Dr. Susan Calvin is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...

appearing in

Isaac Asimov yi, יצחק אזימאװ , birth_date = , birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR , spouse = , relatives = , children = 2 , death_date = , death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S. , nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...

's ''Robot'' series of science fiction short stories. According to

I, Robot ''I, Robot'' is a fixup (compilation) novel of science fiction short stories or essays by American writer Isaac Asimov. The stories originally appeared in the American magazines ''Super Science Stories'' and ''Astounding Science Fiction'' betw ...

, Susan Calvin was born in the year 1982 and died at the age of 82, either in 2064 or 2065. She was the chief robopsychologist at US Robots and Mechanical Men, Inc., posited as the major manufacturer of robots in the 21st century. She was the main character in many of Asimov's

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

concerning robots, which were later collected in the books ''

'' and ''

The Complete Robot ''The Complete Robot'' (1982) is a collection of 31 of the 37 science fiction short stories about robots by American writer Isaac Asimov, written between 1939 and 1977.Introduction, ''The Complete Robot'', Isaac Asimov Most of the stories had be ...

''.

Fictional character biography

According to Asimov's fictional history of robotics, Susan Calvin was born in 1982, the same year that US Robots and Mechanical Men was incorporated. At 16, she wrote the first of many papers on robotics, a Physics-1 paper entitled "Practical Aspects of Robotics". This was after attending a Psycho-Math seminar at which Dr Alfred Lanning of US Robots demonstrated the first mobile robot to be equipped with a voice. As quoted in ''I, Robot''; "Susan said nothing at that seminar; took no part in the hectic discussion period that followed. She was a frosty girl, plain and colorless, who protected herself against a world she disliked by a mask-like expression and a hypertrophy of intellect. But as she watched and listened, she felt the stirrings of a cold enthusiasm". Graduating with a bachelor's degree from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 2003, she began post-graduate work in cybernetics, learning to construct positronic brains such that responses to given stimuli could be accurately predicted. She joined US Robots in 2008 as their first Robopsychologist, having earned her PhD. By 2029, when she left Earth for the first time to visit Hyper Base, her formal title was Head Psychologist. In Asimov's stories, her emotionless brilliance is portrayed positively, when she solves issues with robots manufactured by her company. Usually, she is tripped up when she is swayed by emotion (as in "Liar!" and "Lenny"). In the Mickey Zucker Reichert book ''I, Robot: To Protect'', while working as a Psychiatrist in 2035, she was handed four cases; a traumatized girl that has not talked for 6 years, an obese boy that can't stop eating, a teenaged girl with "dementia, status post A-V fistula repair", and a 4-year-old girl accused of attempted murder. Susan Calvin retired from US Robots in 2057 but continued to act as an occasional consultant for the company. She died in 2064, aged 82. In "

Evidence Evidence for a proposition is what supports this proposition. It is usually understood as an indication that the supported proposition is true. What role evidence plays and how it is conceived varies from field to field. In epistemology, evidenc ...

", when asked, "Are robots so different from men?", she replies, "Worlds different. Robots are essentially ''decent''". Asimov's own stories leave her

misanthropy Misanthropy is the general hatred, dislike, distrust or contempt of the human species, human behavior or human nature. A misanthrope or misanthropist is someone who holds such views or feelings. The word's origin is from the Greek words μῖσ ...

largely unexplained, but

Harlan Ellison Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. Robert Bloch, the author of '' Psycho'' ...

's screenplay adaptation of ''I, Robot'' investigates its origins, and in the end concludes that her attitudes are rather well-founded. An excerpt from

's screenplay adaptation of ''I, Robot'' has this to say about Dr. Calvin; ''"She is a small woman, but there is a towering strength in her face. Tensile strength, that speaks to endurance, to maintaining in the imperfect world. Her mouth is thin, and her face pale. Grace lives in her features, and intelligence; but she is not an attractive woman. She is not one of those women who in later years it can be said of them, "She must have been a beauty when she was younger". Susan Calvin was always plain. And clearly, always a powerful personality"''. It was not until a mention of her in ''

The Robots of Dawn ''The Robots of Dawn'' is a "whodunit" science fiction novel by American writer Isaac Asimov, first published in 1983. It is the third novel in Asimov's ''Robot'' series. Plot summary Detective Elijah Baley of Earth is training with his son ...

'', Asimov's third

Elijah Baley Elijah "Lije" Baley is a fictional character in Isaac Asimov's ''Robot'' series. He is the main character of the novels '' The Caves of Steel'', '' The Naked Sun'' and ''The Robots of Dawn'', and of the short story " Mirror Image." He is seen in ...

