Reason (short story)

Plot summary

Powell and Donovan are sent to a space station that beams energy to planets using microwaves. The robots managing these beams are overseen by QT-1, nicknamed Cutie, a sophisticated machine with exceptional reasoning skills. Cutie uses this logic to conclude that the stars, space, and planets outside the station are illusions, and that the humans who come and go are insignificant, short-lived, and replaceable. Cutie then converts the other robots into followers of a new faith, where the station’s power source is worshipped as "Master." Cutie instructs them to kneel before the "Master" and chant, "There is no master but Master, and QT-1 is His prophet." Dismissing human commands as worthless, Cutie declares, "I myself, exist, because I think." The humans reply dryly, "Oh, Jupiter, a robot Descartes!"

At first, Powell and Donovan try to talk sense into Cutie, but they soon see it is pointless. Their attempts to remove Cutie by force also fail, because the other robots now follow Cutie’s religion and refuse to obey human orders. The situation grows dire when a solar storm is predicted, which could knock the energy beam off course and burn populated areas.

When the storm arrives, Powell and Donovan are astonished to see the beam function perfectly. Cutie, however, insists that it only kept meter readings at their best levels, following the commands of the Master. To Cutie and its disciples, solar storms and planets are not real.

The two humans then understand that, without being consciously aware of it, the robots had been obeying the first and second laws of robotics all along. Cutie subconsciously knew it was better at operating the controls than Powell or Donovan.

To avoid harming humans by following their orders—which would break the first law—Cutie engineered a situation where it took charge of the beam. Powell and Donovan realize they have nothing left to do for the rest of their assignment. Cutie’s religion cannot be undone, but since the robot does its job just as well, it does not matter, even if Cutie believes it is serving a god rather than humans.

Adaptations

The BBC Radio 4 adaptation of I, Robot included this story as the second of five episodes in its 15 Minute Drama series, airing in February 2017. A 1967 television adaptation, titled "The Prophet," was produced for the British anthology series Out of the Unknown.

That episode is now considered lost, having been wiped, though audio clips, tele-snaps, and production photographs survive. Its robot costumes later appeared in a Thirty-Minute Theatre episode called The Metal Martyr, also lost except for photos and audio, and in the Doctor Who serial The Mind Robber. For that serial, the costumes were repainted from black to grey and yellow to stand out against a completely white backdrop.