6as magnificently calm. J"ite clearly he had been able
in the interim to resolve 6hatever conflicts he had felt over the irreg"larities of
Andre6=s reB"est and the ambig"ities of Andre6=s appearance, and no6 he 6as foc"sed
entirely on the professional tas, at hand. Andre6 6as more than ever convinced that he
had made the only possible choice by selecting a robot s"rgeon to perform this
operation.
)till, he felt a flic,er of "ncertainty;"st a flic,eras the act"al moment for the
start of the operation arrived. Ehat if something 6ent 6rongD Ehat if he came o"t of
the operation incapacitated in some 6ayD Ehat if the operation failed and he terminated
right on the operating tableD
7o. 7one of that mattered. &here 6as no 6ay for the operation to fail, none. And
even if it didno. &hat simply did not matter.
&he s"rgeon 6as 6atching him caref"lly.
*Are yo" readyD- he as,ed.
*Absol"tely,- Andre6 told the s"rgeon. *Let=s get do6n to it.-
*Cery 6ell,- said the s"rgeon phlegmatically, and 6ith a B"ic,, s6eeping gest"re
too, his laserscalpel into his splendidly designed right hand.
Andre6 had chosen to remain completely conscio"s thro"gho"t the entire process.
0e had no 6ish to sh"t do6n a6areness even for an instant. !ain 6as not an iss"e for
him, and he needed to be certain that his instr"ctions 6ere being follo6ed precisely. /"t
of co"rse they 6ere. &he s"rgeon=s nat"re, being robotic, 6as not one that 6o"ld permit
any capricio"s deviation from the agreed"pon co"rse of action.
Ehat Andre6 6as not prepared for 6as the "ne<pectedly intense 6ea,ness and
fatig"e that came after the ;ob had been done.
0e had never ,no6n s"ch sensations as those that came over him in the early
ho"rs of his recovery period. Even 6hen they had transferred his brain from the robot
body to the android one, Andre6 had e<perienced nothing li,e this.
Instead of 6al,ing normally, he l"rched and staggered. 2ften he felt as tho"gh the
floor before him 6as rising "p to stri,e him in the face. &here 6ere times 6hen his
fingers trembled so violently that he had diffic"lty holding things. 0is vision, 6hich had
al6ays been fla6less, s"ddenly 6o"ld gro6 bl"rry for long min"tes at a stretch. 2r he
6o"ld try to remember someone=s name, and nothing 6o"ld come to mind e<cept a
tantaliAing blan,ness that glimmered at him from aro"nd the corners of his memory.
0e spent an entire afternoon, the first 6ee, after the operation, searching his mind
for the f"ll name of the man he had ,no6n as )ir. &hen, s"ddenly, the name 6as there:
3erald ?artin. /"t no6 Andre6 had forgotten the name of Little ?iss=s dar,haired
older sister, and it too, him ho"rs more of diligent searching before *?elissa ?artin-
popped abr"ptly into his brain. &6o ho"rsF It sho"ld not have ta,en him t6o
millisecondsF
It 6as all more or less 6hat Andre6 sho"ld have e<pected, and in an abstract 6ay
he had e<pected it. And yet the reality of the feelings themselves 6as far beyond
anything that Andre6 had anticipated. !hysical 6ea,ness 6as something ne6 to him. )o
6ere poor coordination, "ncertain refle<es, imperfect eyesight, and episodes of impaired
memory. It 6as h"miliating to feel so imperfectso h"man
7o, he tho"ght.
&here is nothing h"miliating abo"t it. 1o" have everything bac,6ard. It is h"man
to feel imperfect. &hat 6as 6hat yo" 6anted, above all else: to be h"man. And no6 that
is 6hat yo" are. &he imperfectionsthe 6ea,nessesthe imprecisionsthey are the very
things 6hich define h"mans as h"man. And 6hich drive them to transcend their o6n
failings.
1o" never had failings before, Andre6 told himself. 7o6 yo" do, and so be it. )o
be it. 1o" have achieved the thing yo" set o"t to accomplish and yo" m"st feel no
regrets.
3rad"ally, as one day slid into the ne<t, things began to improve.
3rad"ally. Cery grad"ally.
&he memory f"nctions ret"rned first. Andre6 6as gratified to discover that he had
f"ll access again, instant and complete, to the 6hole of his past.
