The Bicentennial Man
by
Isaac Asimov




Intro

In the introduction to this Nebula Awards volume it was mentioned that science fiction writers-successful science fiction writers—are unique. No one, however, is quite as unusual as Isaac Asimov. He is unique in almost any direction you look. He has written more on more subjects, and better on more subjects, and more unexpectedly on most subjects, and in more ways on more subjects, than anyone else in the field. He writes poetry, limericks, short stories, novels, essays, articles, nonfiction books, trilogies, jokes and so on-more of them than anyone else could imagine. He has written the first successful science fiction detective story, after being told by the revered John Campbell, long-time editor of ASTOUNDING and later ANALOG SCIENCE FICTION, that it couldn't be done. He has written curious articles about chemicals that have not yet been invented, such as a chemical that travels in time.
   However did this remarkable man come to create this enormous body of work?
   He was born January 2, 1920, apparently with an incredible appetite for reading and an equally incredible ability to recall almost everything he has ever read. A third talent, which did not surface until some little time after he had already made his name as a science fiction writer, was the talent of taking the turgid prose in which a great many other people write about matters in the field of science, history, and just about everything else, and turning it into a clear and readable language so effective that other people came very close to remembering the facts so presented as well as Isaac Asimov did himself. But it is as a writer of science fiction that we know and treasure him best. From his early classics in the field, novels such as I, ROBOT, The Foundation series, and PEBBLE IN THE SKY are some of his early science fiction that come to mind. His magnificent story NIGHTFALL and a host of others down the years lead us now to the award winning novelette which follows, THE BICENTENNIAL MAN. In it we are back again with Isaac Asimov's three laws of robotics which have stood the test of time, and once again back up a novelette to be remembered.

The Three Laws of Robotics
  1. A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
  2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
  3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.