by Isaac Asimov
“When will you have humaniform robots?”
“That is difficult to say. We have not yet caught up with Dr. Fastolfe.”
“Even though he is one and you are many, Dr. Amadiro?”
Amadiro twitched his shoulders slightly. “You waste your sarcasm, Mr. Baley. Fastolfe was well ahead of us to begin with and, though the Institute has been in embryo for a long time, we have been fully at work for only two years. Besides, it will be necessary for us not only to catch up with Fastolfe but to move ahead of him. Daneel is a good product, but he is only a prototype and is not good enough.”
“In what way must the humaniform robots be improved beyond Daneel's mark?”
“They must be even more human, obviously. They must exist in both sexes and there must be the equivalent of children. We must have a generational spread if a sufficiently human society is to be built up on the planets.”
“I think I see difficulties, Dr. Amadiro.”
“No doubt. There are many. Which difficulties do you foresee, Mr. Baley?”
“If you produce humaniform robots who are so humaniform they can produce a human society, and if they are produced with a generational spread in both sexes, how will you be able to distinguish them from human beings?”
“Will that matter?”
“It might. If such robots are too human, they might melt into Auroran society and become part of human family groups—and might not be suitable for service as pioneers.”
Amadiro laughed. “That thought clearly entered your head because of Gladia Delmarre's attachment to Jander. You see, I know something of your interview with that woman from my conversations with Gremionis and with Dr. Vasilia. I remind you that Gladia is from Solaria and her notion of what constitutes a husband is not necessarily Auroran in nature.”
“I was not thinking of her in particular. I was thinking that sex on Aurora is broadly interpreted and that robots as sex partners are tolerated even now, with robots who are only approximately humaniform. If you really cannot tell a robot from a human being—”
“There's the question of children. Robots can neither father nor mother children.”
“But that brings up another point. The robots will be long-lived, since the proper building of the society may take centuries.”
“They would, in any case, have to be long-lived if they are to resemble Aurorans.”
“And the children—also long-lived?”
Amadiro did not speak.
Baley said, “These will be artificial robot children and will never grow older—they will not age and mature. Surely this will create an element sufficiently nonhuman to cast the nature of the society into doubt.”
Amadiro sighed. “You are penetrating, Mr. Baley. It is indeed our thought to devise some scheme whereby robots can produce babies who can in some fashion grow and mature—at least long enough to establish the society we want.”
“And then, when human beings arrive, the robots can be restored to more robotic schemes of behavior.”
“Perhaps—if that seems advisable,”
“And this production of babies? Clearly, it would be best if the system used were as close to the human as possible, wouldn't it?”
“Possibly.”
“Sex, fertilization, birth?”
“Possibly.”
“And if these robots form a society so human that they cannot be differentiated from human, then, when true human beings arrive, might it not be that the robots would resent the immigrants and try to keep them off? Might the robots not react to Aurorans as you react to Earthpeople?”
“Mr. Baley, the robots would still be bound by the Three Laws.”
“The Three Laws speak of refraining from injuring human beings and of obeying human beings.”
“Exactly.”
“And what if the robots are so close to human beings that they regard themselves as the human beings they should protect and obey? They might, very rightly, place themselves above the immigrants.”
“My good Mr. Baley, why are you so concerned with all these things? They are for the far future. There will be solutions, as we progress in time and as we understand, by observation, what the problems really are.”
“It may be, Dr. Amadiro, that Aurorans may not very much approve what you are planning, once they understand what it is. They may prefer Dr. Fastolfe's views.”
“Indeed? Fastolfe thinks that, if Aurorans cannot settle new planets directly and without the help of robots, then Earthpeople should be encouraged to do so.”
Baley said, “It seems to me that that makes good sense.”
“Because you are an Earthman, my good Baley. I assure you that Aurorans would not find it pleasant to have Earthpeople swarming over the new worlds, building new beehives and forming some sort of Galactic Empire in their trillions and quadrillions and reducing the Spacer worlds to what? To insignificance at best and to extinction at worst.”
“But the alternative to that is worlds of humaniform robots, building quasi-human societies and allowing no true human beings among themselves. There would gradually develop a robotic Galactic Empire, reducing the Spacer worlds to insignificance at best and to extinction at worst. Surely Aurorans would prefer a human Galactic Empire to a robotic one.”
“What makes you so sure of that, Mr. Baley?”
“The form your society takes now makes me sure. I was told, on my way to Aurora, that no distinctions are made between robots and human beings on Aurora, but that is clearly wrong. It may be a wished-for ideal that Aurorans flatter themselves truly exists, but it does not.”
“You've been here—what?—less than two days and you can already tell?”
“Yes, Dr. Amadiro. It may be precisely because I'm a stranger that I can see clearly. I am not blinded by custom and ideals. Robots are not permitted to enter Personals and that's one distinction that is clearly made. It permits human beings to find one place where they can be alone. You and I sit at our ease, while robots remain standing in their niches, as you see“—Baley waved his arm toward Daneel—”which is another distinction. I think that human beings—even Aurorans—will always be eager to make distinctions and to preserve their own humanity.”
