I want to add that "Pump Six and Other Stories" by Paolo Bacigalupi is also a great read. "Pump Six" also paints a similar picture to Forster's "The Machine Stops", but with a different perspective.
Both are great and horrifying at the same time.
Both are great and horrifying at the same time.
In this story, everyone relies on automation so much that they forget how to do mathematics. A lone, nerdy operator re-learns the skill of 2 digit multiplication in the process of working through automated weapons targeting issues, astounding his superiors.
The concept of forgotten arts seems like a common thread here.
This is a PDF of the text. https://ia600806.us.archive.org/20/items/TheFeelingOfPower/T...
This is the Wikipedia overview. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Feeling_of_Power
First heard this one at school.