02638cam a22004213u 4500 51482 UtSlPG 20260610134203.0 m cr n 260607r2016||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d UtSlPG en iso639-1 PS Stecher, L. J., Jr., 1918-1988 Perfect Answer Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg, 2016 1 online resource : multiple file formats text txt rdacontent computer c rdamedia online resource cr rdacarrier Produced from Galaxy Science Fiction June 1958 Release date is 2016-03-17 Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Perfect Answer" by L. J. Stecher, Jr. is a science fiction novella that was published in the late 1950s. This story explores the intersections of humanity and technology through the encounter of two space explorers, Jack Bates and Bill Farnum, with an advanced artificial intelligence known as the Oracle. The narrative focuses on the implications of having access to absolute knowledge and the potential consequences for civilization. In the story, Bates and Farnum land on a seemingly civilized planet where they encounter the Oracle, a machine designed to provide accurate answers to any questions posed to it. The Oracle reveals that it was created to serve as a weapon against humanity's tendency toward depravity and self-destruction, with the aim of keeping human progress in check. As Farnum perceives the danger of the Oracle's influence, he becomes increasingly desperate to warn Earth of the threat it poses. Meanwhile, Bates, driven by greed and ambition, wishes to control the Oracle’s knowledge for personal gain. This clash of motivations leads to tragic consequences, culminating in a moral dilemma that questions the nature of power, dependence, and the very fabric of civilization itself. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Original publication data not identified Science fiction Short stories Human-alien encounters -- Fiction Explorers -- Fiction Artificial intelligence -- Fiction Interstellar travel -- Fiction Computers -- Fiction Questions and answers -- Fiction Francis, Dick Produced from Galaxy Science Fiction June 1958 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51482 92320 92320