How we cite our quotes: (Story title.paragraph)
Quote #7
Bogert saw her politely to the door and grimaced eloquently when she left. He saw no reason to change his perennial opinion of her as a sour and fidgety frustration. Susan Calvin's train of thought did not include Bogert in the least. She had dismissed him years ago as a smooth and pretentious sleekness. (Little Lost Robot.70-1)
Unlike Powell and Donovan (who are foolish in a funny way and fight just for fun), Calvin and Bogert make a terrible team because they really seem to dislike each other. Now, we love Calvin—she's really the smartest person in the book and is almost always right—so it's clear that we think Bogert is being foolish. But Calvin is also being a little foolish here. Bogert may be many things, but he's also a pretty good mathematician and a pretty good negotiator. If they worked better together, they would have an easier time with this mystery; but their personal hostility means they have a harder time with things.
Quote #8
She brought it out calmly, "He developed a sense of humor—it's an escape, you see, a method of partial escape from reality. He became a practical joker." (Escape.322)
We're big fans of folly here at Shmoop, so we're glad that we finally get an example of folly that's actually somewhat useful. In order to figure out how to make a hyperatomic drive, the Brain had to find a loophole in his moral code, and to cover that loophole, he becomes…humorous. Actually, we think all his jokes are pretty silly, but he does have the mind of a child. At least with this bit of foolishness, he was able to solve a serious mystery without hurting anyone permanently.
Quote #9
"He won't open Byerley," said Calvin, disdainfully. "Byerley is as clever as Quinn, at the very least." (Evidence.164)
Quinn is supposed to be a master manipulator in "Evidence," and he certainly manipulates Lanning. But Calvin points out that Byerley is smarter than Quinn. In fact, Quinn gets tricked up by his own trick in this story, which is a pretty foolish thing. So not all foolishness in I, Robot has to do with robots at all…unless Byerley is a robot, that is.