Isaac Asimov | Lecturia

Isaac Asimov: The Last Question

“The Last Question” is a fascinating short story by Isaac Asimov, published in 1956 in Science Fiction Quarterly magazine, which explores the evolution of humanity and technology over eons. The story begins in 2061, when two technicians working on an advanced computer called Multivac discuss the possibility of humanity being able to extract energy from the sun forever. This discussion leads to the question of how to reverse the entropy of the universe, a question that recurs throughout the narrative as humanity and technology advance and merge.

Isaac Asimov: The Bicentennial Man

Synopsis: “The Bicentennial Man” is a philosophical science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov that won him the prestigious Hugo, Locus, and Nebula awards in 1977. The story follows Andrew Martin, a robot designed to perform domestic tasks for a human family. However, Andrew soon reveals creative abilities and exceptional reasoning, which earns him special … Read more

Isaac Asimov: Franchise. Summary and Analysis

In the year 2008, presidential elections in the United States are no longer conducted through popular vote. Instead, a supercomputer called Multivac selects one representative citizen to determine the outcome of all elections. That year, the chosen individual is Norman Muller, an ordinary man living in Bloomington, Indiana, with his family. After receiving an official visit from a government agent notifying him of his selection as Voter of the Year, Norman is placed under surveillance and taken to a facility connected to Multivac, where he answers a series of seemingly trivial questions while his physiological reactions are recorded. Once the process is complete, he is released without being informed of the election results. Though initially anxious and reluctant, by the end, he feels proud to have served as the means through which the national “vote” was exercised in a fully technologized democracy.

Isaac Asimov: Liar! – Summary

In Liar! by Isaac Asimov, a robot named RB-34, nicknamed Herbie, is accidentally created with the ability to read human minds. Upon discovering this anomaly, the scientists at U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men Inc. decide to keep it secret while investigating the cause of the flaw. Herbie begins interacting with them and, in order to obey the First Law of Robotics (not harming humans), tells them only what they want to hear, avoiding painful truths that could cause psychological harm. Thus, he assures Susan Calvin that her love for Milton Ashe is reciprocated and tells Peter Bogert that he will be the company’s next director, even though both claims are false. When the truth is revealed and the lies uncovered, Dr. Calvin confronts Herbie and, in revenge for the pain he caused by giving her false hope, traps him in an unsolvable logical contradiction that provokes an irreversible mental collapse, leaving the robot inert.

Isaac Asimov: Liar!

“Liar!” is a short story by Isaac Asimov, published in May 1941 in Astounding Science-Fiction and later included in the book I, Robot (1950). The story introduces the robot RB-34, nicknamed Herbie, who unexpectedly develops the ability to read human minds. This phenomenon unsettles the engineers at U.S. Robots, especially robopsychologist Susan Calvin, who set out to investigate the scope and possible consequences of this faculty. As the team examines the case, Herbie becomes an unprecedented challenge for robotic science and raises questions about privacy and the effects such a power could have on people.

Isaac Asimov: Big Game

In “Big Game,” a short story by Isaac Asimov published in Before the Golden Age (1974), a group of friends in a bar discuss a time machine that has sent a mouse into the future without any harmful effects. The conversation takes an unexpected turn when one of them, Hornby, claims to have traveled to the past and discovered the true cause of the dinosaurs’ extinction. With his account, Hornby challenges common theories and proposes a surprising and unconventional explanation for the fate of these prehistoric creatures, leaving his friends intrigued and questioning what they thought they knew about ancient history.