"Asimov Isaac - Gold, The Final Science Fiction Collection" - читать интересную книгу автора (Asimov Isaac)

„How do you make equations for war?“
„Well, you try, old man. Men. Weapons. Surprise. Counterattack. Ships. Space stations. Computers. We mustn’t forget computers. There are a hundred factors and thousands of intensities and millions of combinations. Hargrove thinks it is possible to find some combination of starting conditions and courses of development that will result in clear victory for us and not too much damage to the world, and he labors under constant frustration.“
„But what if he gets what he wants?“
„Well, if he can find the combination--if the computer says, ‘This is it,’ then I suppose he thinks he can argue our government into fighting exactly the war the computer has worked out so that, barring random events that upset the indicated course, we’d have what we want.“
„There’d be casualties.“
„Yes, of course. But the computer will presumably compare the casualties and other damage--to the economy and ecology, for instance--to the benefits that would derive from our control of the world, and if it decides the benefits will outweigh the casualties, then it will give the go-ahead for a ‘just war.’ After all, it may be that even the losing nations would benefit from being directed by us, with our stronger economy and stronger moral sense.“
Gelb stared his disbelief and said, „I never knew we were sitting at the lip of a volcanic crater like that. What about the ‘random events’ you mentioned?“
„The computer program tries to allow for the unexpected, but you never can, of course. So I don’t think the go-ahead will come. It hasn’t so far, and unless old man Hargrove can present the government with a computer simulation of a war that is totally satisfactory, I don’t think there’s much chance he can force one.“
„And he comes to you, then, for what reason?“
„To improve the program, of course.“
„And you help him?“
„Yes, certainly. There are big fees involved, Herman.“
Gelb shook his head, „Peter! Are you going to try to arrange a war, just for money?“
„There won’t be a war. There’s no realistic combination of events that would make the computer decide on war. Computers place a greater value on human lives than human beings do themselves, and what will seem bearable to Secretary Hargrove, or even to you and me, will never be passed by a computer.“
„How can you be sure of that? „
„Because I’m a programmer and I don’t know of any way of programming a computer to give it what is most needed to start any war, any persecution, any devilry, while ignoring any harm that may be done in the process. And because it lacks what is most needed, the computers will always give Hargrove, and all others who hanker for war, nothing but frustration.“
„What is it that a computer doesn’t have, then?“
„Why, Gelb. It totally lacks a sense of self-righteousness.“



HALLUCINATION

part one

Sam Chase arrived on Energy Planet on his fifteenth birthday.
It was a great achievement, he had been told, to have been assigned there, but he wasn’t at all sure he felt that at the moment.
It meant a three-year separation from Earth and from his family, while he continued a specialized education in the field, and that was a sobering thought. It was not the field of education in which he was interested, and he could not understand why Central computer had assigned him to this project, and that was downright depressing.
He looked at the transparent dome overhead. It was quite high, perhaps a thousand meters high, and it stretched in all directions farther than he could clearly see. He asked, „Is it true that this is the only Dome on the planet, sir?„
The information-films he had studied on the spaceship that had carried him here had described only one Dome, but they might have been out-of-date.
Donald Gentry, to whom the question had been addressed, smiled. He was a large man, a little chubby, with dark brown, goodnatured eyes, not much hair, and a short, graying beard.
He said, „The only one, Sam. It’s quite large, though, and most of the housing facilities are underground, where you ‘II find no lack of space. Besides, once your basic training is done, you’ll be spending most of your time in space. This is just our planetary base.“
„I see, sir,“ said Sam, a little troubled.
Gentry said, „I am in charge of our basic trainees so I have to study their records carefully. It seems clear to me that this assignment was not your first choice. Am I right? „
Sam hesitated, and then decided he didn’t have much choice but to be honest about it. He said, „I’m not sure that I’ll do as well as I would like to in gravitational engineering.“
„Why not? Surely the Central Computer, which evaluated your scholastic record and your social and personal background can be trusted in its judgments. And if you do well, it will be a great achievement for you, for right here we are on the cutting edge of a new technology.“
„I know that, sir,“ said Sam. „Back on Earth, everyone is very excited about it. No one before has ever tried to get close to a neutron star and make use of its energy.“
„Yes?“ said Gentry. „I haven’t been on Earth for two years. What else do they say about it? I understand there’s considerable opposition?“
His eyes probed the boy.
Sam shifted uneasily, aware he was being tested. He said, „There are people on Earth who say it’s all too dangerous and might be a waste of money.“
„Do you believe that?“
„It might be so, but most new technologies have their dangers and many are worth doing despite that. This one is, I think.“
„Very good. What else do they say on Earth?“
Sam said, „They say the Commander isn’t well and that the project might fail without him.“ When Gentry didn’t respond, Sam said, hastily, „That’s what they say.“
Gentry acted as though he did not hear. He put his hand on Sam’s shoulder and said, „Come, I’ve got to show you to your Corridor, introduce you to your roommate, and explain what your initial duties will be. „ As they walked toward the elevator that would take them downward, he said, „What was your first choice in assignment, Chase?“
„Neurophysiology, sir.“
„Not a bad choice. Even today, the human brain continues to be a mystery. We know more about neutron stars than we do about the brain, as we found out when this project first began.“
„Oh?“
„Indeed! At the start, various people at the base--it was much smaller and more primitive then--reported having experienced hallucinations. They never caused any bad effects, and after a while, there were no further reports. We never found out the cause.“
Sam stopped, and looked up and about again, „Was that why the Dome was built, Dr. Gentry? „