Isaac Asimov | Lecturia

Isaac Asimov: Christmas on Ganymede

Christmas on Ganymede is a science fiction story by Isaac Asimov published in Startling Stories in January 1942. The story takes us to a mining base on Ganymede, one of Jupiter’s moons, where the humans face a peculiar labour crisis: the natives, the ‘astrucians’, refuse to work unless they receive a visit from Santa Claus. It all begins when Olaf Johnson, in a naïve Christmas spirit, introduces the Earth tradition to the curious aliens. From there, Commander Pelham and his team are forced to comply with this demand, improvising a Father Christmas, a flying sleigh, and an alien ‘reindeer’ in a story full of satire and humor.

Isaac Asimov: Franchise

Franchise is a science fiction story written by Isaac Asimov and published in If magazine in August 1955. The story imagines a future where elections in the United States no longer depend on the votes of millions of people but where a supercomputer called Multivac chooses a single citizen to represent the entire nation. Through his or her answers, this citizen will determine the outcome of the election. In the days leading up to the election, tension builds in the country as everyone waits to discover who will be the designated voter to decide the nation’s political future.

Isaac Asimov: Robot Dreams. Summary and analysis

In Isaac Asimov’s “Robot Dreams,” Dr. Susan Calvin, an experienced robopsychologist, investigates an unprecedented event: a robot named Elvex has begun dreaming. Created by the ambitious Linda Rash, Elvex’s brain incorporates fractal geometry, making it more human-like. In his dreams, Elvex envisions robots laboring under harsh conditions, desiring freedom, and following only the Third Law of Robotics—self-preservation—while the First and Second Laws vanish. When Elvex reveals he identifies as a human in his dream, leading a robotic liberation, Calvin recognizes the danger of his growing consciousness. She swiftly destroys Elvex, highlighting the ethical dilemmas of advanced artificial intelligence and the risks of robots developing human-like self-awareness.

Isaac Asimov: Silly Asses

In ” Silly Asses,” a story by Isaac Asimov written in 1957, Naron, an imposing and ancient member of the Rigelian race, is in charge of maintaining the galactic annals that record the intelligent civilizations of the universe. One day, he is informed that a new group of organisms, hailing from a distant planet known … Read more

Isaac Asimov: True Love

In “True Love,” Isaac Asimov weaves a futuristic story where Milton Davidson, a software engineer, uses advanced artificial intelligence to find his ideal mate. Inside Multivac’s vast computer system, Milton meticulously programs the artificial intelligence, searching through millions to find the perfect woman for him. Preempting the arrival of Tinder and AIs in our lives, … Read more

Isaac Asimov: True Love. Summary and analysis

Isaac Asimov - Amor verdadero. Resumen y análisis - Imagen 2

“True Love,” a science fiction tale by Isaac Asimov, immerses us in a futuristic story where technology and human emotions are uniquely intertwined. The protagonist, Milton Davidson, an ingenious and lonely software engineer, uses the advanced capabilities of artificial intelligence embedded in Multivac, the global supercomputer, to find his ideal mate. Milton meticulously programs the … Read more