0e sat in the grand high6inged chair by the fireplace in the great living room of
6hat once had been 3erald ?artin=s ho"se, and let images of years gone by play thro"gh
his mind: the factory 6here he had been constr"cted, and his arrival at the ?artin ho"se,
and Little ?iss and ?iss as children, 6al,ing 6ith him on the beach. )ir and ?a=am at
their dining table@ his 6ooden sc"lpt"res and the f"rnit"re he had made@ the .. ). (obots
e<ec"tives 6ho came 6est to inspect him@ his first visit from Little )ir@ the time he had
decided at last to begin 6earing clothing@ Little )ir=s marriage and the birth of !a"l
Charney. Even less pleasant things li,e the episode of the t6o lo"ts 6ho had tried to
disassemble him 6hile he 6as on the 6ay to the p"blic library. And m"ch, m"ch more,
nearly t6o h"ndred years of memory.
It 6as all there. 0is mind had not been permanently impaired, and he 6as
tremendo"sly relieved.
&he floor stopped trying to ;"mp "p and hit him. 0is vision stopped playing tric,s
on him. 0is hands finally stopped their inf"riating sha,ing. Ehen he 6al,ed, he 6as no
longer in danger of st"mbling and falling. 0e 6as himself again, in most of the essential
6ays.
/"t a certain sense of 6ea,ness still remained 6ith him, or so he tho"ght: a
pervasive chronic 6eariness, a feeling that he needed to sit do6n and rest a6hile before
going on to 6hatever might be his ne<t tas,.
!erhaps it 6as only his imagination. &he s"rgeon said that he 6as recovering B"ite
6ell.
&here 6as a syndrome called hypochondria, Andre6 ,ne6, in 6hich yo" felt that
yo" 6ere s"ffering from conditions that in fact yo" did not have. It 6as a fairly common
thing among h"man beings, he had heard. !eople 6ho 6ere hypochondriacs fo"nd all
manner of symptoms in themselves that no medical tests co"ld confirm@ and the more
tho"ght they gave to the possibility that they might be ill, the more symptoms they
discovered.
Andre6 6ondered 6hether in his long "nceasing B"est to attain f"ll h"manity he
had someho6 managed to contract a case of hypochondria, and smiled at the tho"ght.
J"ite li,ely he had, he decided. 0is o6n testing eB"ipment sho6ed no meas"rable
degrading of his performance capabilities. All parameters 6ere 6ell 6ithin permissible
deviation. And yetyethe felt so tired
It had to be imaginary. Andre6 ordered himself to give his feelings of 6eariness
no f"rther tho"ght. And, tired or not, he made one more ;o"rney across the continent to
the great greenglass to6er of the Eorld Legislat"re in 7e6 1or, to pay a call on Chee
Lihsing.
0e entered her grand and lofty office and she bec,oned him a"tomatically to a
seat before her des,, the 6ay she 6o"ld have done 6ith any other visitor. /"t Andre6
had al6ays preferred to stand in her presence, o"t of some obsc"re imp"lse of co"rtesy
that he had never tried to e<plain to himself, and he did not 6ant to sit no6especially
not no6. It 6o"ld be entirely too revealing to do that 7evertheless, he fo"nd after a
moment or t6o that standing seemed a bit tro"blesome to him, and he leaned, as
"nobtr"sively as he co"ld manage, against the 6all.
Lihsing said, *&he final vote 6ill come this 6ee,, Andre6. I=ve tried to delay it,
b"t I=ve r"n o"t of parliamentary mane"vers, and there=s nothing more I can do. It=ll be
voted on and 6e=ll lose. and that 6ill be it, Andre6.-
Andre6 said, *I=m gratef"l for yo"r s,ill at delaying things. It provided me 6ith
the time I neededand I too, the gamble I had to ta,e.-
Lihsing gave him a tro"bled loo,. *Ehat gamble do yo" mean, Andre6D- And
then, 6ith some irritation in her voice: *1o"=ve been so mysterio"s these past monthsF
0inting dar,ly at this or that big pro;ect, b"t ref"sing to let anybody ,no6 6hat it 6as
that yo" 6ere "p to-
*I co"ldn=t, Lihsing. If I had told yo" anythingor had said a 6ord to the people
at +eingold and CharneyI 6o"ld have been stopped. I=m s"re of that. 1o" co"ld have
stopped me, yo" ,no6, simply by ordering me not to proceed. &he )econd La6: there=s
no 6ay for me to p"t "p resistance against that )imon #eLong 6o"ld have done the
same. )o I had to ,eep B"iet abo"t my plans "ntil I had carried them o"t-
*Ehat is it that yo" have done, Andre6D- Chee Lihsing as,ed, very B"ietly,
almost omino"sly.
