Isaac Asimov: The Robots of Dawn

“In a sense, he was, sir. My own ability is merely the reflection—or the extension—of his.”

“But it will do. Did you not see that this immobilization would place Fastolfe in great danger? That he would be the natural suspect? Did you plan on admitting your action and revealing your abilities if that—were necessary to save him?”

Giskard said, “I did indeed see that Dr. Fastolfe would be in a painful situation, but I did not intend to admit my guilt. I had hoped to utilize the situation as a wedge for getting you to Aurora.”

“Getting me here? Was that your idea?” Baley felt rather stupefied.

“Yes, sir. With your permission, I would like to explain.”

Giskard said, “I knew of you from Miss Gladia and from Dr. Fastolfe, not only from what they said but from what was learned of the situation on Earth. Earthmen in their minds, it was clear, live behind walls, which they find difficult to escape from, but it was just as clear to me that Aurorans live behind walls, too.

“Aurorans live behind walls made of robots, who shield them from all the vicissitudes—of life and who, in Amadiro’s plans, would build up shielded societies to wall up Aurorans, settling new worlds. Aurorans also live behind walls made up of their own extended lives, which forces them to overvalue individuality and keeps them from pooling their scientific resources. Nor do they indulge in the rough-and-tumble of controversy, but, through their Chairman, demand a short circuiting of all uncertainty and, that decisions on solutions be reached before problems are aired. They could not be bothered with actually thrashing out best solutions. What they wanted were quiet solutions.

“The Earthman’s walls are crude and literal, so that their existence is obtrusive and obvious—and there are always some who long to escape. The Aurorans’ walls are immaterial and aren’t even seen as walls, so that none can even conceive of escaping. It seemed to me, then, that it must be Earthmen and not Aurorans—or any other Spacers—who must settle the Galaxy and establish what will someday become a Galactic Empire.

“All this was Dr. Fastolfe’s reasoning and I agreed with it. Dr. Fastolfe was, however, satisfied with the reasoning, while I, given my own abilities, could not be. I had to examine the mind of at least one Earthman directly, in order that I might check my conclusions, and you were the Earthman I thought I could bring to Aurora. The immobilization of Jander served both to stop Amadiro and to be the occasion for your visit. I pushed Miss Gladia very slightly to have her suggest your coming to Dr. Fastolfe; I pushed him in turn, very slightly, to have him suggest it to the Chairman; and I pushed the Chairman, very slightly, to have him agree. Once you arrived, I studied you and was pleased—with what I found.”

Giskard stopped speaking and became robotically impassive again.

Baley frowned. “It occurs to me that I have earned no credit in what I have done here. You must have seen to it that I found my way to the truth.”

“No, sir. On the contrary. I placed barriers in your way reasonable ones, of course. I refused to let you recognize my abilities, even though I was forced to give myself away. I made sure that you felt dejection and despair at odd times. I encouraged you to risk the open, in order to study your responses. Yet you found your way through and over all these obstacles and I was pleased.

“I found that you longed for the walls of your City but recognized that you must learn to do without them. I found that you suffered from the view of Aurora from space and from your exposure to the storm, but that neither prevented you from thinking nor drove you from your problem. I found that you accept your shortcomings and your brief life—and that, you do not dodge controversy.”

Baley said, “How do you know I am representative of Earthpeople generally?”

“I know you are not. But from your mind, I know there are some like you and we will build with those. I will see to it and now that I know clearly the path that must be followed, I will prepare other robots like myself—and they will see to it.”

Baley said suddenly, “You mean that mind-reading robots will come to Earth?”

“No, I do not. And you are right to be alarmed. Involving robots directly will mean the construction of the very walls that are dooming Aurora and the Spacer worlds to paralysis. Earthmen will have to settle the Galaxy without robots of any kind. It will mean difficulties, dangers, and harm without measure—events that robots would labor to prevent if they were present—but, in the end, human beings will be better off for having worked on their own. And perhaps someday—some long away day in the future—robots can intervene once more. Who can tell?”

Baley said curiously, “Do you see the future?”

“No sir, but studying minds as I do, I can tell dimly that there are laws that govern human behavior as the Three Laws of Robotics govern robotic behavior; and with these it may be that the future will be dealt with, after a fashion—someday. The human law’s are far more complicated than the Laws of Robotics are and I do not have any idea as to how they may be organized. They may be statistical in nature, so that they might not be fruitful expressed except when dealing with huge populations. They may be loosely binding, so that they might not make sense unless those huge populations are unaware of the operation of those laws.”

“Tell me, Giskard, is this what Dr. Fastolfe refers to as the future science of ‘psychohistory’?”

“Yes, sir. I have gently inserted it into his mind, in order that the process of working it out begin. It will be needed someday, now that the existence of the Spacer worlds as a long-lived robotized culture is coming to an end and a new wave of human expansion by short-lived human beings—without robots—will be beginning.

“And now”—Giskard rose to his feet—“I think, sir, that we must go to Dr. Fastolfe’s establishment and prepare for your leave taking. All that we have said here will not be repeated, of course.”

“It is strictly confidential, I assure you,” said Baley.

“Indeed,” said Giskard calmly. “But you need not fear the responsibility of having to remain silent. I will allow you to remember, but you will never have the urge to repeat the matter—not the slightest.”

Baley lifted his eyebrows in resignation over that and said, “One thing, though, Giskard, before you clamp down on me. Will you see to it that Gladia is not disturbed on this planet, that she is not treated unkindly because she is a Solarian and has accepted a robot as her husband, and—and that she will accept the offers of Gremionis?”

“I heard your final conversation with Miss Gladia, sir, and I understand. It will be taken care of. Now, sir, may I take my leave of you while no other is watching?” Giskard thrust out his hand in the most human gesture Baley had ever seen him make.

Baley took it. The fingers were hard and cool in his grip. “Good-bye—friend Giskard.”

Giskard said, “Good-bye, friend Elijah, and remember that, although people apply the phrase to Aurora, it is, from this point on, Earth itself that is the true World of the Dawn.”