Feminine Intuition
Last updated
"Feminine Intuition" is a science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov, originally published in the October 1969 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. It was later collected in The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories (1976), The Complete Robot (1982), and Robot Visions (1990). The story follows Clinton Madarian, the successor to Susan Calvin at U.S. Robots, who has just retired. Madarian initiates a project to create a "feminine" robot with female physical characteristics and a brain that, it is hoped, will possess "feminine intuition."
After several failures costing half a billion dollars, the robot JN-5, also known as Jane, is produced. The company plans to use Jane at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, to analyze astronomical data and calculate the most likely stars near Earth to have habitable planets, allowing the most effective use of the hyperspace drive to explore those stars.
Plot summary
Clinton Madarian, the successor to Susan Calvin at U.S. Robots, created a female robot named JN-5, or Jane, hoping her brain would possess feminine intuition. Jane was sent to the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, to analyze astronomical data and identify stars near Earth likely to have habitable planets, guiding the use of the hyperspace drive. After absorbing vast astronomical knowledge, Jane gave Madarian an answer. They boarded a plane back to U.S. Robots, and Madarian called the company director, mentioning that a witness had also heard Jane’s answer.
The call was cut short when the plane crashed, killing Madarian and destroying Jane. Desperate for Jane’s discovery, U.S. Robots turned to the retired Susan Calvin.
She applied her own feminine intuition, a blend of careful information gathering and psychological reasoning. By analyzing the call’s timing and Madarian’s habit of calling immediately, she deduced the witness was the truck driver who drove them to the plane. From his information, she reconstructed Jane’s answer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who published Feminine Intuition?
Feminine Intuition was published by Mercury Publications.
Which book follows Feminine Intuition?
Feminine Intuition is followed by Light Verse.
More in Robot Series Short Stories by Isaac Asimov
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Feminine Intuition (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced