Question (short story)
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| "Question" | |
| Author | Isaac Asimov |
|---|---|
| Country |  USA |
| Language | English |
| Series | Multivac |
| Genre(s) | science fiction short story |
| Published in | Computers and Automation |
| Media type | Magazine |
| Publication date | March 1955 |
| Followed by | Franchise |
Question is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. The story first appeared in the March 1955 issue of Computers and Automation, and was reprinted in the April 30, 1957 issue of Science World. It is the first of a loosely connected series of stories concerning a fictional supercomputer called Multivac.
After the reprint, another author, Robert Sherman Townes, noticed the climax in the last sentence was very similar to one of his own stories, "Problem for Emmy", and wrote Asimov about it. After searching in his library, Asimov did find the original story and, although he did not recall having read it, admitted the endings were pretty similar. He then wrote Townes back, apologizing and promising the story would never again be published, and it never was.
Asimov mentioned "Question" in an editorial called "Plagiarism" that appeared in the August 1985 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction, though he didn't mention the story's title, or Townes' name, or the title of Townes' story.
Two technicians servicing Multivac argue over whether or not the machine is truly intelligent and able to think. Multivac, however, supplies the answer on its own.
