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Andrew."
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"It would be possible, yes--technically. But completely against public
policy."
"Why? There isn't any law that I know of against making androids."
"Nevertheless," Smythe-Robertson said, "we don't manufacture them and we don't
intend to. Therefore we are unable to provide the android body that
Andrew Martin has requested. And I suggest to you that this conversation has
reached a point of no return. If you'll excuse me, therefore--" And he half
rose from his seat.
"Just a little time longer, if you please," said Paul in an easy tone that had
something more forceful just beneath its surface. He cleared his throat.
Smythe-Robertson subsided, looking even more displeased than he had.
Paul went on, "Mr. Smythe-Robertson, Andrew is a free robot who falls under
the protection of the laws that govern robot rights. You are aware of this, of
course."
"Only too well."
"This robot, as a free robot, freely chooses to wear clothes. This has
resulted in his being frequently humiliated by thoughtless human beings,
despite the law that supposedly protects robots against such humiliation. It's
quite difficult, you realize, to prosecute vague offenses that don't meet with
the general disapproval of those whose responsibility it is to decide between
guilt and innocence."
"I'm not at all surprised to hear that," said Smythe-Robertson restlessly. "U.
S. Robots understood that from the start. Your father's law firm unfortunately
did not."
"My father is dead now," said Paul. "But what I see is that we have here a
clear offense with a clear target, and we stand ready to take the appropriate
action."
"What are you talking about?"
"My client, Andrew Martin--he has been the client of my firm for many
years--is a free robot, by decree of the World Court. That is to say, Andrew
is his own owner, and in him, therefore, are vested the legal rights that any
human robot owner has in regard to robots in his possession. One of those
rights is that of replacement. As you yourself pointed out some time ago
during this discussion, the owner of any robot is entitled to ask U. S. Robots
and Mechanical Men Corporation for a replacement when his robot reaches the
point of obsolescence. In fact, the corporation insists on offering such
replacements, and where leased robots are involved will call them in
automatically. I've stated your policy correctly, is that not so?"
"Well--yes."
"Good." Paul was smiling and thoroughly at his ease. He continued, "Now, the
positronic brain of my client is the owner of the body of my client--and that
body, obviously, is far more than twenty-five years old. By your own
definition that body is obsolete and my client is entitled to a replacement."
"Well--" Smythe-Robertson said again, reddening. His gaunt, almost fleshless
face looked like a mask, now.
"The positronic brain which is my actual client demands the replacement of the
robot body in which it is housed, and has offered to pay any reasonable fee
for that replacement."
"Then let him sign up in the ordinary way and we'll give him his updating!"
"He wants more than an updating. He wants the finest replacement body within
your technical capacity, by which he means an android body."
"He can't have one."
"By refusing," Paul said smoothly, "you condemn him to continued humiliation
at the hands of those who, recognizing him as a robot, treat him with contempt
because he prefers to wear clothes and otherwise behave in traditionally
'human' fashion."
"That's not our problem," said Smythe-Robertson.
"It becomes your problem when we sue you for refusing to provide my client
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with a body that would allow him to avoid much of the humiliation he now
encounters."
"Go ahead and sue, then. Do you think anybody's going to give a damn about a
robot who wants to look human? People will be outraged. He'll be denounced
everywhere for the arrogant upstart that he is."
"I'm not so sure," Paul said. " Agreed, public opinion wouldn't ordinarily
support the claim of a robot in a lawsuit of that kind. But may I
remind you that U. S. Robots is not very popular with the general public, Mr.
Smythe-Robertson? Even those who most use robots to their own benefit and
profit are suspicious of you. This may be a hangover from the days of anti-
robot paranoia: I suspect that's a good part of it. Or it may be resentment
against the immense power and wealth of your company, which has so
successfully managed to defend its worldwide monopoly on robot manufacture
through a long and clever series of patent maneuvers. Whatever the cause may
be, the resentment may exist. If there's any entity that would be even less
popular in such a lawsuit than the robot who wants to look like a human being,
it would be the corporation that has filled the world with robots in the first
place."
Smythe-Robertson glared. The clenched muscles of his face stood out clearly.
He said nothing.
Paul went on, "In addition, think about what people would say when they find [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]