Robot novel, that the events of her era (the 21st century) were concretely tied into those of Baley's era, three millennia further into the future, and thus into the greater ''Foundation'' universe as a whole.

Portrayals in other media

She was played by three separate actresses in British television, beginning in 1962 with

Maxine Audley Maxine Audley (29 April 1923 – 23 July 1992) was an English theatre and film actress. She made her professional stage debut in July 1940 at the Open Air Theatre. Audley performed with the Old Vic company and the Royal Shakespeare Company many ...

in an adaption of "

Little Lost Robot "Little Lost Robot" is a science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the March 1947 issue of ''Astounding Science Fiction'' and reprinted in the collections ''I, Robot'' (1950), ''The Complete Robot'' (1 ...

" for the TV series '' Out of This World'', then later played by

Beatrix Lehmann Beatrix Alice Lehmann (1 July 1903 – 31 July 1979) was a British actress, theatre director, writer and novelist. Early life and family Lehmann was born in Bourne End, Buckinghamshire. She came from a family of notable achievers: the third o ...

in the 1967 " The Prophet", and followed by

Wendy Gifford Wendy is a given name now generally given to girls in English-speaking countries. In Britain, Wendy appeared as a masculine name in a parish record in 1615. It was also used as a surname in Britain from at least the 17th century. Its popularity ...

in 1969's " Liar!" both being episodes in the series ''

Out of the Unknown ''Out of the Unknown'' is a British television science fiction anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and broadcast on BBC2 in four series between 1965 and 1971. Most episodes of the first three series were a dramatisation of a science f ...

''. Ann Firbank portrayed the character, renamed Inge Jensen, in the ''Out of the Unknown'' adaptation of " Satisfaction Guaranteed". Margaret Robertson played her in the

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

adaptation of the same story. In the 2004 film ''

'', Calvin is played by

Bridget Moynahan Kathryn Bridget Moynahan (born April 28, 1971) is an American actress and model. Moynahan is best known for her role as Erin Reagan in the police drama '' Blue Bloods''. She graduated from Longmeadow High School in Massachusetts in 1989 and be ...

and serves as an operative who "makes the robots seem more human" and is completely dependent on the

Three Laws of Robotics The Three Laws of Robotics (often shortened to The Three Laws or known as Asimov's Laws) are a set of rules devised by science fiction author Isaac Asimov. The rules were introduced in his 1942 short story " Runaround" (included in the 1950 colle ...

. She initially does not believe in

Del Spooner ''I, Robot'' is a 2004 American science fiction action film directed by Alex Proyas. The screenplay by Jeff Vintar and Akiva Goldsman is from a screen story by Vintar, based on his original screenplay ''Hardwired'', and named after Isaac Asimo ...

's assertion that robots can be bad, despite running into the lawless NS-5 "Sonny". She eventually finds out that Sonny actually did kill Dr. Alfred Lanning. A character named Dr. Susan Calvin (played by Marilyn Erskine) appears in the episode "Sun Gold" of the American anthology TV series "Science Fiction Theater." Although the episode was not based on an Asimov story and has nothing to do with robots, it is likely that the character name was a tribute to Asimov and his works. In the 2012 short film "HENRi", a character named Dr. Calvin is played by

Margot Kidder Margaret Ruth Kidder (October 17, 1948 – May 13, 2018), known professionally as Margot Kidder, was a Canadian-American actress whose career spanned five decades. Her accolades include three Canadian Screen Awards and one Daytime Emmy Awa ...

, and while the film itself has no other connection to any Asimov stories, the name is most likely another tribute.

References by other writers

Arthur C. Clarke mentions Susan Calvin several times alongside

Ada Lovelace Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (''née'' Byron; 10 December 1815 – 27 November 1852) was an English mathematician and writer, chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, the A ...

and

Grace Hopper Grace Brewster Hopper (; December 9, 1906 – January 1, 1992) was an American computer scientist, mathematician, and United States Navy Rear admiral (United States), rear admiral. One of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I, Harvard Mar ...

: In his novel '' 3001: The Final Odyssey'' she appears as a female "role-model" in "the battle of wits between man and machine" (Chapter 36: Chamber of Horrors); in '' The Ghost from the Grand Banks'' Clarke refers to "the small pantheon of famous women programmers" while he puts one of the novel's characters in a league with the three aforementioned ladies (Chapter 4: The Century Syndrome). It is unclear whether Clarke is referring to Calvin in the sense of Asimov's fictional character or as a character who existed in his fictional universe. Susan Calvin also appears in

David Wingrove David Wingrove (born September 1954) is a British science fiction writer. He is well known as the author of the '' Chung Kuo'' novels. He is also the co-author (with Rand and Robyn Miller) of the three ''Myst'' novels. Biography Wingrove worked ...

illustrated fiction Illustrated fiction is a hybrid narrative medium in which images and text work together to tell a story. It can take various forms, including fiction written for adults or children, magazine fiction, comic strips, and picture books.Sillars, Stuart ...

