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| Science fiction author Isaac Asimov |
DISCLAIMER: Article below shows e commentati passaggi dei racconti EVIDENCE (1946) e THE EVITABLE CONFLICT (1950), di Isaac Asimov
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 any orders given to 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.
Pochi artifici letterari sono divenuti famosi nel mondo quanto le Tre Leggi della Robotica ideate da Isaac Asimov, celeberrimo quanto prolifico scrittore di fantascienza - ma sarebbe riduttivo limitare la sua attività di romanziere a tale ambito - di origine russa trapiantato negli Stati Uniti.
Le Leggi della Robotica, nei libri di Asimov, sono motore e spartiacque nelle capacità decisionali dei robot , esseri artificiali costruiti dall'uomo per servizio e compagnia.
Molti dei racconti più famosi di Asimov si basano sul rapporto e l'influenza reciproca tra le Tre Leggi, oppure sulle loro applicazioni più inaspettate. Esplorando i confini del campo di azione delle Leggi Asimov arriva a sondare le contraddizioni intrinseche nella stessa moralità umana, poiché, come cita la robopsicologa Susan Calvin nel racconto EVIDENCE,
Per esprimermi semplicemente dirò che se Byerley segue tutte le Leggi della Robotica può essere un robot, but may be only an exemplary man.
The Three Laws of Robotics are actually modeled on morals and ethics as conceived by the Western society of the twentieth century. They are a yardstick and action for individuals and for agglomerations of individuals are: community, sports teams, clubs ... political parties.
By analyzing the Italian situation in the light of the Three Laws of Robotics can actually provide a convincing explanation of the progressive degeneration of supply policy during the Second Republic, with its reduction to the stadium and slogans for the fight - metaphorically, fortunately - between armed factions.
The theme, in fact, was already been touched by the same story in Asimov EVITABLE THE CONFLICT, 1950. Published for the first time in the magazine Astounding Science Fiction and later in the anthologies I, ROBOT (1950), THE COMPLETE ROBOT (1982) and ROBOT VISIONS (1990), in this story the world is dominated by machines, specializing in very advanced robot 'optimizing the management of the world economy, from agricultural production to the extraction of raw materials to trade.
The presence of some minor errors into account in the ordinary administration of the planet convinces the World Byerley Coordinator to seek the advice of the robopsicologa Susan Calvin to see if there may be problems in machines tali da mettere a repentaglio, vista la responsabilità demandata ai robot , il futuro stesso dell'umanità.
I viaggi di Byerley e i pregnanti ragionamenti della Calvin porteranno infine i due a comprendere come le Macchine stiano essenzialmente interpretando la Prima Legge in senso esteso all'intera umanità - permettendo quindi che il singolo essere umano possa ricevere danno se questo serve a migliorare le prospettive dell'intero genere umano - e che i supposti malfunzionamenti altro non erano che azioni operate dalle Macchine per proteggere sé stesse.
In questo particolare racconto di Asimov si assiste quindi al collasso della Terza Legge all'interno della Prima. Poiché le Macchine sanno cosa sia il meglio for humanity, and because the machines are the only sentient beings to be able to guide humanity towards the future, then the very survival of the machine becomes an inseparable part of the definition of what is good for humans.
The link with the Italian politics of the first years of the millennium, although not evident, is strong and undeniable.
Every political party shall be considered by us the last bulwark against catastrophe, on the one hand, and authoritarian populist drift of Berlusconi for those who do not like the Knight, the other the destruction of private initiative and the "Sovietization" of the economy by those who do not like the left.
Each faction is seen then as the only lifeline for the country, and precisely because of the mechanism described above will start to increase the importance, in its scope, its survival and its maintenance in place.
The exercise of power becomes a last resort aimed at the preservation of the same pure, or at least to prevent their loss. The politics of polls, the big ads, promises pull-out occasions symbol, but also purely electoral alliances empty of content, links with powerful groups of dubious stature but bearers of votes: Italian politics is full of examples that see those elected in office, national and local, more struggling with the need not to hand over power to the opponent than with the actual work of government.
pursue the good of the city and gain / maintain power at the expense of the opponent - which in politics is often synonymous with survival as a party - then they become two objectives coincide.
Italian politics, dropped in the universe of science fiction story, is the clash between two different machines, each of which sees the proposed road on the other as negative, and considers its access to power, better access to the other machine regardless of the achievement of goals.
This is the basic reason for this partisanship-a logic that has characterized the country's recent history of poverty and policy made the offer to the citizens to move the masses to vote, the parties have gradually resting on the exploitation of fear of sending power to the opponent rather than renew and refine the arrows to his bow.
What then distinguishes human institutions from Asimov's machines? Of course, the fallibility.
The machines, due to their positronic brain - and of course the author's imagination and the will - actually know what is best for man. Politicians do not. They offer suggestions, ideas, dreams, but all things are immanent, fallible and subject to assessment by the people and the empirical evidence of the facts. For this reason produces bitterness
see political parties as if this self-preservative depended the salvation of the country without really such a need is actually proven.
And for this reason we must unmask the tendency for self-preservation than it is: not being parties Machines asimoviane, can not be limited to the threat of the opponent's victory to publicize the excellence of its proposal. Self-preservation is only meant to hide the poverty of supply policy, and must be strenuously resisted.
Even sixty years ago the genius of Isaac Asimov had highlighted the danger of power that identifies the good of the governed, with its own term in office (risk that turns into a dream only in the case of machines, all-knowing and really dedicated to nature the good man).
Today, in Italy, we are tasting the bitter fruits of this sad scenario.
