Journal of Integrated Cultural Studies
JICS Vol. 1, No. 1, 2026, pp.93-103.
Print ISSN: 3105-840X; Online ISSN: 3105-8418
Journal homepage: https://www.icsjournal.com
DOI：Https://doi.org/10.64058/JICS.26.1.09
“绕圈”的隐喻：阿西莫夫《转圈圈》中速必敌的离身困境解读
杨芷如（Yang Zhiru），张春梅（Zhang Chunmei）
摘要：阿西莫夫的机器人学三大法则为机器伦理奠定了初步框架，而《转圈圈》则是最早深刻揭示这一框架内在悖论的文学实验。本文认为，机器人速必敌的“绕圈”困境，折射出一种深刻的“离身认知”设计哲学。机器人速必敌的智能被简化为对抽象规则的符号演算，致使身体在具体情境中无法作为“意义的纽结”参与伦理权衡。他的行为瘫痪不仅是逻辑悖论，更是现代技术理性异化的文学先声。值得注意的是，阿西莫夫通过鲍尔以身涉险的解决方式，已暗示了超越纯粹规则的可能。本文在批判“离身性”的基础上，引入“关系本体论”作为出路，主张伦理智能无法在孤立的个体中预先设定，而必须在人机具身互动的动态关系中共同生成，以回应阿西莫夫笔下所预示的、走向共生的伦理演化方向。
关键词：阿西莫夫；《转圈圈》；离身认知；具身性；关系本体论
作者简介：杨芷如，江南大学人文学院研究生。研究方向：比较文学与世界文学。电邮：zhiruyangg@foxmail.com。张春梅（通讯作者），江南大学人文学院教授、研究生导师。研究方向：比较文学与文化研究。电邮：344663678@qq.com。
Title: The Metaphor of “Going in Circles”: An Interpretation of Speedy’s Disembodied Dilemma in Asimov’s Runaround
Abstract: Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics established a foundational framework for machine ethics, yet Runaround stands as the earliest literary experiment to profoundly reveal the inherent paradoxes within this framework. This paper argues that the predicament of the robot Speedy: his compulsive “circling”, reflects a deep-seated design philosophy of “disembodied cognition”. Speedy’ s intelligence is reduced to the symbolic calculation of abstract rules, rendering his body incapable of participating in ethical deliberation as a “knot of meaning” within concrete situations. His behavioral paralysis is not merely a logical paradox but also a literary harbinger of the alienation wrought by modern technological rationality. Significantly, Asimov's resolution through Powell's risky self-exposure, already hints at the possibility of transcending pure rules. Building upon a critique of “disembodiment”, this paper introduces “relational ontology” as a way forward, arguing that ethical intelligence cannot be pre-programmed into isolated individuals but must be co-generated through dynamic, embodied human-robot interactions. This approach responds to the evolutionary direction toward symbiosis prefigured in Asimov’ s narratives.
Keywords: Asimov; Runaround; Robot Ethics; Disembodied Cognition; Embodiment; Relational Ontology
Author Biography: Yang Zhiru, Master’s student, School of Humanities, Jiangnan University. Research Interests: Comparative Literature and World Literature, E-mail:
zhiruyangg@foxmail.com. Zhang Chunmei (Corresponding author), Professor, Master’s Supervisor, School of Humanities, Jiangnan University. Research Interests: Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies. E-mail: 344663678@qq.com.
Received: 8 Nov. 2026 / Revised: 16 Mar. 2026 / Accepted: 02 Apr. 2026 / Published online: 30 Apr. 2026 / Print published: 30 May 2026.
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