Following Today’s Discussion…
Following today’s discussion, I recommended some texts for Sora Moon, which deal with the problem of fate or destiny versus free will, in a way similar to the scientist in her story. A few of them are the following:
- The Machine of Death (PDF available free at the link) — I have a story in this book, but I’d recommend looking at a few different ones. “Almond” by John Chernega, especially, is a good one for this issue you’re concerned with, Sora, or also “Flaming Marshmallow,” by Camille Alexa.
- The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. This book has been translated into Korean, though you’ll have to find it in a library as bookstores no longer have it. It uses a time travel story to explore the paradox of balancing free will and destiny. I liked the comedy book set in the same world, To Say Nothing of the Dog, almost as much, but I’ve heard the Korean translation of this book isn’t as good.
- The film Minority Report, which explores the same thing using psychics and technology. While I cannot recommend the film, the 2007 Nicholas Cage feature Next also showed how knowing the future could screw up someone’s life. But a much better, and more disturbing film (and book) is Stephen King’s The Dead Zone, about a man who can see the future and how profoundly it affects his life.
I also recommended the British TV series Being Human, and mentioned the fake-documentary film American Zombie, both of interest for those among us who are zombie fans.