"By Human Values, I Believe This May Be Regarded As Worse Than Physical Murder"

"Mirror Image."

By Isaac Asimov (1920-92).

Illustrations by Leo Summers (1925-85; HERE).

First appearance: Analog, May 1972.

Reprints page (HERE).

Short story (15 pages).

Online at The Luminist Archives (HERE).

     "A game of intellectual chicken."

The Laws of Robotics (1940):

  First Law:

  A robot my not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

  Second Law:

  A robot must obey orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

  Third Law:

  A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Being a detective, Lije Baley often has to search for the truth under difficult circumstances; but he comes up against a really tough conundrum when what's at stake are professional reputations keyed to maintaining cordial interplanetary relations . . . .

Principal characters:

~ Elijah (Lije) Baley:

  "I'm sorry, R. Daneel, but I see no reason for your having involved me."

~ R. Daneel Olivaw:

  "Consider, friend Elijah, that if you succeed in solving this puzzle, it would do your career good and Earth itself might benefit."

~ Alfred Barr Humboldt:

  ". . . is one of the top three mathematicians, by long-established repute, in the galaxy."

~ Gennao Sabbat:

  ". . . has already established himself as the most remarkable new talent in the most abstruse branches of mathematics."

~ R. Preston:

  "Such cases must be decided on their individual merit, sir. There is no way of establishing a general rule."

~ R. Idda:

  "Such cases must be decided on their individual merit, sir. There is no way of establishing a general rule."

References and resources:

- Our two main characters in today's story have their own Wikipedia pages (HERE) and (HERE). Our author's involvement with robofiction is discussed (HERE).

- "Mirror Image" is dealt with at TV Tropes (WARNING! SPOILERS! HERE) and at lesser length on the Math Fiction site (HERE).

- Another case involving prevaricating automata is Robert Leslie Bellem's "Robots Can't Lie" (HERE).

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