I, Robot

At the center of each of the stories in the collection are the Three Laws of Robotics. What are these laws and what purpose do they serve? How do these laws shape the psychology of the robots in the stories? What are the limitations of these laws and how do you think these limitations could be addressed?

Teaching Suggestion: Students should draw on support from the text in responding to this prompt, but they should also think critically about the stories and the way Asimov presents the practicality of his laws. Are the Three Laws of Robotics really as reliable as they are generally made out to be? In follow-up discussion once students have a chance to respond to the prompt, small groups might work together to evaluate the feasibility of the Three Laws in modern settings; in what real-world situations might the laws be particularly problematic?

Differentiation Suggestion: English learners, students with dyslexia, and those with attentional or executive functioning learning differences might benefit from a prepared list of the most relevant scenes and sections of text to limit the amount they need to search. Alternatively, additional time and/or partner work may be helpful in the evidence-gathering task.