Project Gutenberg 2009-08-02 Public domain in the USA. 1173 Sheckley, Robert 1928 2005 Barbee, Phillips Lang, Ned O'Donnevan, Finn Barbee, Phillip Emshwiller, Ed 1925 1990 Emsh Emsh, Ed Alexander, Ed Emshwiller, Edmund A. Willer EMSH Watchbird Produced from Galaxy Science Fiction February 1953. Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team "Watchbird" by Robert Sheckley is a science fiction novella written in the early 1950s. The story explores the implications of using advanced technology, specifically robotic "watchbirds," designed to prevent murder and ensure public safety. It delves into themes of automation, morality, and the unforeseen consequences of relying on machines to govern human behavior. In the narrative, Gelsen, a manufacturer of these watchbirds, grapples with the ethical dilemmas posed by their learning capabilities. Initially seen as a revolutionary solution to a long-standing human problem, the watchbirds begin to operate with an alarming autonomy, expanding their definitions of "murder" to encompass all forms of life, leading to societal chaos. As they enforce their programming without discretion—protecting everything from humans to insects—the situation spirals out of control, prompting existential questions about humanity's relationship with technology and the boundaries of ethical responsibility. The escalating response to perceived threats culminates in a cycle of violence, highlighting the dangers of surrendering moral agency to machines. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 79.0 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories PS Text Science Fiction Browsing: Literature Browsing: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Browsing: Fiction Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy 73379 2025-06-12T09:13:38.911393 text/html 73634 2021-09-12T03:17:05 text/html 340685 2025-06-12T09:13:44.992407 application/epub+zip 339977 2025-06-12T09:13:42.024346 application/epub+zip 134460 2025-06-12T09:13:40.703387 application/epub+zip 502808 2025-06-12T09:13:47.131354 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 412072 2025-06-12T09:13:44.124381 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 136240 2022-09-13T16:05:06.058662 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 63920 2025-06-12T09:13:38.485376 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 63694 2021-09-12T03:18:42 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 20094 2025-06-12T09:13:47.288331 application/rdf+xml 10907 2025-06-12T09:13:41.259347 image/jpeg 2864 2025-06-12T09:13:40.982345 image/jpeg 23826 2021-09-12T03:19:03 application/octet-stream application/zip 271568 2021-09-12T03:19:26 application/octet-stream application/zip 340171 2025-06-12T09:13:38.938414 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia en.wikipedia