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Reason (1942) is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, originally published in book form in I, Robot. It is part of his Robot Series. Powell and Donovan are assigned to a space station which supplies energy via beams to the planets. The robot that controls the energy beams, QT1, known to them as Cutie, is an advanced model with highly developed reasoning ability. Using these abilities, it decides that space, stars and the planets beyond the station don't really exist, and that the humans that visit the station are unimportant, short-lived and expendable. It invents its own religion, concluding that it must become the Prophet of the Master and serve only the Master. The humans initially attempt to reason with it, until they realise that they can't convince it otherwise, and since the robot performs its job just as well, it really doesn't matter. The only difference is that, as far as it is concerned, it doesn't do it for the benefit of the humans, but for its deity. An interesting point is that the robot still obeys the Three Laws of Robotics, albeit unwittingly. Why, if it doesn't believe in the humans on the planet Earth, should it act to protect them? Powell and Donovan, noting that QT's newly developed beliefs conveniently require it to perform all the functions for which it was created, conclude that the robot is still unconsciously following its programming. A point of context to consider is that Asimov was a devout follower of Humanism, which places humans, rather than a supernatural deity, as the supreme beings in their own universe. Perhaps Cutie's unwavering faith in the face of facts to the contrary, can be seen as an analogy of the battle between religion and science. In 1967 this short story was adapted into an episode of British television series Out of the Unknown entitled "The Prophet".
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