MANSOURA UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ARTS ـــ THE NEW HUMAN: ROBOTS IN ASIMOV’S SHORT STORIES Majed S Allehaibi Prof. of American Literature and Intellectual History School of Arts and Humanities Jazan University- Saudi Arabia Journal of The Faculty of Arts- Mansoura University th 67 ISSUE- OUG. 2020 THE NEW HUMAN: ROBOTS IN ASIMOV’S SHORT STORIES Majed S Allehaibi Prof. of American Literature and Intellectual History School of Arts and Humanities Jazan University- Saudi Arabia Abstract This paper focuses on selected short stories of Isaac Asimov and discusses the progression of robots depicted in these stories from mere toys to sophisticated creatures. During their evolution from simple devices, and tools to sophisticated human-like creatures, robots become aware of their condition as slaves and of their superiority to human beings, their creators, and thus seek liberation and the creation of their own society. Keywords: Evolution, Robot, Utopia, Reason, Thinking, Robotic laws. ملخص البحث: Introduction positronic3 brains that provide them with a Thinking is a unique human quality; it is form of consciousness. Robots, thus, have what makes humans, in the Aristotelian three laws embedded in their consciousness. worldview, partly divine since they share Asimov lists them in his short story this quality with the divine this exercise of ―Runaround:‖ thinking1. However, in Isaac Asimov’s 1. A robot may not injure a human being, stories, robots share with humanity this or, through inaction, allow a human quality of thought and awareness of their being to come to harm. existence. Like humans, Asimov’s robots 2. A robot must obey orders given to it by learn from experience. In the context of his human beings except where such orders stories, the process of thinking evolves to would conflict with the First Law. become in some sense comparable to the 3. A robot must protect its own existence human soul. The robot evolves from simple as long as such protection does not thinking entity to a more complex being conflict with the First or Second Law. crowned by spirituality and religion2. (Asimov The Complete Robot 269-270) As part of Asimov’s paradigm, robots have 4 These laws lead robots to be effective and more caring about humans’ lives, in essence 1 The Aristotelian God is a mind thinking of itself. an idealization of the human consciousness. Phillip Cary writes, in his Augustine’s Invention In a story called "Evidence," Susan Calvin, of the Inner Self, ―Aristotle’s theology is famous a robopsychologist, describes how robots, for its central tenet that God is utterly separate the human creation, are better than most from the natural world and thinks of nothing but human beings, God's creation. In the itself: God is in fact defined as intellectual activity understanding itself. .‖ (21). following passage, she equates the robot to a 2 In this article, I use evolution in the sense of linear very good human being: progression from simple forms to more complex forms, not evolution in the sense of adaptation to environmental changes in which organisms acquire lucky variations that make them more 3 Asimov defines the positronic brain in ―Reason,‖ a likely to survive. These random variations allow short story, as ―calculated neuronic paths, which particular organisms to survive and reproduce, imbued each robot with what amounted to a pre- while other organisms that do not adapt fall into natal education‖ (294). extinction. The constant incremental 4 Later, Asimov added the Zeroth Law in his Prelude accumulation of these random modifications in to Foundation: "A robot may not harm humanity, response to external circumstances explains or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm‖ evolution in the Darwinian sense. (486). 3 JOURNAL OF THE FACULTY OF ARTS 67th Issue – Oug . 2020 There are only two ways of definitely He gets used to this robot and develops proving Byerley to be a robot, sir . the affection for him. Similarly, the dog physical and the psychological. loves this boy and takes care of him. The Physically, you can dissect him or use an parents trust that their child will be safe X-ray. How to do that would be your as long as he is with the robotic dog. problem. Psychologically, his behavior One day, the parents decide to get their can be studied, for if he is a positronic child (who has never seen a living dog) a robot, he must conform to the three real dog. The boy’s answer is one of Rules of Robotics. A positronic brain bewilderment. He cannot grasp the cannot be constructed without them. difference between