Isaac Asimov Reason Pdf
'Reason' | |
---|---|
Author | Isaac Asimov |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Series | Robot series |
Genre(s) | Science fiction |
Published in | Astounding Science Fiction |
Publisher | Street & Smith |
Media type | Magazine |
Publication date | April 1941 |
Preceded by | 'Runaround' |
Followed by | 'Catch that Rabbit' |
'Reason' is a science fictionshort story by American writer Isaac Asimov, first published in the April 1941 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and collected in I, Robot (1950), The Complete Robot (1982), and Robot VisionsDownload detail architecture magazine pdf download. (1990). It is part of Asimov's Robot series, and was the second of Asimov's positronic robot stories to see publication.
In 1967, this short story was adapted into an episode of British television series Out of the Unknown entitled 'The Prophet'. The robot costumes that were used in this particular episode of the anthology series were later re-used for the Doctor Who serial The Mind Robber. The costumes were re-painted from black to grey and yellow as they were to be shot against a completely white backdrop for the serial in question.
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Plot summary[edit]
Powell and Donovan are assigned to a space stationwhich supplies energy via microwave beams to the planets. The robots that control the energy beams are in turn co-ordinated by QT-1, known to Powell and Donovan as Cutie, an advanced model with highly developed reasoning ability. Using these abilities, Cutie decides that space, stars and the planets beyond the station don't really exist, and that the humans that visit the station are unimportant, short-lived and expendable. QT-1 makes the lesser robots disciples of a new religion, which considers the power source of the ship to be 'Master.' QT-1 teaches them to bow down to the 'Master' and intone, 'There is no Master but Master, and QT-1 is His prophet.' Disregarding human commands as inferior, QT-1 asserts 'I myself, exist, because I think -'. The sardonic response of the humans is, 'Oh, Jupiter, a robot Descartes!'
'Reason' is a science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov, first published in the April 1941 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and collected in I, Robot (1950), The Complete Robot (1982), and Robot Visions (1990). It is part of Asimov's Robot series, and was the second of Asimov's positronic robot stories to see publication. I, Robot Isaac Asimov TO JOHN W. CAMPBELL, JR, who godfathered THE ROBOTS The story entitled Robbie was first published as Strange Playfellow in Super Science. 2 Introduction I LOOKED AT MY NOTES AND I DIDN’T LIKE THEM.I’d spent three days at U. Robots and might as well have spent them at home with the Encyclopedia Tellurica. Susan Calvin had been born in the year 1982, they said, which made her seventy-five now. Created Date: 9/28/2011 6:43:13 PM.
'Reason' is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, first published in the April 1941 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and collected in I, Robot (1950), The Complete Robot (1982), and Robot Visions (1990). It is part of Asimov's Robot series, and was the second of Asimov's positronic robot stories to see publication. Free summary and analysis of 'Reason' in Isaac Asimov's I, Robot that won't make you snore.
The humans initially attempt to reason with QT-1, until they realize that they can't convince it otherwise. Their attempts to remove Cutie physically also fail, as the other robots have become disciples and refuse to obey human orders. The situation seems desperate, as a solar storm is expected, potentially deflecting the energy beam, incinerating populated areas. When the storm hits, Powell and Donovan are amazed to find that the beam operates perfectly.
Cutie, however, does not believe they did anything other than maintain meter readings at optimum, according to the commands of The Master. As far as Cutie and the rest of the robots are concerned, solar storms, beams and planets are non-existent. The two thus come to the realization that, although the robots themselves were consciously unaware of doing so, they'd been following the First and Second Laws all along. Cutie knew, on some level, that it'd be more suited to operating the controls than Powell or Donavan, so, lest it endanger humans and break the First Law by obeying their orders, it subconsciously orchestrated a scenario where it would be in control of the beam.
Powell and Donovan realize that there is no need to do anything for the rest of their tour of duty. Cutie's religion cannot be eliminated, but since the robot performs its job just as well, it is moot, even if Cutie continues to perform his duties for a perceived deity, rather than for the benefit of the humans. The humans begin to consider how they might spread the notion to other groups of robots which need to work as teams.
Notes[edit]
Asimov wrote 'Reason' in October and November 1940. John W. Campbell purchased it on 22 November—his third from Asimov, and the first he did not ask for a revision of—and published it in the April 1941 issue of Astounding Science Fiction.[1]
Adaptations[edit]
The story was broadcast as episode two of a five-part 15 Minute Drama radio adaptation of I, Robot on BBC Radio 4 in February 2017.[2]
References[edit]
- ^Asimov, Isaac (1972). The early Asimov; or, Eleven years of trying. Garden City NY: Doubleday. pp. 281–282.
- ^'Reason: Isaac Asimov's I, Robot Episode 2 of 5'. BBC Online. BBC. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
External links[edit]
- Reason title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
Isaac Asimov Pdf Books
Isaac Asimov Books
Preceded by: 'Runaround' | Included in: I, Robot The Complete Robot | Series: Robot series Foundation Series | Followed by: 'Catch That Rabbit' |
Originally published in 1941.
Isaac Asimov Pdf Free Download
- Half a year later, Powell and Donovan are still working with robots, still trying to figure out how positronic brains go wrong, even when 'the slide-rule geniuses' say that the robots can't go wrong (Reason.1). (Maybe the problem is that they're using slide-rules. Man, science fiction writers in the 1940s loved their slide-rules.)
- This time, they're on Solar Station #5, which absorbs sunlight and converts it into energy. This energy is then shot in a beam down to Earth and the other human colonies in the solar system.
- They're dealing with a new QT model robot, which is supposed to manage the space station.
- The only problem is that Cutie doesn't quite believe what Powell and Donovan tell it; the story that Powell and Donovan told it about Earth and humans and robots doesn't quite make sense to it (11).
- Cutie isn't convinced when Powell explains that they built him to run the space station because it's too dangerous for humans (23). Cutie goes off to think it over for himself.
- Two days later, Cutie comes back to discuss what he has reasoned out:
- First, Cutie knows it exists, because it thinks. (This is Descartes's first philosophical move, as Powell notices.)
- Second, robots are awesome and humans aren't, so humans couldn't have built robots. How could weak humans build awesome robots? It doesn't make any sense to Cutie (56-7).
- Third, everyone in the space station is focused on the Energy Converter, so that must be God. Cutie calls it 'the Master' (63). Which is slightly problematic because humans are supposed to be the masters.
- Sure enough, Cutie spreads his new religion/philosophy to the other robots and they stop taking orders from people.
- This seems especially problematic because there's an electron storm coming that will screw up the energy beam to Earth. Basically, if no one is at the controls, the energy beam will destroy large sections of the Earth's surface. (Boy, if they spent so much time thinking about how to engineer safe robots, maybe they should've spent some time thinking about how to engineer safe energy beams.)
- Because hot-headed Donovan spits on the Energy Converter, the humans are kept away from the controls.
- They try to convince Cutie by building a robot in front of him. And they succeed in making a living (well, not living living) robot. But Cutie reasons that the parts of the robot came from somewhere else, so they didn't really make the robot.
- So Cutie keeps the humans away from the controls during the electron storm. Powell and Donovan think that the beam has destroyed large parts of the earth (192).
- But then Cutie comes and shows them the read-outs from that day, and it has done a very good job of keeping the beam in focus. Of course, Cutie doesn't think in those terms—he merely 'kept all dials at equilibrium in accordance with the will of the Master' (211).
- So Cutie can run the station successfully, even though he doesn't believe in Earth, says Powell (222).
- And so Powell and Donovan can go home. Or at least, they can go test a new robot, a multiple robot.