"Christopher Stasheff - Warlock 09 - The Warlocks Companion" - читать интересную книгу автора (Stasheff Christopher)

"Certainly not! At any point at which my own actions became involved in your
father's personal matters, even my own memories become confidential!"
"I must learn Cobol," Gregory sighed.
"Wherefore wouldst thou wish to make their acquaintance?" Geoffrey frowned up at
him. "Kobolds are vile creatures!"
"He speaks of the speech, not the speaker," Fess explained.
Geoffrey stared. "HowтАж ?"
" 'Tis wizards' talk," Magnus said airily. "Of greater moment is thy past, Fess."
"You will not desist, will you?" Fess sighed. "Forebear the attempt, childrenтАФI shall
not disclose your father's secrets, either accidentally or deliberately."
"Yet thou hast said thou wilt tell us of thy deeds," Magnus reminded. "Hast thou
never disobeyed, Fess?"
Geoffrey glared at him in exasperation, but Gregory waved him back, eyes on
Magnus. Geoffrey frowned up at him, but his frown turned to a stare as understanding
dawned. He began to grin.
"Your question may be interpreted as referring to an action counter to my
programming," the robot said slowly, "and in those terms, I must answer, 'No. I have
never acted in violation of my program.' "
Geoffrey slapped his thigh in exasperation, but Gregory asked, "Yet what of the
words of thy master? Didst thou never work counter to his commands?"
Fess was quiet long enough for Geoffrey to perk up again. Finally, the robot
admitted, "There have been a few instances in which my owner's orders contradicted
my program, yes."
"Then thou didst disobey!" Geoffrey crowed.
"Only to obey a higher authority," Fess said quickly. "Disobedience is not to be
done at one's own whim, children."
"At whose whim is it, then?" Cordelia asked.
Fess emitted a burst of static, his equivalent of a sigh. "My basic program was
designed by Peter Petrok, children, but it was tested, revised, retested, and finally
approved by his section chief, then by the Vice President for Programming, by the
President of Coherent Imperatives, Limited, and finally approved by a unanimous vote
of the Board of Directors."
Geoffrey stared, somewhat stunned.
"Thus, in answer to your question," the robot went on, "disobedience is not done at
anyone's whim, but at the considered, carefully weighed opinions of a group of
responsible individuals, acting upon thorough evidence and elaborate validation, in
accordance with well-established principles."
The children were silent, overawed.
Then Magnus ventured, "Wherefore was such a gamut needful?"
"Because a robot could do a great deal of damage, if adequate safeguards were not
built into its programming," Fess answered. "You have seen the occasional, restrained
attacks I have made in defense of your father, your mother, and yourselves, children.
Imagine what I could do if I had no inhibitions at all."
"Thou wouldst be havoc infernal," Geoffrey said instantly, eyes wide. "Sweet
Heaven, Fess! Thou couldst lay waste all of Gramarye!"
"That is a warranted conclusion," Fess agreed, "and I am only a general purpose
robot, children, not specialized for warfare."
Gregory shuddered, and Geoffrey said, "That thou art restrained, praise the saints!"
"Or, at least, the originators of the study of robotics. The thought has crossed my
mind occasionally, yes."