Two Short Stories - Science Fiction
Hi all.
I'm looking for two short stories (have been for years!). If the anthologies they're in can also be identified, that would be a bonus!
First Story:
- I read this when I was in either Grade 11 or Grade 12, so 1982-84.
- It was about a group of scientists, who were possibly grad students.
- The story focused on two males, who had differing views regarding the best way to evolve sentient beings.
- They were using virtual reality/simulators to test their theories.
- The first scientist wanted to create a peaceful species; the second believed "breeding" for aggression was the best approach. (I could be slightly off-base with these opposing viewpoints.)
- I do know the first scientist created a simulation where he carefully chose only the most non-aggressive of an ape-like species to breed. He ended up with a species that progressed only so far, and then no farther. He ended up scrapping the world and starting again.
- This second time, he was less hands-on, allowing the ape-like species to evolve relatively autonomously, only intervening on occasion (to provide divine wrath and laws, etc.).
- He became more and more obsessed with the simulation (being able to become part of the simulation through virtual reality), and his colleagues/friends (including the second scientist) become concerned for him because he's so obsessed.
- He becomes very concerned about the species, and ends up spending more and more time interacting with them, to the point where he stays in the simulator for days/weeks until his colleagues forcibly remove him from it as they think he's dying. I think there's something about how his physical body seems to be reacting to/getting injured by whatever is happening to him in the simulator.
- When he recovers, he tells them about what happened in the simulator; how he was worried about the species' warlike nature, so he decided to "inhabit" a member of the species, beginning from birth (I'm a little shaky on this point), to share his philosophy of peace and hopefully influence/change the culture and society. This is quite a long section, where he's describing everything he did and how the species didn't take kindly to his philosophy.
- His colleagues ask him what happened, and he says, "They nailed me to a cross and left me to die."
You would think I could find the story with all that detail, but no joy. :( If I only dreamed the story, I want to write it down because it was awesome!
Second Story FOUND! It's Dazed by Theodore Sturgeon, found by le_trombone:
- I'm not sure when I read this story; I believe it was in the 90s, but it might have been the late 80s. I don't think I was still in high school, though.
- The underlying premise is that the evils of the world are getting worse because good and evil are no longer in balance. There's discussion about yin/yang and how you can't have one without the other.
- I think the majority of the story is the protagonist speaking to another person about this idea, who is eventually revealed to be the missing piece.
- I recall there's some discussion about the people believing God is dead or missing in action.
- The "reveal", of course, is that the world isn't out of balance because God is missing; it's out of balance because Lucifer is missing, and that's the person the protagonist is speaking to and trying to persuade to return to the earth/humanity.
- I think the last line of this short story was also along the lines of "The last time I walked among you humans, you nailed me to a cross and left me to die."
I may be mixing up several stories, but I'm hoping somebody will recognize enough to guide me in the right direction. :)
Thanks!
*cross-posted to whatwasthatbook
I'm looking for two short stories (have been for years!). If the anthologies they're in can also be identified, that would be a bonus!
First Story:
- I read this when I was in either Grade 11 or Grade 12, so 1982-84.
- It was about a group of scientists, who were possibly grad students.
- The story focused on two males, who had differing views regarding the best way to evolve sentient beings.
- They were using virtual reality/simulators to test their theories.
- The first scientist wanted to create a peaceful species; the second believed "breeding" for aggression was the best approach. (I could be slightly off-base with these opposing viewpoints.)
- I do know the first scientist created a simulation where he carefully chose only the most non-aggressive of an ape-like species to breed. He ended up with a species that progressed only so far, and then no farther. He ended up scrapping the world and starting again.
- This second time, he was less hands-on, allowing the ape-like species to evolve relatively autonomously, only intervening on occasion (to provide divine wrath and laws, etc.).
- He became more and more obsessed with the simulation (being able to become part of the simulation through virtual reality), and his colleagues/friends (including the second scientist) become concerned for him because he's so obsessed.
- He becomes very concerned about the species, and ends up spending more and more time interacting with them, to the point where he stays in the simulator for days/weeks until his colleagues forcibly remove him from it as they think he's dying. I think there's something about how his physical body seems to be reacting to/getting injured by whatever is happening to him in the simulator.
- When he recovers, he tells them about what happened in the simulator; how he was worried about the species' warlike nature, so he decided to "inhabit" a member of the species, beginning from birth (I'm a little shaky on this point), to share his philosophy of peace and hopefully influence/change the culture and society. This is quite a long section, where he's describing everything he did and how the species didn't take kindly to his philosophy.
- His colleagues ask him what happened, and he says, "They nailed me to a cross and left me to die."
You would think I could find the story with all that detail, but no joy. :( If I only dreamed the story, I want to write it down because it was awesome!
Second Story FOUND! It's Dazed by Theodore Sturgeon, found by le_trombone:
- I'm not sure when I read this story; I believe it was in the 90s, but it might have been the late 80s. I don't think I was still in high school, though.
- The underlying premise is that the evils of the world are getting worse because good and evil are no longer in balance. There's discussion about yin/yang and how you can't have one without the other.
- I think the majority of the story is the protagonist speaking to another person about this idea, who is eventually revealed to be the missing piece.
- I recall there's some discussion about the people believing God is dead or missing in action.
- The "reveal", of course, is that the world isn't out of balance because God is missing; it's out of balance because Lucifer is missing, and that's the person the protagonist is speaking to and trying to persuade to return to the earth/humanity.
- I think the last line of this short story was also along the lines of "The last time I walked among you humans, you nailed me to a cross and left me to die."
I may be mixing up several stories, but I'm hoping somebody will recognize enough to guide me in the right direction. :)
Thanks!
*cross-posted to whatwasthatbook