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arytaco's review against another edition
5.0
Phillip K. Dick’s science fiction stories, although many of them were set in the future, frequently dealt with the issues of the present, particularly in the United States. “Minority Report” presents the question of whether human beings would change their behavior if they knew the results, as well as the consequences of favoring a majority over a minority in every case. With precrime head John Anderton on the run from the technology that pins him as a potential murderer, the protagonist is forced to consider whether arresting the innocent in anticipation is worth the outcome. Simultaneously, the author weaves in plot twists, political espionage and telling predictions about the invasion of the military industrial complex within law enforcement. By the time the narrative is complete on this page-turning novella, Phillip K. Dick has crafted a potent, powerful and still relevant tale of speculation, some of which has already come true.
sidharthvardhan's review against another edition
4.0
What I should like to know is why Anderton would have committed murder in the timeline which the first minority report forecasted. All the reasons that Anderton could have committed murders had resulted from prediction itself and there was no way that a prediction could be made without Anderton seeing the card.
I think the story really works because no one, who already hasn't committed or is planning to commit a murder, believes him/herself capable of one. Anderton, like most such people, just can't see himself as a murderer.
The moral issue is whether you can punish him. Orwell was against punishing thoughtcrime, though it seems to have become a crime in most countries these days. PKD goes a step further and asks whether a person who hasn't yet even thought of crime can be punished. Personally I think not, because almost all of us are potentional murderers.
You might not agree, people are suspiciously confident of their innocence - and one almost smells a cognitive response in the way most people develop a hatred of murderers as if they are some sort of alien forces. People tend to say stuff like their souls are tainted, that they are marked like Cain etc. I should like to a dress this prejudice. The truth is murderers aren't much different from the rest of the world, and anybody can be a murderer, given adequate circumstances. Nothing is easier and, believe me, you do not feel tainted or marked. Think of soldiers or executioners or police - they aren't much different, they are just given the right circumstances. Most people just don't get fitting circumstances in their lives. Now some of you might find such a world where everybody is potential murderer interesting, the truth is despite such noise built around the thing, the actual act is disappointingly banal. I mean slipping a cyanide pill in someone's drink is not unlike slipping a medicine in drink of a patient stubbornly resisting treatment. Similarly butchering someine's neck is not unlike skinning a dead animal. It is just those children tales that make it sound like such a big deal.
I think the story really works because no one, who already hasn't committed or is planning to commit a murder, believes him/herself capable of one. Anderton, like most such people, just can't see himself as a murderer.
The moral issue is whether you can punish him. Orwell was against punishing thoughtcrime, though it seems to have become a crime in most countries these days. PKD goes a step further and asks whether a person who hasn't yet even thought of crime can be punished. Personally I think not, because almost all of us are potentional murderers.
You might not agree, people are suspiciously confident of their innocence - and one almost smells a cognitive response in the way most people develop a hatred of murderers as if they are some sort of alien forces. People tend to say stuff like their souls are tainted, that they are marked like Cain etc. I should like to a dress this prejudice. The truth is murderers aren't much different from the rest of the world, and anybody can be a murderer, given adequate circumstances. Nothing is easier and, believe me, you do not feel tainted or marked. Think of soldiers or executioners or police - they aren't much different, they are just given the right circumstances. Most people just don't get fitting circumstances in their lives. Now some of you might find such a world where everybody is potential murderer interesting, the truth is despite such noise built around the thing, the actual act is disappointingly banal. I mean slipping a cyanide pill in someone's drink is not unlike slipping a medicine in drink of a patient stubbornly resisting treatment. Similarly butchering someine's neck is not unlike skinning a dead animal. It is just those children tales that make it sound like such a big deal.
kurtiskozel's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting to see him flesh out his conception of authority. In my eyes, he struggles with concepts of karma and justice. "Why do good men and evil men succeed the same, and what powers might wreak this karmic justice?" Proto-LeGuin in a sense.
the_funny_one's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
samjoc's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
cultneophyte7's review against another edition
3.0
Far from PKD's best, but certainly a very interesting work of science fiction. And for many reasons.
The concept is not so novel anymore, having inspired many a story since, a favorite being Psycho Pass (how underrated is that show!?), but it's easy to forget that this is almost 70 years old.
A genius concept, one that presents the greatest of moral dilemmas. What if you could predict and apprehend a criminal before they commit the crime?
That said, the actual contents could have been a bit better. I'll go out on a limb and say that I actually enjoyed the film, which takes certain creative liberties, more than the book. Oh, well.
The concept is not so novel anymore, having inspired many a story since, a favorite being Psycho Pass (how underrated is that show!?), but it's easy to forget that this is almost 70 years old.
A genius concept, one that presents the greatest of moral dilemmas. What if you could predict and apprehend a criminal before they commit the crime?
That said, the actual contents could have been a bit better. I'll go out on a limb and say that I actually enjoyed the film, which takes certain creative liberties, more than the book. Oh, well.
cartoonrowdy's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.75
jellyhavana's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Such a hard book to review in these parameters. It’s just too short to complain about character development etc. I loved the premise. It’s fascinating to see the interplay of A.I. rhetoric, crime prevention and determinism. I just find it hard to LOVE short books as I can’t get my teeth into them and get attached to characters etc. More an illustrated philosophical argument than a story.
quigonchuy's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Very cool concepts, but very little in terms of the implications of them except as to how they affect the main character. And these are huge concepts. Free will, the greater good, imprisoning people before any crime is committed, etc. As is pretty much a pattern in the handful of Phillip K. Dick books and stories, the female characters are not developed at all, nor do they matter. Not sure how much slack he deserves on that since this was written in the 50's. But he's good at coming up with cool scifi concepts.