Who is Dr. Susan Calvin from The Robots of Dawn and what is their importance? The_Robots_of_Dawn English & Literature Dr. Susan Calvin | The Robots of Dawn

A pioneer in robotics on Earth, Calvin is remembered for many legends, the most famous being about a robot in prehyperspatial days that develops the ability to read human minds. Rather than harm humans' emotions (thereby breaking the First Law of Robotics), the robot lies, telling each person what s/he wants to hear. When Calvin confronts it, the robot's positronic pathways burn out. Its last word is "Liar!" (pg. 87). Dr. Han Fastolfe, who says that Calvin is "a demigod to all Spacers" (pg. 86), is surprised that protagonist Elijah Baley has not heard the story, which bears a resemblance to the case of R. Jander Panell, whose freeze-up he is investigating. Fastolfe observes that robots in those primitive times might have been vulnerable, but programming on current models can deal with such conflicts involving the Laws. Still, nothing can be 100% sure, so a spontaneous failure, analogous to a human stroke, is possible.