Andre6 said, *&he brain 6as the iss"e, that 6as 6hat 6e agreedthe positronic
brain vs. the organic one. /"t 6hat 6as the real iss"e behind thatD ?y intelligenceD 7o.
I have an "n"s"al mind, yes, b"t that=s beca"se I 6as designed to have an "n"s"al mind,
and after me they bro,e the mold. 2ther robots have o"tstanding mental abilities along
one line or another, 6hatever specialty it is that they=ve been designed to perform, b"t
basically they=re pretty st"pid things. &he 6ay a comp"ter is st"pid, no matter ho6
many trillion times faster than a h"man it can add "p a col"mn of n"mbers. )o it isn=t
my intelligence that ma,es people envio"s of me, not really. &here are plenty of h"mans
6ho can thin, rings aro"nd me.-
*Andre6-
*Let me have my say, Lihsing. I=m getting to the point, I promise yo".-
0e shifted his position against the 6all, hoping that Lihsing 6o"ldn=t notice that
he didn=t seem to have the strength to stand "p "ns"pported for many min"tes at a time.
/"t Andre6 s"spected that she had already registered that fact. )he 6as staring at him in
an "ncertain, tro"bled 6ay.
0e said, *Ehat is the greatest difference bet6een my positronic brain and a
h"man oneD It=s that my brain is immortal. All the tro"ble 6e=ve been having stems from
that, don=t yo" seeD Ehy sho"ld anyone care 6hat a brain loo,s li,e or is b"ilt o"t of or
ho6 it came into e<istence in the first placeD Ehat matters is that organic h"man brain
cells die. ?"st die. &here=s no 6ay of avoiding it Every other organ in the body can be
maintained or replaced by an artificial s"bstit"te, b"t the brain can=t be replaced at all,
not 6itho"t changing and therefore ,illing the personality. And the organic brain m"st
event"ally die. Ehereas my o6n positronic path6ays-
Lihsing=s e<pression had been changing as he spo,e. 0er face bore a loo, of
horror no6.
Andre6 ,ne6 that she had already beg"n to "nderstand. /"t he needed her to hear
him o"t 0e contin"ed ine<orably, *?y o6n positronic path6ays have lasted ;"st "nder
t6o cent"ries no6 6itho"t perceptible deterioration, 6itho"t any ,ind of "ndesirable
change 6hatever, and they 6ill s"rely last for cent"ries more. !erhaps indefinitely: 6ho
can sayD &he 6hole science of robotics is only three h"ndred years old and that=s too
short a time for anyone to be able to say 6hat the f"ll lifespan of a positronic brain may
be. Effectively my brain is immortal. Isn=t that the f"ndamental barrier that separates me
from the h"man raceD 0"man beings can tolerate immortality in robots, beca"se it=s a
virt"e in a machine to last a long time, and nobody is psychologically threatened by that.
/"t they 6o"ld never be able to tolerate the idea of an immortal h"man being, since
their o6n mortality is end"rable only so long as they ,no6 it=s "niversal. Allo6 one
person to be e<empted from death and everyone else feels victimiAed in the 6orst 6ay.
And for that reason, Lihsing, they have ref"sed to ma,e me a h"man being.-
Lihsing said sharply, *1o" said yo" 6ere going to get to the point 3et to it, then.
Ehat is it that yo"=ve done to yo"rself, Andre6D I 6ant to ,no6F-
*I have removed the problem.-
*(emoved itD 0o6D-
*#ecades ago, 6hen my positronic brain 6as placed in this android body, it 6as
connected to organic nerves, b"t it remained caref"lly ins"lated from the metabolic
forces that 6o"ld other6ise have "ltimately ca"sed it to deteriorate. 7o6 I have
"ndergone one last operation in order to rearrange the connections along the brainbody
interface. &he ins"lation has been removed. ?y brain is no6 s"b;ect to the same forces
of decay that any organic s"bstance is v"lnerable to. &hings are set "p no6 in s"ch a
6ay thatslo6ly, B"ite slo6lythe potential is being drained from my path6ays.-
Chee=s finely 6rin,led face sho6ed no e<pression for a moment. &hen her lips
tightened and she balled her hands into fists.
