000 02484cam a22003853u 4500
001 51148
003 UtSlPG
005 20260610134157.0
006 m
007 cr n
008 260607r2016||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d
040 _aUtSlPG
041 7 _aen
_2iso639-1
050 4 _aPS
100 1 _aMacDonald, John D.
_q(John Dann),
_d1916-1986
245 1 0 _aCommon Denominator
264 1 _aSalt Lake City, UT :
_bProject Gutenberg,
_c2016
300 _a1 online resource :
_bmultiple file formats
336 _atext
_btxt
_2rdacontent
337 _acomputer
_bc
_2rdamedia
338 _aonline resource
_bcr
_2rdacarrier
490 1 _aProduced from Galaxy Science Fiction July 1951
500 _aRelease date is 2016-02-08
508 _aProduced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
520 _a"Common Denominator" by John D. MacDonald is a science fiction novel written in the early 1950s. The story revolves around the interactions between humans and the Argonauts, an advanced alien civilization. It explores themes of societal evolution, the necessity for maturity in a species, and the consequences of unchecked human impulses. In the narrative, Lambert, a chief of the Bureau of Racial Maturity, becomes intrigued by the Argonauts after a successful cultural exchange. He discovers that the Argonauts had faced similar challenges to humanity but found a drastic solution to violence and instability: a form of self-administered euthanasia activated by a personal impulse to self-harm. This controversial practice allowed their society to thrive by weeding out potential sources of instability, ultimately leading to a content but stagnant civilization. The story culminates with Lambert reflecting on the implications of this practice and questioning if humanity could adopt such measures to survive its own destructive tendencies. Lambert's decision to leave his job in the ending suggests a broader contemplation on ethical governance and the future of humanity. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
534 _nOriginal publication data not identified
653 _aScience fiction
653 _aShort stories
653 _aExtraterrestrial beings -- Fiction
653 _aHuman-alien encounters -- Fiction
653 _aSuicide -- Fiction
700 1 _aHunter, Don
830 0 _aProduced from Galaxy Science Fiction July 1951
856 4 0 _uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51148
999 _c91986
_d91986