Latest By
Category:
Armor
Artificial
Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual
Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work
"[Science fiction is ] That branch of literature which is concerned with the impact of scientific advance upon human beings."
- Isaac Asimov
 |
| Padre Booth | ||
| Device that provides religious aid and comfort on demand. |
Getting ready to leave Earth, Joe Fernwright is seized by doubt. Who could he consult at a moment's notice in any spaceport?
| Getting to his feet he crossed the waiting room to the Padre booth; inside he put a dime into the slot and dialed at random. The marker came to rest at Zen.
"Tell me your torments," the Padre said, in an elderly voice marked with compassion. And slowly; it spoke as if there were no rush, no pressures. All was timeless. Joe said "I haven't worked for seven months and now I've got a job that takes me out of the Sol system entirely, and I'm afraid. What if I can't do it? What if I've lost my skill? The Padre's weightless voice floated back reassuringly to him. "You have worked and not worked. Not working is the hardest work of all." That's what I get for dialing zen, Joe said to himself. Before the Padre could intone further he switched to Puritan Ethic. "Without work," the Padre said in a somewhat more forceful voice, "A man is nothing. He ceases to exist." |
| From Galactic Pot-Healer,
by Philip K. Dick. Published by Berkley Publishing in 1969 Additional resources -
|
Following this effort, Joe tries Roman Catholic, Muslim and Jewish versions of the Padre, finally being told to have some Martian fatworm soup, the most nourishing soup in the solar system, by the Jewish version.
Compare to the robot pope from Good News From the Vatican (1971) by Robert Silverberg and the proselytizing robot from Cities in Flight (1951) by James Blish.
Comment/Join this discussion ( 2 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Galactic Pot-Healer
More Ideas
and Technology by Philip K. Dick
Tech news articles related to Galactic Pot-Healer
Tech news articles related to works by Philip K. Dick
Padre Booth-related
news articles:
- Xian'er Buddhist Monk Robot
- 'Electronic Mufti' May Issue Machine Fatwas
- Fortune-Telling Robotic Vending Machine
- Confession App For iPhone Catholic Church Approved
- Robot Buddhist Priest Chants, Drums
- Mindar The Robot Buddhist Priest Offers A Blessing
| Science Fiction Helps Young Readers Build Resiliency |
| Unwanted Cruise Ships Huddle Together Out At Sea |
| News Mood Filter Web Extension |
| Maybe We Could Hibernate Until The Covid-19 Pandemic's End |
Want to Contribute an
Item?
It's easy:
Get the name of the item, a
quote, the book's name and the author's name, and Add
it here.
| <Previous | Next> |
|
|
|
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
|
'... the curious parallelism to animal motions, which was so striking and disturbing to the human beholder...'
'On the three-dimensional map at weather headquarters on the planet Kaider III, the storm was colored orange'
'The result was indeed marvelous... I did not stagger and I did not reel.'
'...thought had been given to its programming.'
'What lay down there? Energy, tubes and pipes, wiring, transformers, self-contained machinery...'
'Our beams feed these worlds energy drawn from... the Sun'
'Reading science fiction and fantasy can help readers make sense of the world.'
'Instantly there appeared standing upon the disk, the image of a man...'
'Your order said for him to be able to be able to work out twists on the gags in the file...'
