Я, Робот
The Evitable Conflict
Thatwehaveagreedupon.Nowyousaythatitcannotbedisobeyed.Thenwhatiswrong?"
"Youhaveansweredyourself.Nothingiswrong!ThinkabouttheMachinesforawhile,Stephen.Theyarerobots,andtheyfollowtheFirstLaw.ButtheMachinesworknotforanysinglehumanbeing,butforallhumanity,sothattheFirstLawbecomes:’NoMachinemayharmhumanity;or,throughinaction,allowhumanitytocometoharm.’
"Verywell,then,Stephen,whatharmshumanity?Economicdislocationsmostofall,fromwhatevercause.Wouldn’tyousayso?"
"Iwould."
"Andwhatismostlikelyinthefuturetocauseeconomicdislocations?Answerthat,Stephen."
"Ishouldsay,"repliedByerley,unwillingly,"thedestructionoftheMachines."
"AndsoshouldIsay,andsoshouldtheMachinessay.Theirfirstcare,therefore,istopreservethemselves,forus.Andsotheyarequietlytakingcareoftheonlyelementsleftthatthreatenthem.Itisnotthe’SocietyforHumanity’whichisshakingtheboatsothattheMachinesmaybedestroyed.Youhavebeenlookingatthereverseofthepicture.SayratherthattheMachineisshakingtheboatveryslightly–justenoughtoshakeloosethosefewwhichclingtothesideforpurposestheMachinesconsiderharmfultoHumanity.
"SoVrasayanaloseshisfactoryandgetsanotherjobwherehecandonoharm–heisnotbadlyhurt,heisnotrenderedincapableofearningaliving,fortheMachinecannotharmahumanbeingmorethanminimally,andthatonlytosaveagreaternumber.ConsolidatedCinnabarlosescontrolatAlmaden.