“Astonishing, Mr. Baley.”
“Not astonishing at all, Dr. Amadiro. You have lost. Even if you manage to foist your belief that Dr. Fastolfe destroyed Jander upon Aurorans generally, even if you reduce Dr. Fastolfe to political impotence, even if you get the Legislature and the Auroran people to approve your plan of robot settlement, you will only have gained time. As soon as the Aurorans see the implications of your plan, they will turn against you. It might be better, then, if you put an end to your campaign against Dr. Fastolfe and meet with him to work out some compromise whereby the settlement of new worlds by Earthmen can be so arranged as to represent no threat to Aurora or to the Spacer worlds in general.”
“Astonishing, Mr. Baley,” said Amadiro a second time.
“You have no choice,” said Baley flatly.
But Amadiro answered, in a leisurely and amused tone, “When I say your remarks are astonishing, I do not refer to the content of your statements but only to the fact that you make them at all—and that you think they are worth something.”
56
Baley watched Amadiro forage for one last piece of pastry and put half of it into his mouth, clearly enjoying it.
“Very good,” said Amadiro, “but I am a little too fond of eating. What was I saying? —Oh yes. Mr Baley, do you think you have discovered a secret? That I have told you something that our world does not already know? That my plans are dangerous, but that I blab them to every newcomer? I imagine you may think that, if I talk to you long enough, I will surely produce some verbal folly that you will be able to make use of. Be assured that I am not likely to. My plans for ever more humaniform robots, for robot families, and for as human a culture as possible are all on record. They are available to the Legislature and to anyone who is interested.”
Baley sai
d, “Does the general public know?”
“Probably not. The general public has its own priorities and is more interested in the next meal, the next hyperwave show, the next space-soccer contest than in the next century and the next millennium. Still, the general public will be as glad to accept my plans, as are the intellectually minded who already know. Those who object will not be numerous enough to matter.”
“Can you be certain of that?”
“Oddly enough, I can be. You don't understand, I'm afraid, the intensity of the feelings that Aurorans—and Spacers generally—have toward Earthpeople. I don't share those feelings, mind you, and I am, for instance, quite at ease with you. I don't have that primitive fear of infection, I don't imagine that you smell bad, I don't attribute to you all sorts of personality traits that I find offensive, I don't think that you and yours are plotting to take our lives or steal our property—but the large majority of Aurorans have all these attitudes. It may not be very close to the surface and Aurorans may bring themselves to be very polite to individual Earthpeople who seem harmless, but put them to the test and all their hatred and suspicion will emerge. Tell them that Earthpeople are swarming over new worlds and will preempt the galaxy and they will howl for Earth's destruction before such a thing can happen.”
“Even if the alternative was a robot society?”
“Certainly. You don't understand how we feel about robots, either. We are familiar with them. We are at home with them.”
“No. They are your servants. You feel superior to them and are at home with them only while that superiority is maintained. If you are threatened by an overturn, by having them become your superiors, you will react with horror.”
“You say that only because that is how Earthpeople would react.”
“No. You keep them out of the Personals. It is a symptom.”
“They have no use for those rooms. They have their own facilities for washing and they do not excrete. —Of course, they are not truly humaniform. If they were, we might not make that distinction.”
“You would fear them the more.”
“Truly?” said Amadiro. “That's foolish. Do you fear Daneel? If I can trust that hyperwave show—and I admit I do not think I can—you developed a considerable affection for Daneel. You feel it now, don't you?”
Baley's silence was eloquent and Amadiro pursued his advantage.
“Right now,” he said, “you are unmoved by the fact that Giskard is standing, silent and unresponsive, in an alcove, but I can tell by small examples of body language that you are uneasy over the fact that Daneel is doing so, too. You feel he is too human in appearance to be treated as a robot. You don't fear him the more because he looks human,”
“I am an Earthman. We have robots,” said Baley, “but not a robot culture. You cannot judge from my case.”
“And Gladia, who preferred Jander to human beings—”
“She is a Solarian. You cannot judge from her case, either.”
“What case can you judge from, then? You are only guessing. To me, it seems obvious that, if a robot is human enough, he would be accepted as human. Do you demand proof that I am not a robot? The fact that I seem human is enough. In the end, we will not worry whether a new world is settled by Aurorans who are human in fact or in appearance, if no one can tell the difference. But— human or robot—the settlers will be Aurorans either way, not Earthpeople.”
Baley's assurance faltered. He said unconvincingly, “What if you never learn how to construct a humaniform robot?”
“Why would you expect we would not? Notice that I say ‘we.’ There are many of us involved here.”
“It may be that any number of mediocrities do not add up to one genius.”
Amadiro said shortly, “We are not mediocrities. Fastolfe may yet find it profitable to come in with us.”
“I don't think so.”
“I do. He will not enjoy being without power in the Legislature and, when our plans for settling the Galaxy move ahead and he sees that his opposition does not stop us, he will join us. It will be only human of him to do so.”
“I don't think you will win out,” said Baley.
