A World of Talent

"A World of Talent" is a science fiction short story by Philip K. Dick, first published in "Galaxy Science Fiction" magazine, October 1954.

Plot summary

The story is set on a separatist Earth colony where the society is becoming dominated by mutants with psionic abilities. The colony is protected from Earth by an enormously powerful, but infantile, mutant called Big Noodle. The central character is a precog, Cris Purcell, who uncovers the existence of 'anti-psi's' - humans who are immune to interference by psionic mutants. He attempts to get the still human led government to officially recognize the anti-psi's, knowing that this could balance out the corrupting power that the psi's would soon possess over the rest of humanity. However, he is thwarted by the powerful psi Corps of mutants, who murder his anti-psi lover, Pat. Cris has a son, Tim, who though seemingly a 'normal', is actually the ultimate precog, with the ability to travel in time. In the end, Tim appears to his father from the future, telling him that he was right about the need to balance the power of the psi's.

Notes

*Dick very much disliked the insistence of people like John W. Campbell, that stories should positively portray "psionics" (beings with extrasensory powers as telepathy, telekinesis and precognition). This story was one of his replies, showing the price of these talents, and the distorted personalities that could result - chiefly through the perspective of a withdrawn little boy.

*The character of Tim is a precursor to Manfred Steiner, a character in Dicks's 1964 novel, "Martian Time-Slip".

*Philip K. Dick's 1969 novel "Ubik" contained characters who were anti-psis.