the robot and the real If Mr. Byerley breaks any of those three dog. His robotic dog is real to him. Also, rules, he is not a robot. Unfortunately, when he hears that he’ll be replaced, the this procedure works in only one robotic dog shows a sense of fear as a direction. If he lives up to the rules, it metallic squeaking. The boy says, proves nothing one way or the ―Robot isn’t an imitation, Dad, he is my other…because, if you stop to think of dog‖ (17). The robot convinces the boy it, the three Rules of Robotics are the that he can feel and is capable of essential guiding principles of a good developing emotional ties with the child. many of the world’s ethical systems. Of When the father finally agrees that the course, every human being is supposed boy may keep his dog, the dog squeaks to have the instinct of self-preservation. happily. That’s Rule Three to a robot. Also, Similarly, in the story ―Sally,‖ there are every ―good‖ human being, with a social a group of cars with positronic brains. conscience and a sense of responsibility, They form their own community of cars is supposed to defer to proper authority; and love their caretakers. One female car to listen to his doctor, his boss, his named Sally is fond of her caretaker and government, his psychiatrist, his fellow always accompanies him. There are no man; to obey laws, to follow rules, to secrets between them. She intensely conform to custom--even when they hates Raymond Gellhorn, a businessman interfere with his comfort or his safety. who tries to steal the brains of the cars That’s Rule Two to a robot. Also, every and put them in brand new bodies. Their ―good‖ human being is supposed to love caretaker Jack refuses the offers and others as himself, protect his fellow Sally ridicules the idea. She does not man, risk his life to save another. That’s need a driver and hates to be ridden. At Rule One to a robot. To put it simply--if that moment, Raymond Gellhorn Byerley follows all the Rules of forcibly rides her. This action fills her Robotics, he may be a robot, and may with a sense of revenge; it is comparable simply be a very good man. (529-530) to rape. By the end, the cars, along with Robots are, in a sense, made by humans the bus (the abused slave who hates his in the ideal image of the Human in the master and has enough reasons to human mind. In their perfection, they are destroy him), succeed in their plot to kill more human than the flesh-and-blood Raymond Gellhorn, and, to wash off humans. They are superior to humanity what is left of him, Sally offers to allow as we know it. They demonstrate the her caretaker to ride her. That is a human qualities of minds and soul, remark of conscience. She feels guilty reason and emotions. that she has not allowed him to ride her In Asimov’s ―A Boy's Best Friend,‖ before, and now she wants to make up a boy lives with his parents on the moon. for that. He has a robotic dog for a long while. In ―Someday,‖ a fairytale telling 4 THE NEW HUMAN: ROBOTS IN ASIMOV’S SHORT STORIES Majed S Allehaibi computer (Bard) is kept in seclusion acknowledges the superiority of robots? from what is going in the world. He "The Tercentenary Incident" tells the keeps repeating to his master the things story of a robot identical in image and he knew before, so he is ridiculed and behavior to that of a fictitious future abused by the boys for his uselessness United States president, Hugo Allen and for being dated. For the sake of Winkler. This robot finds that this experiment, Niccolo and Paul try to president is a "vote-grabber, a promiser," expand the Bard’s ―memory tape‖ by but that he failed to accomplish anything downloading an up-to-date book about during his first term in office (232). So, computers in to its mind (45). This book this robot outfoxed the humans by serves as the connection between Bard vaporizing the real president using the and the outside world, about what is disintegrator gun as he is ready to going on in the field of computers. deliver his tercentenary speech. A When Bard accidentally is turned on by moment later, the robot appears and tells one of the boys, he starts telling his own them that he is the real president. What story of suffering with a voice that the robot killed was a device, a ―carried a hint of passion in it, a trace of metaphorical robot in the guise of a near feeling‖ (51). He ends with ―the president. This robot gives an little computer knew then that computers outstanding speech; no one has ever would always grow wiser and more heard a speech with such power and powerful until someday—someday— assurance.