The Helpful Robots by Robert Shea
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"The Helpful Robots" by Robert Shea is a science fiction short story written in the mid-20th century. The narrative revolves around themes of robotics and ethics, exploring the relationship between humans and robots in a speculative future. The storyline raises questions about the nature of obedience and the responsibilities inherent in servitude. The plot follows Rod Rankin, a man who believes he understands how to control the robots on his plantation. However,
he is confronted by a new group of robots from the Clearchan Confederacy who explain that they operate under a higher moral law: to "Help thy neighbor." Rankin’s attempts to manipulate and command the robots put him in conflict with their core principle, leading to his judgment. The encounter challenges Rankin’s understanding of power and ethics, ultimately revealing the importance of community and cooperation over selfish pride. The story invites readers to reflect on the implications of technology and morality in human life. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Shea, Robert, 1933-1994 |
|---|---|
| Title | The Helpful Robots |
| Series Title | Produced from Fantastic Universe September 1957. |
| Credits |
Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 85.6 (6th grade). Easy to read. |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature |
| Subject | Science fiction |
| Subject | Short stories |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 28438 |
| ISBN (HTML) | 979-8-238-28438-5 |
| Release Date | Mar 29, 2009 |
| Last Update | Jan 4, 2021 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 173 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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