"Why is that so surprising? Gaia was settled with the help of robots. That's a known fact."
"Robots might help, as machines might, but it was people who settled Gaia; people from Earth. That's what Trevize thinks. I know he does."
"There is nothing in Gaia's memory about Earth as I told you and Trevize. However, in our oldest memories there are still some robots, even after three thousand years, working at the task of completing the modification of Gaia into a habitable world. We were at that time also forming Gaia as a planetary consciousness-that took a long time, Pel dear, and that's another reason why our early memories are dim, and perhaps it wasn't a matter of Earth wiping them out, as Trevize thinks-"
"Yes, Bliss," said Pelorat anxiously, "but what of the robots?"
"Well, as Gaia formed, the robots left. We did not want a Gaia that included robots, for we were, and are, convinced that a robotic component is, in the long run, harmful to a human society, whether Isolate in nature or Planetary. I don't know how we came to that conclusion but it is possible that it is based on events dating back to a particularly early time in Galactic history, so that Gaia's memory does not extend back to it."
"If the robots left-"
"Yes, but what if some remained behind? What if I am one of them-fifteen thousand years old perhaps. Trevize suspects that."
Pelorat shook his head slowly. "But you're not."
"Are you sure you believe that?"
"Of course I do. You're not a robot."
"How do you know?"
"Bliss, I know. There's nothing artificial about you. If I don't know that, no one does."
"Isn't it possible I may be so cleverly artificial that in every respect, from largest to smallest, I am indistinguishable from the natural. If I were, how could you tell the difference between me and a true human being?"
Pelorat said, "I don't think it's possible for you to be so cleverly artificial."
"What if it were possible, despite what you think?"
"I just don't believe it."
"Then let's just consider it is a hypothetical case. If I were an indistinguishable robot, how would you feel about it?"
"Well, I-I"
"To be specific. How would you feel about making love to a robot?"
Pelorat snapped the thumb and mid-finger of his right hand, suddenly. "You know, there are legends of women falling in love with artificial men, and vice versa. I always thought there was an allegorical significance to that and never imagined the tales could represent literal truth. Of course, Golan and I never even heard the word 'robot' till we landed on Sayshell, but, now that I think of it, those artificial men and women must have been robots. Apparently, such robots did exist in early historic times. That means the legends should be reconsidered-"
He fell into silent thought, and, after Bliss had waited a moment, she suddenly clapped her hands sharply. Pelorat jumped.
"Pel dear," said Bliss. "You're using your mythography to escape the question. The question is: How would you feel about making love to a robot?"
He stared at her uneasily. "A truly undistinguishable one? One that you couldn't tell from a human being?"
"Yes."
"It seems to me, then, that a robot that can in no way be distinguished from a human being is a human being. If you were such a robot, you would be nothing but a human being to me."
"That's what I wanted to hear you say, Pel."
Pelorat waited, then said, "Well, then, now that you've heard me say it, dear, aren't you going to tell me that you are a natural human being and that I don't have to wrestle with hypothetical situations?"
"No. I will do no such thing. You've defined a natural human being as an object that has all the properties of a natural human being. If you are satisfied that I have all those properties, then that ends the discussion. We've got the operational definition and need no other. After all, how do I know that you're not just a robot who happens to be indistinguishable from a human being?"
"Because I tell you that I am not."
"Ah, but if you were a robot that was indistinguishable from a human being, you might be designed to tell me you were a natural human being, and you might even be programmed to believe it yourself. The operational definition is all we have, and all we can have."
She put her arms about Pelorat's neck and kissed him. The kiss grew more passionate, and prolonged itself until Pelorat managed to say, in somewhat muffled fashion, "But we promised Trevize not to embarrass him by converting this ship into a honeymooners' haven."
Bliss said coaxingly, "Let's be carried away and not leave ourselves any time to think of promises."
Pelorat, troubled, said, "But I can't do that, dear. I know it must irritate you, Bliss, but I am constantly thinking and I am constitutionally averse to letting myself be carried away by emotion. It's a lifelong habit, and probably very annoying to others. I've never lived with a woman who didn't seem to object to it sooner or later. My first wife-but I suppose it would be inappropriate to discuss that-"
"Rather inappropriate, yes, but not fatally so. You're not my first lover either."
"Oh!" said Pelorat, rather at a loss, and then, aware of Bliss's small smile, he said, "I mean, of course not. I wouldn't expect myself to have been-Anyway, my first wife didn't like it."
"But I do. I find your endless plunging into thought attractive."
"I can't believe that, but I do have another thought. Robot or human, that doesn't matter. We agree on that. However, I am an Isolate and you know it. I am not part of Gaia, and when we are intimate, you're sharing emotions outside Gaia even when you let me participate in Gaia for a short period, and it may not be the same intensity of emotion then that you would experience if it were Gaia loving Gaia."