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"...being predictive, being right about the future, is not the point of any given story or novel. The point is about exploring as wide a range of possibilities as possible."
- Peter Watts
 |
| Post-Crime | ||
| Criminal activities after they have actually happened. |
You're probably thinking that this is just some sort of needlessly picky sf word. See below.
| As they walked along the busy, yellow-lit tiers of offices, Anderton said: "You're acquainted with the theory of precrime, of course. I presume we can take that for granted."
"I have the information publicly available," Witwer said. "With the aid of your precog mutants, you've boldly and successfully abolished the post-crime punitive system of punishments and jails. As we all realize, punishment was never much of a deterrent, and could scarcely have afforded comfort to a victim already dead." |
| From The Minority Report,
by Philip K. Dick. Published by Fantastic Universe in 1956 Additional resources -
|
Read more about precrime.
"Post-crime" is one of those great sf words that put the ordinary world into a surreal light, like "groundcar" for an ordinary automobile (as opposed to an "aircar"), or a "static home" (as opposed to a "psychotropic house") or inert-wear (as opposed to bio-fabric clothes that moved on their own).
This word may already be needed in the real world. It turns out that criminal profilers working for the London Metropolitan Police's Homicide Prevention Unit are putting together a list of 100 future murderers. See 'Precrime' Database For London Homicide Prevention Unit for details.
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'The world ... is drenched in unfamiliar information all the way to the horizon.'
'He saw one hiss by him as he rounded the corner, trailing a short whip antenna...'
'It may be organic damage. It may be permanent. Time'll tell, and only after you are off Substance D for a long while.'
It's the polite thing to do, and has been the polite thing to do for about four generations.
