18 reasoning
Machines—with their irrefutable logic, their cold preciseness of
figures, their tireless, utterly exact observation, their absolute
knowledge of mathematics—they could elaborate any idea, however
simple its beginning, and reach the conclusion. From any three facts
they even then could have built in mind all the Universe. Machines
had imagination of the ideal sort. They had the ability to construct
a necessary future result from a present fact. But Man had
imagination of a different kind, theirs was the illogical, brilliant
imagination that sees the future result vaguely, without knowing the
why, nor the how, and imagination that outstrips the machine in its
preciseness. Man might reach the conclusion more swiftly, but the
machine always reached the conclusion eventually, and it was always
the correct conclusion. By leaps and bounds man advanced. By steady,
irresistible steps the machine marched forward.
—John W. Campbell, Jr.
