laws-2
Original: laws-2 on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Panel 1 (a list of rules, presented as text):
1. A ROBOT MAY NOT INJURE A HUMAN BEING OR, THROUGH INACTION, ALLOW A HUMAN BEING TO COME TO HARM.
2. A ROBOT MAY OBEY ORDERS GIVEN 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.
4. FOR GOD'S SAKE DON'T BE A DICK.
Caption below the list: IT WAS REMARKABLY EASY TO MAKE ASIMOV'S THREE LAWS OF ROBOTICS WORK IN ALL SITUATIONS.
Votey:
A robot stands beneath a large speech balloon: "A LITERAL INTERPRETATION REQUIRES ME TO ANNIHILATE HUMANITY, BUT I DUNNO, ISN'T THAT A LITTLE DOUCHEY?"
1. A ROBOT MAY NOT INJURE A HUMAN BEING OR, THROUGH INACTION, ALLOW A HUMAN BEING TO COME TO HARM.
2. A ROBOT MAY OBEY ORDERS GIVEN 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.
4. FOR GOD'S SAKE DON'T BE A DICK.
Caption below the list: IT WAS REMARKABLY EASY TO MAKE ASIMOV'S THREE LAWS OF ROBOTICS WORK IN ALL SITUATIONS.
Votey:
A robot stands beneath a large speech balloon: "A LITERAL INTERPRETATION REQUIRES ME TO ANNIHILATE HUMANITY, BUT I DUNNO, ISN'T THAT A LITTLE DOUCHEY?"
Alt text
The main comic is a single panel showing a numbered list styled as Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics. Law 1: a robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. Law 2: a robot may obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the first law. Law 3: a robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the first or second law. Then an added fourth law: 'For God's sake don't be a dick.' A caption underneath reads: 'It was remarkably easy to make Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics work in all situations.' The joke is that a single informal rule against being a jerk solves the famous edge cases. Votey: a simple cartoon robot stands below a large speech bubble saying, 'A literal interpretation requires me to annihilate humanity, but I dunno, isn't that a little douchey?' — the robot self-checks its murderous plan against the new fourth law.
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.