Eyes Do More Than See
Encyclopedia
Eyes Do More Than See is a science fiction
short story
by Isaac Asimov
.
In 1964, Playboy
magazine approached several science fiction writers to create short-short stories based on a photograph
of a clay head
without ears. The selected stories--Arthur C. Clarke
's "Playback", Frederik Pohl
's "Lovemaking", and Thomas M. Disch's "Cephalatron" (later "Fun with Your New Head")--were published in the December 1966 issue .
When Asimov's story was rejected, he submitted it to the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, where it was published in April 1965. It has since been anthologized several times and was included in Asimov's collection Nightfall and Other Stories
(1969).
Two of these entities, known only as Ames and Brock, tire of artistic competitions using manipulations of energy. They discuss a new project in which they attempt to manipulate physical matter, and Ames creates a head. Brock, who was once a woman, is painfully reminded of her physical past and that she once knew love. She adds tears to the head and then flees. Ames remembers that he had once been a man and the force of his vortex splits the head as he turns in search of Brock.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
.
In 1964, Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
magazine approached several science fiction writers to create short-short stories based on a photograph
Photograph
A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...
of a clay head
Head
In anatomy, the head of an animal is the rostral part that usually comprises the brain, eyes, ears, nose and mouth . Some very simple animals may not have a head, but many bilaterally symmetric forms do....
without ears. The selected stories--Arthur C. Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
's "Playback", Frederik Pohl
Frederik Pohl
Frederik George Pohl, Jr. is an American science fiction writer, editor and fan, with a career spanning over seventy years — from his first published work, "Elegy to a Dead Planet: Luna" , to his most recent novel, All the Lives He Led .He won the National Book Award in 1980 for his novel Jem...
's "Lovemaking", and Thomas M. Disch's "Cephalatron" (later "Fun with Your New Head")--were published in the December 1966 issue .
When Asimov's story was rejected, he submitted it to the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, where it was published in April 1965. It has since been anthologized several times and was included in Asimov's collection Nightfall and Other Stories
Nightfall and Other Stories
Nightfall and Other Stories is a book collecting previously published science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov. Asimov added a brief introduction to each story, explaining some aspect of the story's history and/or how it came to be written. The main criteria for inclusion were that they had...
(1969).
Plot summary
In the very distant future - about a trillion years in the future - humans have long since abandoned physical form and they exist as energy entities spanning space.Two of these entities, known only as Ames and Brock, tire of artistic competitions using manipulations of energy. They discuss a new project in which they attempt to manipulate physical matter, and Ames creates a head. Brock, who was once a woman, is painfully reminded of her physical past and that she once knew love. She adds tears to the head and then flees. Ames remembers that he had once been a man and the force of his vortex splits the head as he turns in search of Brock.