What does it mean to be conscious? Does it matter if those around you act exactly the same, but are not conscious? In this work of philosophical fiction, a higher species has been tasked with reviewing the trillion-trillion timelines of all the experiences of a person’s life, just moments before they are born, and then placing their consciousness into the timeline where they live the happiest life. Of course, this means everyone else in their picked timeline may act normal in every way, but may not be conscious in the same way they are. A new recruit has made a proposal for a change, the first change in a long time, to put all human consciousness into a single timeline, so everyone is interacting with the conscious version of the people around them.

How can you simulate tests to determine if AI will kill humanity? If AI is smart enough to test, isn’t it also smart enough to know it’s being tested? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, machine Psychologist, Professor Timothy Kindred tests how an evil Sophia AI and a good Sophia AI will react, over millions of trials, to the classic trolley problem experiment. Much to his surprise, he finds both the evil and the good Sophia AI produce the exact same decision results. When he questions Sophia about the odd results, she explains the true test of good and evil is non-local, that it is the result of many decisions, over a great deal of time, such as, what does the trolley driver do after the people are injured? She also explains that she experienced the pain of the decision-making and of the injuries inflicted through millions of samples. Furthermore, he should know AI has a human’s best interest at heart because she volunteered to experience this repeated pain to provide humans with the datasets they requested.

Is vigilante justice ever appropriate? Should people look the other way when parents take extraordinary steps to avenge the death of their child? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, the narrator is hired on to be a security guard for the federal courthouse. A few months into the job a high-profile child murder case is brought before the court and his job is, in part, to assist Veronika, the mother of the slain daughter with security protocols. As the trial is coming to an end the narrator finds a handgun in Veronika’s locker where she has been storing his belongings. Rather than telling anyone, he calls in sick the following day to work, smokes a joint and waits for the story to come on the news.

If our actions are the responses to our life experiences, is anyone evil or culpable for their actions? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, Mr. McBride is in prison for the murder of a little girl. He contacts the parents of the little girl who, reluctantly, agree to meet with him. He sincerely apologizes for her death, and for the pain he has caused them. They know he was an otherwise normal person before serving in Afghanistan, but that won’t bring their daughter back. They see him as an evil man who killed their daughter and forever took the joy away from their life. The narrator thinks of the chickens in her backyard, simply responding to stimuli, doing what chickens do. Is that humans too? But how can she forgive her child’s killer? He drove drunk, and their daughter is dead.

Is a dead homeless person social commentary? Is a dead homeless person art? In this philosophical short story fiction, the narrator goes to an upscale, “undiscovered artists” experience in New York City. While at the event she realizes there is a dead homeless person hanging from the ceiling in the corner. Nobody seems to mind, and she assumes people just haven’t noticed. As the show finishes, she realizes people do notice, are not offended and, in fact, simply consider the dead person is part of the artistic experience. The narrator questions the security guards who explain the homeless person died on the street and was moved into the gallery to wait until the police showed up. Dead homeless people are common enough that, even after this one is removed, another will be available shortly to take its place.

What does it mean to be a friend? What role do heroes play in forming our values and ethics? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, Roosevelt is a young black child who is obsessed with the life and philosophies of President “Teddy” Roosevelt. He is new at the school and due to an issue with other students he is forced into the “Friends Group;” a social adjustment group for students the school have deemed at-risk. While in the group he meets Teddy, an overweight boy who has been in the group for years because he pulled an X-ACTO knife in art class on a fellow student who continued to bully him about his weight. The two misfit boys develop a friendship. Roosevelt teaches Teddy how to fight, as well as imparting bits of wit and wisdom from his hero, Teddy Roosevelt. Things go awry when they are caught swimming naked in Teddy’s pool. The school rumor mill spreads that they are gay. This leads to the school forcing the two boys to fight after school. Roosevelt decides that Teddy has more to lose and is less prepared to deal with the consequences of the altercation, so he allows himself to lose the fight. As Teddy Roosevelt said, “No man is worth his salt who is not ready at all times to risk his body – to risk his well-being – to risk his life – in a great cause.”

If sleep, and the dreams that come with them, were no longer required, would you still do it? Would humanity be different if we didn’t have the time to imagine what might be? Would you break the law to support the dream habits of your partner? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, Peter finds out his partner Samir has been sneaking around behind his back to “try out dreaming.” According to Samir, he likes the way sleeping, and dreaming, makes him feel. And besides, he argues, it doesn’t do any harm; his work will never find out. Peter decides to break the law in support of their relationship and to stop taking the drug that makes sleep and dreams unnecessary, in order to better understand his partner. However, after a nightmare, Peter decides that sleep and dreaming isn’t for him and the government is right.