"The Immortals of Science Fiction" (1980). Here she is interviewed, along with nine other famous

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

characters. In November 2009, the Isaac Asimov estate announced the upcoming publication of ''Robots and Chaos'', the first volume in a trilogy featuring Susan Calvin by fantasy author

Mickey Zucker Reichert Mickey Zucker Reichert (born as Miriam Susan Zucker in 1962) is an American fantasy fiction author of several best selling novels. Personal life Reichert is a pediatrician, and holds a Doctorate of Medicine (M.D.). She is from a town in Iowa. ...

. The book was published in November, 2011 under the title ''I, Robot: To Protect.''

List of stories featuring Susan Calvin, in chronological order by publication

#" Liar!" (1941) (first anthologized in

) #"

Escape! "Escape!" is a science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published as "Paradoxical Escape" (a publisher's change in the title) in the August 1945 issue of ''Astounding Science Fiction'' and reprinted as "Escape! ...

" (1945) (first anthologized in

) # "Evidence" (1946) (first anthologized in

) #"

" (1947) (first anthologized in

) #"

The Evitable Conflict "The Evitable Conflict" is a science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov. It first appeared in the June 1950 issue of ''Astounding Science Fiction'' and subsequently appeared in the collections ''I, Robot'' (1950), ''The Complete ...

" (1950) (first anthologized in

) #"

Robbie Robbie or Robby is a surname. It is usually encountered as a nickname or a shortened form of Robert, Rob (given name), Rob or Robin (name), Robin. The name experienced a significant rise in popularity in Northern Ireland in 2003. People Given nam ...

" (1950) (first anthologized in

) (Susan Calvin only appears briefly in this story. She did not appear in the original 1940 magazine publication. She was added to the story for the 1950 book) #" Satisfaction Guaranteed" (1951) (first anthologized in ''

Earth Is Room Enough ''Earth Is Room Enough'' is a collection of fifteen short science fiction and fantasy stories and two pieces of comic verse by American writer Isaac Asimov, published in 1957. In his autobiography ''In Joy Still Felt'', Asimov wrote, "I was sti ...

'') # "Risk" (1955) (first anthologized in

The Rest of the Robots ''The Rest of the Robots'' is a collection of eight short stories and two full-length novels by American writer Isaac Asimov, published in 1964. The stories, centred on positronic robots, are all part of the ''Robot'' series, most of which t ...

) #"

Galley Slave A galley slave was a slave rowing in a galley, either a convicted criminal sentenced to work at the oar ('' French'': galérien), or a kind of human chattel, often a prisoner of war, assigned to the duty of rowing. In the ancient Mediterran ...

" (1957) (first anthologized in

) # "Lenny" (1958) (first anthologized in

) #" Feminine Intuition" (1969) (first anthologized ''

The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories ''The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories'' is a science fiction anthology written and edited by Isaac Asimov. Following the usual form for Asimov collections, it consists of eleven short stories and a poem surrounded by commentary describing how e ...

'') # "Robot Dreams" (1986) (included in

Robot Dreams ''Robot Dreams'' (1986) is a collection of science fiction short stories by American writer Isaac Asimov, illustrated by Ralph McQuarrie. The title story is about Susan Calvin's discovery of a robot with rather disturbing dreams. It was written ...

) #"Balance" by Mike Resnick (1989) (included in '' Foundation's Friends)'' #"PAPPI" by Sheila Finch (1989) (included in '' Foundation's Friends)'' #"Plato's Cave" by Poul Anderson (1989) (included in '' Foundation's Friends)'' #"The Fourth Law of Robotics" by Harry Harrison (1989) (included in '' Foundation's Friends)'' #'' I, Robot: To Protect'' (2011) by

#'' I, Robot: To Obey'' (2013) by

#'' I, Robot: To Preserve'' (2016) by

References

External links

Virtual Human (chatbot) version of Susan Calvin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Calvin, Susan Foundation universe characters Fictional female doctors Fictional psychologists Fictional roboticists Fictional female scientists Female characters in literature

Fictional character biography

Portrayals in other media

References by other writers

List of stories featuring Susan Calvin, in chronological order by publication

References

Further reading

External links