The Project Gutenberg EBook of Subjectivity, by Norman Spinrad

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Title: Subjectivity

Author: Norman Spinrad

Illustrator: Leo Summers

Release Date: December 21, 2009 [EBook #30722]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SUBJECTIVITY ***

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Transcriber's Note:

This etext was produced from Analog Science Fact & Fiction January 1964.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright
on this publication was renewed.

subjectivity

Boredom on a long, interstellar trip can be quite a problem ... but
the entertainment technique the government dreamed up for this one
was a leeetle too good...!

NORMAN SPINRAD

Illustrated by Leo Summers

* * * * *

Interplanetary flight having been perfected, the planets and moons of
the Sol system having been colonized, Man turned his attention to the
stars.

And ran into a stone wall.

After three decades of trying, scientists reluctantly concluded that a
faster-than-light drive was an impossibility, at least within the
realm of any known theory of the Universe. They gave up.

But a government does not give up so easily, especially a unified
government which already controls the entire habitat of the human
race. _Most_ especially a psychologically and sociologically
enlightened government which sees the handwriting on the wall, and has
already noticed the first signs of racial claustrophobia--an
objectless sense of frustrated rage, increases in senseless crimes,
proliferation of perversions and vices of every kind. Like grape juice
sealed in a bottle, the human race had begun to ferment.

Therefore, the Solar Government took a slightly different point of
view towards interstellar travel--Man _must_ go to the stars. Period.
Therefore, Man _will_ go to the stars.

If the speed of light could not be exceeded, then Man would go to the
stars within tha