I now come to my sister Constance Witte, my brother Chris Allen, my brother-in-law Jim Witte, and my sister-in-law Edith Allen. This last book of the trilogy is dedicated to them, as the first one was dedicated to their children. (Except for one, and I’ll come to her in a minute.) Connie, Chris, Jim and Edie: thank you, for a list of things that would be longer than this book. Thanks as well to my parents, Tom and Scottie Allen, and to my mother-in-law Elizabeth Maury, to my father-in-law David Fox, and to my brother-in-law, Carl Fox. The family just keeps getting bigger, and consequently I just keep getting luckier.

Speaking of families getting bigger, the newest member of it hadn’t quite arrived when I dedicated Caliban to my nieces and nephews. She deserves to be on the list. In closing, therefore, I would like amend that dedication to include Anna Patrice Allen. Welcome aboard, Anna.

Roger MacBride Allen

Brasilia. Brazil

November, 1995

The new laws of robotics

I. A Robot May Not Injure A Human Being.

II. A Robot Must Cooperate with Human Beings Except Where Such Cooperation Would Conflict with the First Law.

III. A Robot Must Protect Its Own Existence, As Long As Such Protection Does Not Conflict with the First Law.

IV. A Robot May Do Anything It Likes, Except Where Such Action Would Violate the First, Second, or Third Laws.

The original laws of robotics

I. A Robot May Not Injure a Human Being, or, Through Inaction, Allow a Human Being to Come to Harm.

II. A Robot Must Obey the Orders Given It By Human Beings Except Where Such Orders Would Conflict With the First Law.

III. A Robot Must Protect Its Own Existence As Long As Such Protection Does Not Interfere With the First or Second Law.