Isaac Asimov

From RationalWiki

Doctor Asimov, master of all he surveys!

A robot about to be executed. Does this violate the Three Laws? Does it???

Isaac Asimov (2 January 1920 ^[1] – 6 April 1992) is one of the greatestestestestest (oops!) science fiction writers of all time.

If you don't believe us, read I, Robot! Or better still, The Foundation Trilogy.

He was also a scientist (in biochemistry) and a tireless popularizer of science, having a particular love of astronomy and mathematics.

Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics:

First law: A robot may not, through its actions or inactions, allow a human to come to harm.

Second law: A robot must obey any order given to it, unless in contradiction of the First Law.

Third law: A robot must protect its own existence, unless in contradiction of the First or Second Law.^[2]

The I Robot series of short stories plays with these "rules", and endlessly exploits their weak links.

Along with Arthur C. Clarke and Robert A. Heinlein, Asimov is considered to be one of the "big three" of science fiction.

[edit] External links

• CreationWiki's extensive article on Isaac Asimov
• Asimov on the threat of creationism (in 1984!)

[edit] Footnotes

1. ↑ Asimov was unsure of his exact date of birth but celebrated it as having been 2 January 1920
2. ↑ These rules apparently logically lead to a fourth, or rather, Zeroth law: A robot may not harm Humanity or, through inaction, allow Humanity to come to harm. This may also be considered a corollary.