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{{Other uses|First law (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox short story
|name = First Law
|author = [[Isaac Asimov]]
|country = United States
|language = English
|series = [[Robot series (Asimov)|''Robot'' series]]
|genre = [[Science fiction]]
|image = [[File:Fantastic universe 195610.jpg|220px]]
|publication_type = [[Periodical]]
|published_in = ''[[Fantastic Universe]]''
|publisher = King-Size Publications
|media_type = Print ([[Magazine]], [[Hardcover|Hardback]] & [[Paperback]])
|pub_date = October 1956
|preceded_by = [[Robot AL-76 Goes Astray]]
|followed_by = [[Runaround (story)|Runaround]]
}}
"'''First Law'''" is a [[science fiction]] [[short story]] by American writer [[Isaac Asimov]], first published in the October 1956 issue of ''[[Fantastic Universe]]'' magazine and later collected in ''[[The Rest of the Robots]]'' (1964) and ''[[The Complete Robot]]'' (1982).<ref>{{ISFDB title|44202|short=yes}}</ref> The title of the story is a reference to the first of the [[Three Laws of Robotics]].

==Background==
In 1941 [[John W. Campbell]] of ''[[Astounding Science Fiction]]'' began a new department, "Probability Zero", for very short stories. He hoped to publish new writers, but wanted experienced authors early on, including [[Isaac Asimov]]. To Asimov's surprise, Campbell rejected "[[Big Game (short story)|Big Game]]" and "First Law" in November and December 1941. Having learned that a rejected story might sell elsewhere, he saved "First Law" until it was published by ''[[Fantastic Universe]]'' in October 1956.<ref name="earlyyears383_387">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/earlyasimovorele00asim#page/384/mode/2up |title=The early Asimov; or, Eleven years of trying |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |date=1972 |publisher=Doubleday |location=Garden City NY |pages=383–387}}</ref>

== Plot summary ==
The story is very short, only three pages in length, and takes the form of [[Powell and Donovan|Mike Donovan]]'s account of an incident that occurred on [[Titan (moon)|Titan]], one of [[Saturn]]'s moons. He tells of a malfunctioning robot named Emma that escaped from the base and was later encountered by Donovan while he was lost during a storm. While Donovan's life was in danger, Emma chose to protect its offspring, a small robot that it had built, instead of assisting him. This was a direct violation of the First Law of Robotics, which states that "a robot may not injure a human being, or through inaction allow a human being to come to harm". Apparently, maternal instincts in the robot took precedence over its programming.

While such direct disobedience of the First Law is not described in any other robot story by Asimov, he points out that the story is told by Donovan, who may be an [[unreliable narrator]].<ref name="rest">{{cite book |title=The Rest of the Robots |date=1964 |isbn=0-385-09041-2|last1=Asimov |first1=Isaac }}</ref> Asimov admits that "I was being funny at the expense of my robots".<ref name="rest"/> In ''The Complete Robot'', he also points out that this story is intended as a parody and is not to be taken seriously.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Complete Robot |date=1982}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{AsimovStory
|before = "[[Robot AL-76 Goes Astray]]"
|included1 = [[The Rest of the Robots]]
|included2 = [[The Complete Robot]]
|series1 = [[Robot series (Asimov)|''Robot'' series]]
|series2 = [[Foundation (book series)|''Foundation'' Series]]
|next = "[[Runaround (story)|Runaround]]"
}}

{{The Rest of the Robots}}
{{The Complete Robot}}

[[Category:Robot series short stories by Isaac Asimov]]
[[Category:1956 short stories]]
[[Category:Works originally published in Fantastic Universe]]

{{1950s-sf-story-stub}}

First Law - Revision history

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