The Evolution of Human Science
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox short story
| name = The Evolution of Human Science
| image =
| border =
| caption =
| author = Ted Chiang
| language = English
| genre = Science fiction
| published_in = Nature{{cite journal |last1=Chiang |first1=Ted |title=Catching crumbs from the table |journal=Nature |pages=517 |language=en |doi=10.1038/35014679 |date=June 2000|volume=405 |issue=6786 |pmid=10850694 |s2cid=205006786 |doi-access=free }}
| publication_type = Magazine
| pub_date = June 2000
}}
"The Evolution of Human Science" (also known as "Catching Crumbs from the Table") is a science fiction short story by American writer Ted Chiang, published in June 2000 in Nature.{{cite web |last1=Shenoy |first1=Gautham |title=Why you should be excited about Ted Chiang's Arrival into mainstream pop culture |url=https://archive.factordaily.com/ted-chiang-arrival-story-of-your-life/ |website=FactorDaily |access-date=29 April 2021 |date=14 October 2016}}{{cite book |last1=McKee |first1=Gabriel |title=The Gospel according to Science Fiction: From the Twilight Zone to the Final Frontier |date=2 January 2007 |publisher=Westminster John Knox Press |isbn=978-1-61164-426-5 |page=4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7Z11BwAAQBAJ&dq=the+evolution+of+human+science+ted+chiang&pg=PA4 |access-date=29 April 2021 |language=en}} The story was also included in the collection Stories of Your Life and Others (2002).
Plot summary
The story does not have any characters. The progress in the future has split humanity into two classes: ordinary people and so-called metahumans, who are genetically modified and have a much more powerful intelligence than ordinary people do. The development of the metahumans' science becomes so advanced that it forces the ordinary scientists to switch to interpreting and decoding the metahumans' achievements, because common people are no longer able to create anything fundamentally new. The science then becomes the means of seeking and establishing communication with the super-intelligent metahumans.
Awards
The short story was nominated for the 2001 Locus Poll Award.{{cite web |title=sfadb: Locus Awards 2001 |url=https://www.sfadb.com/Locus_Awards_2001 |publisher=sfadb.com |access-date=29 April 2021}}
See also
- "The Colonel" by Peter Watts
- Superintelligence
- Technological singularity
- Transhumanism
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{ISFDB title|100345}}
{{Ted Chiang}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Evolution of Human Science, The}}
Category:Science fiction short stories
Category:Short stories by Ted Chiang
{{2000s-sf-story-stub}}