| "Scanners Live in Vain" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Cordwainer Smith | |
 cover illustration by Jack Gaughan | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction |
| Publication | |
| Published in | Fantasy Book volume 1 number 6 |
| Publication type | Periodical |
| Media type | |
| Publication date | January 1950 |
"Scanners Live in Vain" is a science fiction short story by American writer Cordwainer Smith (pen name of American writer Paul Linebarger). It was the first story in Smith's Instrumentality of Mankind future history to be published and the first story to appear under the Smith pseudonym. It first appeared in the semi-professional magazine Fantasy Book.