preview

Summary Of Ray Bradbury's 'The Toynbee Convector'

Decent Essays

Where do we as a society, get the idea that lying is bad? In one aspect this perception that lying is bad roots from the fact that lying can breed distrust. It can breed distrust in relationships, it can be what leads a people to distrust their government; from distrust, comes disorder and all forms of chaos that follows. Due to the fact we are a predominantly Christian nation, I also believe a healthy amount of this perceptions is rooted in the Biblical exhortation “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” This, being the ninth commandment given to Moses by God, is commonly interpreted as “don’t lie.” However, reducing God’s ninth commandment down to something as rudimentary as “don’t lie” distorted its true meaning. It’s more than a mere an instruction not to lie, it is an instruction against the creation of false narratives specifically with the intent to accuse or cause some form detriment towards others. Lying itself is not evil; it is the reason behind one’s lie that determines its morality. However, as a society we are afraid to accept this because then how would it be restrained?
Ray Bradbury, one of America's greatest science-fiction writers, wrote a short story (which eventually was turned into a short film entitled) entitled the “The Toynbee Convector.” In the story a man named Craig Bennett Stiles pretended to travel 100 years into the future, “returning” with photographs and films he faked to simulate a glorious word free from pollution and

Get Access