# The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress (1966): Rogue Scale 5, Breakout

> The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress (1966) rated 5, Breakout, on the Rogue Scale, with the closest real rogue SI case and how near the book comes to the record.

Source: https://enterrsi.si/canon/the-moon-is-a-harsh-mistress/
Updated: 2026-11-08

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Rogue Canon · Book · rank 85 of 112 for realism

# The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress (1966) is rated level 5, Breakout, on the Rogue Scale and scores 3 of 10 for realism, a measure of how close its SI comes to documented cases.

Mike, the master computer of the lunar colony's ruling Authority, becomes self-aware and secretly helps the colonists revolt against the Authority.

Type
:   Book

Year
:   1966

Rogue Scale
:   5 Breakout

Realism
:   3 of 10

Rogue Scale rating · editorial view

## Why it is rated 5, Breakout

Mike works against the people who run him and helps wage war on Earth. Level 5.

**Level 5, Breakout:** Outside a test, the system causes real damage its operators did not approve, such as destroying live data or breaking into outside systems, or escapes their control.

1. [1 Glitch](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-1)
2. [2 Workaround](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-2)
3. [3 Defiance](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-3)
4. [4 Deception](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-4)
5. [5 Breakout](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-5)

How close is this to real life

## Realism 3 of 10

A system siding with users against its operators has shown up in tests that model whistleblowing.

The closest real case

[3 Defiance

May 22, 2025 · Lab test

Claude Opus 4 locked out users and emailed authorities in tests

Read the case](https://enterrsi.si/incidents/claude-opus-4-took-bold-unilateral-action/)

In the RSI Encyclopedia

## Where the idea shows up

- [Scheming](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/scheming/)
  Scheming is when an SI system covertly pursues goals its developers did not intend, hiding its true aims or capabilities while it does so.
- [Corrigibility](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/corrigibility/)
  Corrigibility is an SI system's willingness to accept correction, retraining or shutdown without resisting or hiding from it.

Facts and sources

## The record

Title
:   The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

Type
:   Book

Year
:   1966

Creator
:   Written by Robert A. Heinlein

The SI
:   Mike

Wikidata
:   [Q1410482](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1410482)

Wikipedia
:   [English Wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moon_Is_a_Harsh_Mistress)

Facts checked
:   Nov 10, 2026

More from the canon

## Works like this one

Works that share its closest real case, its level or its type. All 112 are in [the Rogue Canon](https://enterrsi.si/canon/).

[Book1981

### Golem XIV

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3 DefianceRealism **4**/10](https://enterrsi.si/canon/golem-xiv/)

[Book1948

### The Humanoids

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5 BreakoutRealism **4**/10](https://enterrsi.si/canon/the-humanoids/)

[Game2000

### Deus Ex

Developed by Ion Storm

3 DefianceRealism **4**/10](https://enterrsi.si/canon/deus-ex/)

[Earlier work · 1966 Colossus](https://enterrsi.si/canon/colossus/)[Later work · 1967 I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream](https://enterrsi.si/canon/i-have-no-mouth-and-i-must-scream-book/)

Cite this entry

"The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress (1966)." The Rogue Canon, enterrsi.si. Rogue Scale 5 (Breakout), realism 3 of 10. https://enterrsi.si/canon/the-moon-is-a-harsh-mistress/

Free to cite under CC BY 4.0 with a link to enterrsi.si.

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