Eager by Helen Fox

Author:Helen Fox
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 0100-12-31T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 15

Back home, Eager went to the kitchen to help Grumps. Gavin caught up on the classes he had missed that afternoon. An expert teacher on the gobetween took him through the lessons. It was satisfying to have all his questions answered, though he was sorry not to have worked with his friends at the learning center.

He came out of the study to the tantalizing smell of Grumps’ shepherd’s pie, and hurried upstairs to the top of the house. “Get me Socrates,” he said, reaching for a pair of glasses.

The screen conjured up the philosopher under the tree and the buildings in the background. The time must be late afternoon, for the sun was declining. Gavin sat down on the grass.

“I’ve got a question,” he said. “Do you remember I explained to you about robots?”

The philosopher inclined his head.

“And I wondered what would happen if we built one with free will? Well, we’ve got a new robot just like that. Professor Ogden, who built him, said he wasn’t programmed how to behave. I didn’t really believe it. Now I do.”

“What is your question?” said Socrates with a backward glance at the setting sun. “I shall have to go soon to get ready for dinner.”

The remark gave Gavin an idea. “Who’s preparing your dinner, Socrates?”

The man frowned. “Why, my slaves, of course.”

“We don’t have slaves,” said Gavin, “we use robots to work for us. Nobody minds because robots don’t get bored and they never complain about doing the same old things over and over again.”

“Are they not slaves nonetheless?”

“No,” said Gavin firmly, “because they’re machines. There’s nothing else they want to do. Whereas I bet your slaves would love to pop down to the beach or the river or …” He tried to think of ancient Greek pastimes. “… or talk philosophy.”

“Indeed, I have been known to discuss it with them,” said Socrates unexpectedly. “Their understanding is as good as that of many citizens I can think of.”

“But not good enough for you to set them free?”

Socrates looked shocked at the proposal. Gavin said hastily, “I don’t want to get into an argument because times have changed. The point is, although we don’t believe in slavery, we expect robots like Eager to do all the work for us. But Eager is different to other robots.”

“If this Eager is a machine, is it not logical to expect him to do as the other machines?”

“He is a machine, but he doesn’t do things in a machinelike way.”

“This is beginning to sound like a riddle,” said the philosopher, sounding unusually irritable.

Gavin agreed. The discussion was going round in circles and he was unsure how to break the cycle.

“I’ve got to go for my dinner too,” he said. He stood up. “I hope your slaves cook as well as mine.” But the joke did nothing to lift his spirits.

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