*#o yo" mean that yo"=ve arranged to die, Andre6D 7o. 7o, yo" can=t possibly
have done that. It 6o"ld be a violation of the &hird La6.-
*7ot so,- Andre6 said. *&here is more than one sort of death, Lihsing, and the
&hird La6 does not differentiate bet6een them. /"t I do. Ehat I have done is to choose
bet6een the death of my body and the death of my aspirations and desires. &o have let
my body live at the cost of the greater deaththat is the tr"e violation of the &hird La6.
7ot this. As a robot I might live forever, yes. /"t I tell yo" that I 6o"ld rather die as a
man than live eternally as a robot.-
*Andre6F 7oF- Chee cried. )he rose from her des, and 6ent to him 6ith
astonishing speed, and seiAed his arm as tho"gh she 6ere abo"t to sha,e him. /"t all she
did 6as grip it tightly, her fingers sin,ing deeply into his pliable synthetic flesh.
*Andre6, this isn=t going to get yo" 6hat yo" 6ant. It=s nothing more than terrible folly.
Change yo"rself bac,.-
*I can=t. &oo m"ch damage 6as done. &he operation is irreversible.-
*And no6D-
*I have a year to live, Lihsingmore or less. I 6ill last thro"gh the t6o h"ndredth
anniversary of my constr"ction. I confess that I 6as 6ea, eno"gh to time things so that I
6o"ld still be here that long. And thena nat"ral death. 2ther robots are dismantled
they are irrevocably terminatedthey are ta,en o"t of 6or,ing order. I 6ill simply die.
&he first robot ever to dieif, that is, it is felt that I am still a robot.-
*I can=t believe 6hat yo"=re telling me, Andre6. Ehat good can any of this doD
1o"=ve destroyed yo"rself for nothingnothingF It 6asn=t 6orth itF-
*I thin, it 6as.-
*&hen yo"=re a fool, Andre6F-
*7o,- he said gently. *If it brings me h"manity at last, then it 6ill have been 6orth
it. And if I fail in achieving that, 6ell, at least there 6ill soon be an end to my fr"itless
striving and my pain, and that 6ill have been 6orth accomplishing also.-
*!ainD-
*!ain, yes. #o yo" thin, I=ve never felt any pain, LihsingD-
Lihsing did something then that astonished Andre6 beyond 6ords.
J"ietly, she began to 6eep.
&EE7&1+2.(
I& EA) )&(A73E ho6 the dramatic last deed of Andre6=s long life ca"ght at the
imagination of the 6orld. 7othing that Andre6 had done before had managed to s6ay
people from their denial of his h"manity. /"t Andre6 had finally embraced even death
for the sa,e of being f"lly h"man, no6, and that sacrifice 6as too great to be re;ected.
&he story s6ept across the 6orld li,e a h"rricane. !eople spo,e of nothing else.
&he bill granting Andre6 6hat he had so"ght so long 6ent thro"gh the Eorld
Legislat"re 6itho"t opposition. 7o one 6o"ld have dared to vote against it. &here 6as
scarcely even any debate. &here 6as no need for it. &he meas"re 6as "nprecedented,
yesof co"rse it 6asb"t for once everyone 6as 6illing to p"t precedent aside.
&he final ceremony 6as timed, B"ite deliberately, for the day of the t6o h"ndredth
anniversary of Andre6=s constr"ction. &he Eorld Coordinator 6as to p"t his signat"re to
the act p"blicly, ma,ing it la6, and the ceremony 6o"ld be visible on a global net6or,
and 6o"ld be beamed to the l"nar settlements and to the other colonies farther o"t in
space.
Andre6 6as in a 6heelchair. 0e still 6as capable of 6al,ing, b"t only sha,ily,
no6, and it 6o"ld embarrass him to be seen loo,ing so feeble 6hen so many billions of
people 6o"ld be 6atching.
And billions 6ere 6atching6atching every6here.
&he ceremony 6as simple and B"ite brief. &he Eorld Coordinatoror his
electronic sim"lacr"m, rather, for Andre6 6as at his home in California and the Eorld
Coordinator 6as in 7e6 1or,began by saying, *&his is a very special day, Andre6
?artin, not only for yo" b"t for the entire h"man race. &here has never been a day li,e it
before. /"t then there has never been anyone li,e yo" before, either.
