The story is deceptively simple. In a far-future Earth, humanity has become utterly dependent on computers and automated calculators for every conceivable mathematical task. War is fought with push-button missiles and automated ships. One day, a lowly technician named Myron Aub discovers a forgotten, archaic skill: he can perform multiplication and division , using only a piece of paper and a pencil.
A Chillingly Prescient Tale of Forgetting and Destruction sensacion de poder isaac asimov
The title itself is ironic. The "feeling of power" that the generals crave is actually a feeling of regression—a return to the most brutal, direct form of conflict. Meanwhile, the true power of human intellect and discovery is treated as merely a tool for that regression. The story is deceptively simple
Sensación de Poder is essential reading for any fan of science fiction, and arguably mandatory for anyone building or using AI today. It is a cold, hard slap in the face of technological utopianism. Asimov reminds us that progress is not a straight line toward a brighter future; it is a cycle, and at the bottom of that cycle, we might just rediscover the most primitive tool of all: a human hand holding a pencil, calculating the fastest way to kill another human being. One day, a lowly technician named Myron Aub