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Stephen Byerley
A politician who is running for a mayoral office in “Evidence.” Quinn suspects that his political rival, Stephen Byerley, may be a robot, and so he enlists the help of Calvin and Lanning in order to help him prove this theory. The irony of this smear campaign is that Quinn proves himself to be far less ethical than Byerley (whom Calvin does suspect to be a robot) during the campaign, and therefore he prompts readers to wonder whether a robot might be better suited for that kind of job. Ultimately, Byerley is able to convince the public that he is not a robot, and Quinn loses the election.
Francis Quinn Quotes in I, Robot
The I, Robot quotes below are all either spoken by Francis Quinn or refer to Francis Quinn. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Evidence Quotes
“Actions such as his could come only from a robot, or from a very honorable and decent human being. But you see, you just can’t differentiate between a robot and the very best of humans.”
Related Characters:
Dr. Susan Calvin (speaker), Alfred Lanning, Francis Quinn, Stephen Byerley
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
184
Explanation and Analysis:
Francis Quinn approaches Calvin and Lanning to try to help him prove that his political opponent, Stephen Byerley, is a robot. Calvin explains here why that is impossible. If Byerley does not follow the Three Laws, he is not a robot, but if he does follow the Three Laws, they cannot distinguish between a robot and a good person. They cite several ways in which Byerley does uphold the Three Laws, thus making it impossible to tell.
But Calvin’s statement here gets at more than Byerley’s case specifically: Calvin implies that all robots, ethically speaking, are on a par with good human beings. This is something that Asimov has been hinting at in several of his stories, but Calvin makes it completely explicit here. Whereas humans are encouraged to follow certain ethical codes of conduct, robots are bound to their programming. Thus, as Calvin notes, robots may actually be more moral than the standard human being. Only “very honorable and decent” people live up to the standards that robots set.
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Francis Quinn Character Timeline in I, Robot
The timeline below shows where the character Francis Quinn appears in I, Robot. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Evidence
...Machines, she says that she has to tell the story of Stephen Byerley and Francis Quinn.
(full context)
In 2032, Quinn and Byerley are locked in a political race for mayor. During the campaign, Quinn approaches...
(full context)
...Byerley, and Lanning asks him point blank if he is a robot. Byerley guesses that Quinn is the one who put Lanning up to this and is slightly irked, but he...
(full context)
The next day, Calvin, Lanning, and Quinn meet again, and they report to Quinn that they saw Byerley eat. Calvin admits, however,...
(full context)
Lanning tries to examine evidence they may already have, as Byerley is a district attorney. Quinn remarks that Byerley boasts about having never prosecuted an innocent man. Lanning points out that...
(full context)
Quinn decides the next step is to try to find out what Byerley’s insides look like....
(full context)
...tiny mechanism in his pocket—a small X-ray camera. But when he presents the image to Quinn, he discovers that Byerley must have been wearing something that shielded his body from radiation,...
(full context)
Byerley and Quinn speak over visorphone, and Quinn threatens to reveal that Byerley wears this shield to the...
(full context)
Byerley denies Quinn’s claims, but thanks him for the publicity. Quinn again affirms that Byerley is a robot...
(full context)
...Calvin and Stephen Byerley meet once more, a week before he takes office. Calvin explains Quinn’s theory to him fully, but Byerley points out that his ability to hit the man...
(full context)
