Segregationist (Asimov)
Encyclopedia
"Segregationist" is a science fiction
short story
by Isaac Asimov
. The story was written in April 1967 and was first published in December in Abbottempo, a magazine produced by Abbott Laboratories
, then later included in the collections Nightfall and Other Stories
(1969), The Complete Robot
(1982) and Robot Visions
(1990).
A man, who has been granted the right to long life (possibly immortality) by an official Board of Mortality, meets the surgeon
who is to assist in the performance of heart replacement surgery on the man. The surgeon offers him a choice between a metallic or semi-organic heart. The man stubbornly refuses the doctor's attempts to persuade him to accept an organic heart, saying that it's "weak," as compared to the cyber-heart.
Later, the surgeon remarks to a medical engineer that he would rather that humans and robots stick to being what they are instead of becoming similar. The engineer calls such talk "segregationist," to which the surgeon replies that he "doesn't care." At the end of the story, the surgeon is revealed to be a robot himself.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
. The story was written in April 1967 and was first published in December in Abbottempo, a magazine produced by Abbott Laboratories
Abbott Laboratories
Abbott Laboratories is an American-based global, diversified pharmaceuticals and health care products company. It has 90,000 employees and operates in over 130 countries. The company headquarters are in Abbott Park, North Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded by Chicago physician, Dr....
, then later included in the collections Nightfall and Other Stories
Nightfall and Other Stories
Nightfall and Other Stories is a book collecting previously published science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov. Asimov added a brief introduction to each story, explaining some aspect of the story's history and/or how it came to be written. The main criteria for inclusion were that they had...
(1969), The Complete Robot
The Complete Robot
The Complete Robot is a collection of 31 science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov written between 1939 and 1977. Most of the stories had been previously collected in the books I, Robot and The Rest of the Robots, while four stories had previously been uncollected and the rest had been...
(1982) and Robot Visions
Robot Visions
Robot Visions is a collection of science fiction short stories and factual essays by Isaac Asimov. Many of the stories are reprinted from other Asimov collections, particularly I, Robot and The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories...
(1990).
Plot summary
The story depicts a future where robotic prosthetics for humans and artificially-created organic body-parts for robots (known as Metallos) are commonplace. Metallos have been granted equal status with 'normal' humans.A man, who has been granted the right to long life (possibly immortality) by an official Board of Mortality, meets the surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
who is to assist in the performance of heart replacement surgery on the man. The surgeon offers him a choice between a metallic or semi-organic heart. The man stubbornly refuses the doctor's attempts to persuade him to accept an organic heart, saying that it's "weak," as compared to the cyber-heart.
Later, the surgeon remarks to a medical engineer that he would rather that humans and robots stick to being what they are instead of becoming similar. The engineer calls such talk "segregationist," to which the surgeon replies that he "doesn't care." At the end of the story, the surgeon is revealed to be a robot himself.