When I was a kid I wanted to be a robot psychologist when I grew up. I knew that Isaac Asimov’s robot stories were fiction, but I firmly believed that robots would one day be a part of our daily lives. It didn’t seem impossible that I could be like Dr. Susan Calvin, the robopsychologist featured in I, Robot, Asimov’s book of short stories.
The fact that I’m now grown up with no robots in sight, has not lessened my enthusiasm for the world Asimov created, from the Caves of Steel to Foundation, The Robots of Dawn to Foundation and Earth. I credit Asimov for beginning my lifelong fascination with the future, space, and technology.
Isaac Asimov is truly one of the giants of Science Fiction. Perhaps less well known is his talent for writing non-fiction. In fact, he authored nearly five hundred books, ranging from science fiction to science fact to mysteries and more.
It would take too much room to list all the awards Asimov has won, such as the Hugo and Nebula, or to describe his life in more detail. To learn more about this remarkable man, explore the Biography in Context database on the library’s website.
I’ll leave you with Asimov’s most well known words, the Three Laws of Robotics, which were built into the positronic brains of all the robots produced by U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men.
- A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
- A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
- A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First and Second Laws.