What's Expected of Us

"What's Expected of Us" is a science fiction short story by American writer Ted Chiang, initially published on 6 July 2005 by Nature.^[2] The story was also included in the 2006 anthology Year's Best SF 11 and in the 2019 collection Exhalation: Stories.^[3][4][5]

"What's Expected of Us"
Short story by Ted Chiang
Language	English
Genre(s)	Science fiction
Publication
Published in	Nature
Publication type	Magazine
Publication date	6 July 2005[1]

Plot summary

A small device, the Predictor, looks like a remote control. It consists of a button and a green display. When you press the button, the screen flashes. However, it flashes a second before you click on the button—by receiving a signal a second from the future. Millions of these devices have been sold. The Predictors create a dystopic world by providing evidence that free will is actually a myth—the future is predetermined and fixed. As a result, people become lethargic and just stop eating entirely.

See also

• Free will and determinism
• Free will theorem
• Locus of control
• Problem of mental causation