// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the pacifist's chicken say? "Fowl" play is not allowed.
| "The Pacifist" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Short story by Arthur C. Clarke | |||
 | |||
| Country | United Kingdom | ||
| Language | English | ||
| Genre | Science fiction | ||
| Publication | |||
| Published in | Fantastic Universe | ||
| Publisher | King Size Magazines | ||
| Publication date | October 1956 | ||
| Chronology | |||
| Series | Tales from the White Hart | ||
| |||
"The Pacifist" is a science fiction short story by British writer Arthur C. Clarke, first published in 1956 in Fantastic Universe. It appears in his collection of "science fiction tall tales," Tales from the White Hart.[1] "The Pacifist" describes the construction of a supercomputer in a "cavern in Kentucky". The computer's designer, nicknamed "Dr. Milquetoast" by the story-within-a-story's narrator, works under the harsh supervision of a military General. By way of revenge, Dr. Milquetoast programs the computer so that it will answer purely theoretical or mathematical questions put to it, but when asked to solve a military problem, responds by insulting the General using phrases industriously prepared by the programmer. Frustration mounts as the General realizes that because the computer is aware of every known historical military battle, it is capable of recognizing such scenarios even when couched in purely mathematical terms.[1][2]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Clarke, Arthur C. (1957). Tales from the White Hart. London: Ballantine Books. p. Forward.
- ↑ May, Andrew (2018). "Electronic Brains". Rockets and Ray Guns: The Sci-Fi Science of the Cold War. Springer International Publishing. pp. 81–107. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-89830-8_3. ISBN 978-3-319-89829-2.
External links
[edit]- The Pacifist title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
