Synopsis
Two men argue over years about whether a leaders orders should be followed without question and without interpretation.
History
First publication: Astounding, October 1953
Review
This story is far from perfect. You can find plenty of faults with it. But they all fall aside in the face of the point of the story, one that is of great relevance to us today. Are computers just machines, driven by simple ones and zeros, yes and no? Or are they capable of the things that are typical of human thinking, the intuition, empathy and creativity that goes beyond just correlating data? Yes, the characterization is a bit clunky. But the story still has a power. Recommended, but bear in mind that it was not written by a robot and so has imperfections.
Videos
We have the story in these editions:
The Cold Equations & Other Stories, trade paperback, Baen, 2003-04-00
Astounding Science Fiction, October 1953, edited by John W. Campbell, Jr., magazine, Street & Smith, 1953-10-00
