Mr Spaceship - Philip K Dick
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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Mr. Spaceship by Philip K. Dick. a human brain controlled spacecraft would mean mechanical perfection this was accomplished and something unforeseen a strange entity called mr spaceship Kramer leaned back. "'You can see the situation. How can we deal with a factor like this? The perfect variable?' "'Perfect? Prediction should still be possible. The living thing still acts from necessity, the same as inanimate material, but the cause-effect chain is more subtle. There are more factors to be considered. The difference is quantitative, I think. The reaction of the living organism parallels natural causation, but with greater complexity.' Gross and Kramer looked up at the board plates suspended on the wall, still dripping, the images hardened into place.
Kramer traced a line with his pencil. "'See that? It's a pseudopotium. They're alive, and so far a weapon we can't beat. No mechanical system can compete with that, simple or intricate. We'll have to scrap the Johnson control and find something else.' meanwhile the war continues as it is stalemate checkmate they can't get to us and we can't get through their living minefield kramer nodded it's a perfect defense for them but there still might be one answer what's that wait a minute kramer turned to his rocket expert sitting with the charts and files The heavy cruiser that returned this week, it didn't actually touch, did it? It came close, but there was no contact. Correct, the expert nodded. The mine was twenty miles off.
The cruiser was in space drive moving directly toward Proxima, line straight, using the Johnson control, of course. It had deflected a quarter of an hour earlier for reasons unknown. Later it resumed its course. That was when they got it. it shifted kramer said but not enough the mine was coming along after it trailing it it's the same old story but i wonder about the contact here's our theory the expert said we keep looking for contact a trigger in the pseudopodium but more likely we're witnessing a psychological phenomenon a decision without any physical correlative we're watching for something that isn't there the mind decides to blow up it sees our ship approaches and then decides thanks kramer turned to gross well that confirms what i'm saying how can a ship guided by automatic relays escape a mine that decides to explode the whole theory of mine penetration is that you must avoid tripping the trigger but here the trigger is a state of mind in a complicated developed life form
the belt is fifty thousand miles deep gross added it solves another problem for them repair and maintenance the damned things reproduce fill up the spaces by spawning into them i wonder what they feed on Probably the remains of our first line. The big cruisers must be a delicacy. It's a game of wits between a living creature and a ship piloted by automatic relays. The ship always loses. Kramer opened a folder. I'll tell you what I suggest. go on gross said i've already heard ten solutions today what's yours mine is very simple these creatures are superior to any mechanical system but only because they're alive almost any other life-form could compete with them any higher life-form if the yuks can put out living minds to protect their planets we ought to be able to harness some of our own life-forms in a similar way let's make use of the same weapon ourselves
which life-form do you propose to use i think the human brain is the most agile of known living forms do you know of any better but no human being can withstand out-space travel a human pilot would be dead of heart failure long before the ship got anywhere near proxima but we don't need the whole body kramer said we need only the brain
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–5:54
2
How does Mr. Spaceship introduce the conflict between mechanical controls and living mines?
5:54–24:54
3
Why do the characters propose using a human brain to pilot a spaceship?
24:54–43:50
4
What ethical and practical concerns arise when selecting a brain donor?
43:50–1:15:12
5
How is Professor Thomas recruited and what conditions does he set?
1:15:12–1:18:19
Speakers
8 identified
Narrator / Story Reader (Unknown) 63 min
Marriott Bonvoy Advertisement Voice (Gregg Kanner) 3 min
Walden University Advert (Unknown Voice) 2 min
Advertisement Announcer (Boots commercial) 1 min
Airgrid Advertisement Announcer
Grainger Advertisement Voice Actor
Kelly Clarkson (Wayfair ad voice)
GoLoud / Show Announcer