"You may always ask a question."
"Are witches real? Do you robots know of witches? And do you know of
people? Can a roboteacher understand Shakespeare?"
The thin metal voice responded. "Witches are real and unreal. Witches
are a part of the reality of the mind, and the human mind is real. We
roboteachers are the repository of the human mind. We hold all the
wisdom and the knowledge and the aspirations of the human race. We hold
these for you, the children, in trust. Your good is our highest law. Do
you understand?"
The children nodded. The metallic voice went on. "Let us return to
_Macbeth_ for our concluding quotation. The weather, fortune, many
things are implied in Macbeth's opening speech. He says, '_So foul and
fair a day I have not seen._' The paradox is both human and appropriate.
One day you will understand this even more. Repeat the quotation after
me, please, and try to understand it."