What's Expected of Us

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"What's Expected of Us"
Short story by Ted Chiang
Language English
Genre(s) Science fiction
Publication
Published in Nature
Publication type Magazine
Publication date6 July 2005 [1]

"What's Expected of Us" is a science fiction short story by American writer Ted Chiang, initially published on 6 July 2005 by Nature . [2] The story was also included in the 2006 anthology Year's Best SF 11 and in the 2019 collection Exhalation: Stories . [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Plot summary

A small device, the Predictor, looks like a remote control. It consists of a button and a big green LED. When you press the button, the light flashes. However, it flashes a second before you click on the button — by receiving a signal a second from the future. Millions of these devices have been sold. The Predictors create a dystopic world by providing evidence that free will is actually a myth — the future is predetermined and fixed. As a result, people become lethargic and just stop eating entirely.

See also

References

  1. Chiang, Ted (July 2005). "What's expected of us". Nature . 436 (7047): 150. Bibcode:2005Natur.436..150C. doi: 10.1038/436150a .
  2. Crichton, Danny (February 16, 2020). "Can we debate free will versus destiny in four pages?". TechCrunch . Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  3. Oates, Joyce Carol (May 6, 2019). "Science Fiction Doesn't Have to Be Dystopian". The New Yorker . Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  4. Martinez-Conde, Susana (December 16, 2016). "What Choice Do We Have?". Scientific American . Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  5. Sheehan, Jason (May 10, 2019). "Take A Breath And Dive Into 'Exhalation'". NPR . Retrieved April 29, 2021.