*+ifty years ago, Andre6, a ceremony in yo"r honor 6as held at the headB"arters
of the .nited )tates (obots and ?echanical ?en Corporation to celebrate the h"ndred
fiftieth anniversary of yo"r inception. I "nderstand that at that ceremony one of the
spea,ers proclaimed yo" to be a )esB"icentennial (obot. &he statement 6as correctas
far as it 6ent. /"t it did not go B"ite far eno"gh, 6e realiAe no6. And so the 6orld has
ta,en steps to ma,e amends, and those amends 6ill be made today.- &he Eorld
Coordinator glanced to6ard Andre6 and smiled. &here 6as a doc"ment before him on a
little podi"m. &he Eorld Coordinator leaned over it and, 6ith a grand flo"rish, signed
his name.
&hen, loo,ing "p after a moment and spea,ing in his most formal, solemn tone,
the Coordinator said, *&here yo" are. &he decree is official and irrevocable. 1o"r
sesB"icentennial anniversary is fifty years behind yo", today. And so is the stat"s of
robot 6ith 6hich yo" came into the 6orld, and for 6hich yo" 6ere cited on that day. Ee
ta,e that stat"s from yo" no6. 1o" are a robot no longer. &he doc"ment that I have ;"st
signed changes all that. &oday, ?r. ?artin, 6e declare yo"a /icentennial ?an.-
And Andre6, smiling in ret"rn, held o"t his hand as tho"gh to sha,e that of the
Eorld Coordinatordespite the distance of a continent=s 6idth that act"ally lay bet6een
them. &he gest"re had been caref"lly rehearsed, everything meas"red do6n to the
millimeter. And to the billions of onloo,ers it seemed that the t6o hands did in fact
meeta 6arm h"man gest"re lin,ing, for a moment, one man 6ith the other.
&EE7&1+ICE
&0E CE(E?271 of ;"st a fe6 months before 6as only a dim memory, no6, and
the end 6as gro6ing near. Andre6=s tho"ghts 6ere slo6ly fading as he lay in his bed in
the grand ho"se overloo,ing the !acific.
#esperately he seiAed at them.
A manF 0e 6as a man, a h"man being at lastF +or decade after decade he had
str"ggled "p the ladder from his robotic origins, not completely recogniAing the e<tent of
his aspirations at first b"t grad"ally bringing them into foc"s@ and finally he had attained
the goal that had become so desperately important to him. 0e had achieved something
almost "nimaginablesomething "niB"e in the history of the h"man race.
0e 6anted that to be his last tho"ght. 0e 6anted to dissolvedie6ith that.
Andre6 opened his eyes one more time and for one last time recogniAed Lihsing
6aiting solemnly beside the bed. &here 6ere others, too, gathered aro"nd him, 6atching
his last moments as long ago he had 6atched those of )ir and Little ?iss@ b"t they 6ere
only shado6s, vag"e "nrecogniAable shado6s. 0e 6as beginning to forget names, faces,
everything. It 6as all slipping a6ay from him, the acc"m"lated memories of t6o
h"ndred years of life.
Let it go, he tho"ght. Let it go, all of it.
2nly the slender fig"re of Lihsing stood o"t "nmista,ably against the deepening
gray. &he last of all his friends. 0e had had so many, over the t6o cent"ries, b"t they
6ere all gone no6, and she 6as the only one 6ho still remained. )lo6ly, B"averingly,
Andre6 held o"t his hand to her and very dimly and faintly he felt her ta,e it. )he said
something to him, b"t he 6as "nable to hear the 6ords.
)he 6as fading in his eyes, as the last of his tho"ghts tric,led into the dar,ness.
0e felt coldvery coldand Lihsing 6as disappearing no6, vanishing into the
dar, mist that had beg"n to eng"lf him.
&hen one final f"gitive tho"ght came to him and rested for a moment on his mind
before everything stopped. /riefly he sa6 the flic,ering image of the first person 6ho
had recogniAed him for 6hat he really 6as, almost t6o h"ndred years before. A mantle
of light and 6armth s"rro"nded her. 0er shining golden hair gleamed li,e a brilliant
s"nrise. )he 6as smiling at himbec,oning to him
*Andre6- she said softly. *Come, Andre6. 7o6. Come. 1o" ,no6 6ho I am.-
*Little ?iss,- he 6hispered, too lo6 to be heard.
And then he closed his eyes and the dar,ness eng"lfed him f"lly andf"lly h"man
at lasthe gave himself "p to it 6itho"t regret.