#47945
Mentioned in 1 episodes
Where the Pebbles Go
Book •
Miriam Allen DeFord's 'Where the Pebbles Go' is a 1963 short story that uses a sport—Puff‑Fuff—to examine class, power, and the dangers of colonialist thinking.
Told from the perspective of a member of the ruling class, the tale follows thinkers who worry that pebbles thrown into space could reveal their world to extraterrestrial civilizations.
The story satirizes elite self‑interest and the lengths a ruling caste will go to preserve a stable social order.
It riffs on ideas later associated with the 'dark forest' view of interstellar contact, arguing that secrecy and deception can be justified by those in power.
DeFord combines sharp political critique with pulp SF storytelling to expose the violent logic of colonialism and social stratification.
Told from the perspective of a member of the ruling class, the tale follows thinkers who worry that pebbles thrown into space could reveal their world to extraterrestrial civilizations.
The story satirizes elite self‑interest and the lengths a ruling caste will go to preserve a stable social order.
It riffs on ideas later associated with the 'dark forest' view of interstellar contact, arguing that secrecy and deception can be justified by those in power.
DeFord combines sharp political critique with pulp SF storytelling to expose the violent logic of colonialism and social stratification.
Mentioned by
Mentioned in 1 episodes
Mentioned and read by 
Margaret Killjoy
CZM Book Club: Where the Phph Pebbles Go, by Miriam Allen DeFord
