000 02501cam a22003613u 4500
001 61551
003 UtSlPG
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040 _aUtSlPG
041 7 _aen
_2iso639-1
050 4 _aPS
100 1 _aBester, Alfred,
_d1913-1987
245 1 4 _aThe Push of a Finger
264 1 _aSalt Lake City, UT :
_bProject Gutenberg,
_c2020
300 _a1 online resource :
_bmultiple file formats
336 _atext
_btxt
_2rdacontent
337 _acomputer
_bc
_2rdamedia
338 _aonline resource
_bcr
_2rdacarrier
490 1 _aProduced from Astounding Science-Fiction May 1942
500 _aRelease date is 2020-03-03
508 _aProduced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
520 _a"The Push of a Finger" by Alfred Bester is a science fiction novella originally published in the magazine Astounding Science-Fiction during the early 1940s. The narrative explores the intricate relationship between individual actions and their profound impact on the universe, concentrating on the idea that even the smallest decision can lead to catastrophic consequences. The story delves into themes of societal stability and the ethical implications of predictive technologies. The plot follows John Carmichael, a reporter for the "Times", who makes an unauthorized visit to the mysterious Prog Building, a center for Prognostication where the future of society is calculated and monitored. There, he learns about a prophecy foretelling the obliteration of the universe, which is linked to a past actor named FitzJohn whose theories underlie societal functions. As he and the officials wrestle with the challenge of preventing this impending doom, the narrative also examines the importance of preserving individual lives and the ethical conundrum of manipulating fate. Carmichael ultimately finds himself entangled in a web of secrecy and societal control, illustrating the complex interplay of personal responsibility and systemic stability in a dystopian future. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
534 _nOriginal publication data not identified
653 _aScience fiction
653 _aJournalists -- Fiction
653 _aForecasting -- Fiction
700 1 _aSchneeman, Charles,
_d1912-1972
830 0 _aProduced from Astounding Science-Fiction May 1942
856 4 0 _uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/61551
999 _c102376
_d102376