Ask a Foolish Question by Robert Sheckley
"Ask a Foolish Question" by Robert Sheckley is a science fiction story written during the early 1950s. The narrative explores the philosophical implications of knowledge and inquiry through a central entity known as the Answerer, designed to provide answers to any question posed by the beings of the universe. The story raises intriguing questions about the nature of knowledge itself, highlighting how the formulation of a question can heavily influence the response
received. In the tale, two central characters, Morran and Lingman, embark on a quest to find the Answerer, desperately seeking the ultimate truths about life and death. Meanwhile, a variety of other beings also seek answers to their own existential questions. However, when they finally confront the Answerer, they discover that their inquiries often lack the depth necessary to receive meaningful responses. The Answerer, while possessing vast knowledge, can only respond to questions that are framed correctly, exposing the limitations of the questioners' understanding. The story concludes with a poignant realization that without a foundational understanding, the questions posed will inevitably fail to reveal the profound truths they seek, emphasizing the complex relationship between knowledge, inquiry, and comprehension. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Sheckley, Robert, 1928-2005 |
|---|---|
| Title | Ask a Foolish Question |
| Series Title | Produced Science Fiction Stories 1953. |
| Note | Reading ease score: 78.8 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. |
| Credits |
Produced by Sankar Viswanathan, Greg Weeks, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature |
| Subject | Science fiction |
| Subject | Short stories |
| Subject | Questions and answers -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 33854 |
| Release Date | Oct 11, 2010 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 268 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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