NationMaster - Encyclopedia: The Evitable Conflict

The "Machines", powerful positronic computers which are used to optimize the world's economy and production, start giving instructions that appear to go against their function. Although each glitch is minor when taken by itself, the fact that they exist at all is alarming. Stephen Byerley, now elected World Co-ordinator, consults the four other Regional Coordinators and then asks Susan Calvin for her opinion. A positronic brain is a fictional technological device, originally conceived by science fiction writer Isaac Asimov. ... Evidence (1946) is science-fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... Dr. Susan Calvin, from a cover to I, Robot. ...

They discover that the Machines have generalized the First Law to mean "No robot may harm humanity, or through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm". (This is similar to the Zeroth Law which Asimov developed in later novels.) Dr. Calvin concludes that the "glitches" are deliberate acts by the Machines, allowing a small amount of harm to come to selected individuals in order to prevent a large amount of harm coming to humanity as a whole. This cover of I, Robot illustrates the story Runaround, the first to list all Three Laws of Robotics. ... The Zeroth Law of Robotics was first formally laid out in Isaac Asimovs Robots and Empire (ISBN 0586062009) as an extension of his Three Laws of Robotics. ...

In effect, the Machines have decided that the only way to follow the First Law is to take control of humanity, which is one of the events that the three Laws are supposed to prevent. Asimov returned to this theme in The Naked Sun and The Robots of Dawn, in which the controlling influence is not a small conspiracy of Machines but instead the aggregate influence of many robots, each individually tasked to prevent harm. The Naked Sun is the second novel in Isaac Asimovs Robot series. ... The Robots of Dawn is a whodunit science fiction novel by Isaac Asimov, first published in 1983. ...

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I, Robot by Isaac Asimov

Robbie • Runaround • Reason • Catch that Rabbit • Liar! • Little Lost Robot • Escape! • Evidence • The Evitable Conflict

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The Complete Robot by Isaac Asimov

A Boy's Best Friend • Sally • Someday • Point of View • Think! • True Love • Robot AL-76 Goes Astray • Victory Unintentional • Stranger in Paradise • Light Verse • Segregationist • Robbie • Let's Get Together • Mirror Image • The Tercentenary Incident • First Law • Runaround • Reason • Catch that Rabbit • Liar! • Satisfaction Guaranteed • Lenny • Galley Slave • Little Lost Robot • Risk • Escape! • Evidence • The Evitable Conflict • Feminine Intuition • —That Thou art Mindful of Him • The Bicentennial Man Evidence (1946) is science-fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... I, Robot is a collection of nine English language science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov, first published by Gnome Press in 1950 in an edition of 5,000 copies. ... The Complete Robot is a collection of science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov written between 1940 and 1976, which were previously collected in books I, Robot, The Rest of the Robots, and other anthologies. ... Isaac Asimovs Robot Series is a series of books by Isaac Asimov, both collections of short stories and novels. ... The Complete Robot is a collection of science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov written between 1940 and 1976, which were previously collected in books I, Robot, The Rest of the Robots, and other anthologies. ... Robot Dreams is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, written for the 1986 story collection Robot Dreams. ... I, Robot is a collection of nine English language science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov, first published by Gnome Press in 1950 in an edition of 5,000 copies. ... Isaac Asimov (January 2?, 1920?[1] â€“ April 6, 1992), pronounced , originally Ð˜ÑÐ°Ð°Ðº ÐžÐ·Ð¸Ð¼Ð¾Ð² but now transcribed into Russian as ÐÐ¹Ð·ÐµÐº ÐÐ·Ð¸Ð¼Ð¾Ð² [1], was a Russian-born American author and professor of biochemistry, a highly successful writer, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. ... Robbie (1940) (also known as Strange Playfellow) is science-fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... This article is about the short story Runaround. For the unrelated television show of the same name, see Runaround (TV show). ... Reason is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov that was 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). ... Catch the Rabbit (1944) is a science-fiction short story found in I, Robot and written by Isaac Asimov. ... Liar! (1941) is science-fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... Little Lost Robot (1947) is science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... Many research organizations are working to develop the hyperspace drive. ... Stephen Byerley is a lawyer, a successful, middle-aged prosecutor, a humanitarian who never presses for the death penalty. ... The Complete Robot is a collection of science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov written between 1940 and 1976, which were previously collected in books I, Robot, The Rest of the Robots, and other anthologies. ... Isaac Asimov (January 2?, 1920?[1] â€“ April 6, 1992), pronounced , originally Ð˜ÑÐ°Ð°Ðº ÐžÐ·Ð¸Ð¼Ð¾Ð² but now transcribed into Russian as ÐÐ¹Ð·ÐµÐº ÐÐ·Ð¸Ð¼Ð¾Ð² [1], was a Russian-born American author and professor of biochemistry, a highly successful writer, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. ... A Boys Best Friend is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, published in 1974. ... Sally is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... Someday is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... Point of View is a short story by Isaac Asimov. ... Think! is a science-fiction short story by Isaac Asimov that first appeared in 1977 in Asimovs Science Fiction magazine. ... True Love is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... Robot AL-76 Goes Astray is a humourous science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, originally published in Amazing Stories, February 1942, and included in the collection The Rest of the Robots. ... Victory Unintentional is a semi-humourous science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, originally published in Super Science Stories, August 1942, and included in the collection The Rest of the Robots. ... Stranger in Paradise (1974) is a science-fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... Light Verse is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... Segregationist is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... Robbie (1940) (also known as Strange Playfellow) is science-fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... Lets Get Together is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, originally published in Infinity Science Fiction, February 1957, and included in the collection The Rest of the Robots. ... Mirror Image is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, originally published in the May 1972 issue Analog Science Fiction and Fact, and collected in The Best of Isaac Asimov (1973), The Complete Robot (1982), and Robot Visions (1990). ... The Tercentary Incident is a science-fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... First Law is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, first published in 1956 in Fantastic Universe Science Fiction magazine and later collected in The Rest of the Robots and The Complete Robot. ... This article is about the short story Runaround. For the unrelated television show of the same name, see Runaround (TV show). ... Reason is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov that was 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). ... Catch the Rabbit (1944) is a science-fiction short story found in I, Robot and written by Isaac Asimov. ... Liar! (1941) is science-fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... Lenny is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, originally published in the January 1958 issue of Infinity Science Fiction, and included in the collections The Rest of the Robots (1964), The Complete Robot (1982), and Robot Visions (1990). ... A galley slave was a slave rowing in a galley. ... Little Lost Robot (1947) is science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. ... Risk is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, first published in the May 1955 issue of Astounding Science Fiction, and reprinted in the collections The Rest of the Robots (1964) and The Complete Robot (1982). ... Many research organizations are working to develop the hyperspace drive. ... Stephen Byerley is a lawyer, a successful, middle-aged prosecutor, a humanitarian who never presses for the death penalty. ... Femine Intuition is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, originally published in Fantasy and Science Fiction, October 1969. ... â€”That Thou art Mindful of Him (1974) is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, which he intended to be an ultimate probe into the subtleties of his Three Laws of Robotics. ... The Bicentennial Man is a novella in the Robot Series by Isaac Asimov. ...

Categories: Short stories by Isaac Asimov | Robot series short stories by Isaac Asimov | 1950 short stories