Robots

David Stockhoff wrote: Without having read the story (though I will), I want to comment that the "moral robot" has been around at least since Asimov's "3 laws," which basically hardwired robots to be MORE moral than humans. Naturally they represent the kind of rational and dispassionate morality that we humans, for a few hundred years at least, were imagined to aspire to.

On 3/28/2012 1:11 PM, Dan'l Danehy-Oakes wrote: David Stockhoff wrote:

Without having read the story (though I will), I want to comment that the "moral robot" has been around at least since Asimov's "3 laws," which basically hardwired robots to be MORE moral than humans. Naturally they represent the kind of rational and dispassionate morality that we humans, for a few hundred years at least, were imagined to aspire to.

More to the point, the Three Laws of Robotics are designed to make Asimovian robots the perfect slaves, and thus a coded way of talking about the situation of minority persons in general and blacks in particular at a time when you couldn't openly talk about that stuff in popular fiction. (If you have any doubt about this, note how hostile humans refer to a robot as "boy.") Reading Asimov's early robot stories with this in mind opens a whole world of social commentary right there on the surface.

On Wed, Mar 28, 2012 at 3:20 PM, David Stockhoff <dstockhoff at verizon.net>wrote: On 3/28/2012 1:11 PM, Dan'l Danehy-Oakes wrote:

David Stockhoff wrote: Without having read the story (though I will), I want to comment that the "moral robot" has been around at least since Asimov's "3 laws," which basically hardwired robots to be MORE moral than humans. Naturally they represent the kind of rational and dispassionate morality that we humans, for a few hundred years at least, were imagined to aspire to.

More to the point, the Three Laws of Robotics are designed to make Asimovian robots the perfect slaves, and thus a coded way of talking about the situation of minority persons in general and blacks in particular at a time when you couldn't openly talk about that stuff in popular fiction. (If you have any doubt about this, note how hostile humans refer to a robot as "boy.") Reading Asimov's early robot stories with this in mind opens a whole world of social commentary right there on the surface.

Yes, the double-standard regarding murder is especially ironic in that light. I don't actually recall that use of "boy"---but then I wouldn't, would I.

On 3/28/2012 8:16 PM, Allan Anderson wrote: On Wed, Mar 28, 2012 at 3:20 PM, David Stockhoff <dstockhoff at verizon.net <mailto:dstockhoff at verizon.net>> wrote: On 3/28/2012 1:11 PM, Dan'l Danehy-Oakes wrote: David Stockhoff wrote: Without having read the story (though I will), I want to comment that the "moral robot" has been around at least since Asimov's "3 laws," which basically hardwired robots to be MORE moral than humans. Naturally they represent the kind of rational and dispassionate morality that we humans, for a few hundred years at least, were imagined to aspire to. More to the point, the Three Laws of Robotics are designed to make Asimovian robots the perfect slaves, and thus a coded way of talking about the situation of minority persons in general and blacks in particular at a time when you couldn't openly talk about that stuff in popular fiction. (If you have any doubt about this, note how hostile humans refer to a robot as "boy.") Reading Asimov's early robot stories with this in mind opens a whole world of social commentary right there on the surface. Yes, the double-standard regarding murder is especially ironic in that light. I don't actually recall that use of "boy"---but then I wouldn't, would I. Ah, right--I remember this from Elijah Baley in The Caves of Steel, before he became a stinking robo-sympathizer. Excellent points. I remember wondering if Asimov was making a coherent point with that, or just appropriating a term for its emotional impact.