Я, Робот
The Evitable Conflict
Ifso,theMachinesmustmoveinthatdirection,preferablywithouttellingus,sinceinourignorantprejudicesweonlyknowthatwhatweareusedto,isgood–andwewouldthenfightchange.Orperhapsacompleteurbanization,oracompletelycaste-riddensociety,orcompleteanarchy,istheanswer.Wedon’tknow.OnlytheMachinesknow,andtheyaregoingthereandtakinguswiththem."
"Butyouaretellingme,Susan,thatthe’SocietyforHumanity’isright;andthatMankindhaslostitsownsayinitsfuture."
"Itneverhadany,really.Itwasalwaysatthemercyofeconomicandsociologicalforcesitdidnotunderstand–atthewhimsofclimate,andthefortunesofwar.NowtheMachinesunderstandthem;andnoonecanstopthem,sincetheMachineswilldealwiththemastheyaredealingwiththeSociety,–having,astheydo,thegreatestofweaponsattheirdisposal,theabsolutecontrolofoureconomy."
"Howhorrible!"
"Perhapshowwonderful!Think,thatforalltime,allconflictsarefinallyevitable.OnlytheMachines,fromnowon,areinevitable!"
Andthefirebehindthequartzwentoutandonlyacurlofsmokewaslefttoindicateitsplace.
"Andthatisall,"saidDr.Calvin,rising."Isawitfromthebeginning,whenthepoorrobotscouldn’tspeak,totheend,whentheystandbetweenmankindanddestruction.Iwillseenomore.Mylifeisover.Youwillseewhatcomesnext."
IneversawSusanCalvinagain.Shediedlastmonthattheageofeighty-two.