“Because you think that somehow this investigation of yours will exonerate Fastolfe and implicate me, perhaps, or someone else.”
“Perhaps,” said Baley desperately.
Amadiro shook his head. “My friend, if I thought that anything you could do would spoil my plans, would I be sitting still and waiting for destruction?”
“You are not. You are doing everything you can to have this investigation aborted. Why would you do that if you were confident that nothing I could do would get in your way?”
“Well,” said Amadiro, “you can get in my way by demoralizing some of the members of the Institute. You can't be dangerous, but you can be annoying—and I don't want that either. So, if I can, I'll put an end to the annoyance—but I'll do that in reasonable fashion, in gentle fashion, even. If you were actually dangerous—”
“What could you do, Dr. Amadiro, in that case?”
“I could have you seized and imprisoned until you were evicted. I don't think Aurorans generally would worry overmuch about what I might do to an Earthman.”
Baley said, “You are trying to browbeat me and that won't work. You know very well you could not lay a hand on me with my robots present.”
Amadiro said, “Does it occur to you that I have a hundred robots within call? What would yours do against them?”
“All hundred could not harm me. They cannot distinguish between Earthmen and Aurorans. I am human within the meaning of the Three Laws.”
“They could hold you quite immobilized—without harming you—while your robots were destroyed.”
“Not so,” said Baley. “Giskard can hear you and, if you make a move to summon your robots, Giskard will have you immobilized. He moves very quickly and, once that happens, your robots will be helpless, even if you manage to call them. They will understand that any move against me will result in harm to you.”
“You mean that Giskard will hurt me?”
“To protect me from harm? Certainly. He will kill you, if absolutely necessary.”
“Surely you don't mean that.”
“I do,” said Baley. “Daneel and Giskard have orders to protect me. The First Law, in this respect, has been strengthened with all the skill Dr. Fastolfe can bring to the job—and with respect to me, specifically. I haven't been told this in so many words, but I'm quite sure it's true. If my robots must choose between harm to you and harm to me, Earthman though I am, it will be easy for them to choose harm to you. I imagine you are well aware that Dr. Fastolfe is not very eager to ensure your well-being.”
Amadiro chuckled and a grin wreathed his face. “Pm sure you're right in every respect, Mr. Baley, but it is good to have you say so. You know, my good sir, that I am recording this conversation also—I told you so at the start—and I'm glad of it. It is possible that Dr. Fastolfe will erase the last part of this conversation, but I assure you I won't. It is clear from what you have said that he is quite prepared to devise a robotic way of doing harm to me—even kill me, if he can manage that—whereas it cannot be said from anything in this conversation—or any other—that I plan any physical harm to him whatever or even to you. Which of us is the villain, Mr. Baley? —I think you have established that and I think, then, that this is a good place at which to end the interview.”
He rose, still smiling, and Baley, swallowing hard, stood up as well, almost automatically.
Amadiro said, “I still have one thing to say, however. It has nothing to do with our little contretemps here on Aurora—Fastolfe's and mine. Rather, with your own problem, Mr. Baley.”
“My problem?”
“Perhaps I should say Earth's problem. I imagine that you feel very anxious to save poor Fastolfe from his own folly because you think that will give your planet a chance for expansion. —Don't think so, Mr. Baley. You are quite wrong, rather arsyvarsy, to use a vulgar e
xpression I've come across in some of your planet's historical novels.”
“I'm not familiar with that phrase,” said Baley stiffly.
“I mean you have the situation reversed. You see, when my view wins out in the Legislature—and note that I say ‘when’ and not ‘if—Earth will be forced to remain in her own planetary system, I admit, but that will actually be to her benefit. Aurora will have the prospect of expansion and of establishing an endless empire. If we then know that Earth will merely be Earth and never anything more, of what concern will she be to us? With the Galaxy at our disposal, we will not begrudge Earthpeople their one world. We would even be disposed to make Earth as comfortable a world for her people as would be practical.
“On the other hand, Mr. Balcy, if Aurorans do what Fastolfe asks and allow Earth to send out settling parties, then it won't be long before it will occur to an increasing number of us that Earth will take over the Galaxy and that we will be encircled and hemmed in, that we will be doomed to decay and death. After that, there will be nothing I can do. My own quite kindly feeling toward Earthmen will not be able to withstand the general kindling of Auroran suspicion and prejudice and it will then be very bad for Earth.
“So if, Mr. Baley, you are truly concerned for your own people, you should be very anxious indeed for Fastolfe not to succeed in foisting upon this planet his very misguided plan. You should be a strong ally of mine. Think about it. I tell you this, I assure you, out of a sincere friendship and liking for you and for your planet.”
Amadiro was smiling as broadly as ever, but it was all wolf now.
57
Baley and his robots followed Amadiro out the room and along the corridor.
Amadiro stopped at one inconspicuous door and said, “Would you care to use the facilities before leaving?”
For a moment, Baley frowned in confusion, for he did not understand. Then he remembered the antiquated phrase Amadiro had used, thanks to his own reading of historical novels.
