In this particular dystopia, Relativism (a social and philosophical theory having originated with Albert Einstein's theory of General Relativity in Physics) emerged as the governing political orthodoxy. Relativism is said to be an ethical philosophy that states everyone is free to believe what they wish, as long as they don't make anyone else try to follow that principle. Relativism has become established law after the destructiveness of the war unleashed by clashing ideologies. (However, dissidents from that orthodoxy do end up in forced labor camps.) This sacrosanct principle is challenged by a man named Floyd Jones, whose assertions about the future prove correct.
Doug Cussick is an agent of Fedgov, and his involvement with Jones encompasses this book. Jones has precognitive abilities that let him see a year into the future, which allows Dick to explore questions of predestination, free will and determinism.
Fedgov encounters apparently unintelligent alien lifeforms named Drifters, which turn out to be one gamete of a spore-based migratory alien life form. Their apparently pointless destruction leads to a retaliatory alien quarantine of the human race to a few nearby star systems. The presence of the Drifters in the story is to give Jones an initial rallying-point for all of his xenophobic followers. The collapse of Fedgov and rise of Jones to become world dictator have some similarities to the historical fall of the Weimar Republic and rise of Hitler to power in Germany. Jones' ability to see the future a year in advance makes him a charismatic leader, whose followers see him as infallible - forgetting that seeing a year in advance leaves him just as blind as anyone to what might happen later than a year in the future.
In the event, the plot demonstrates, in the context of ensuing events, that Jones is far more susceptible to error than he was previously willing to admit. His whole approach has been one of an all-or-nothing gamble on the infallibility of his precognitive powers.
Jones foresees his own assassination one year before it actually happens. Not only does he not attempt to avoid his execution, but he actually facilitates it by leaping into the path of a bullet meant for a bodyguard. This does not occur, however, before he and his followers create a cult that overthrows Fedgov, leading to the resettlement of Doug, his wife Nina and their three-year-old son in an artificial habitat on Venus.
The novel addresses questions of Jones's agenda and trustworthiness as well as the decidedly ambiguous benefits of individual precognition.
Adaptations
In August 2009, Terry Gilliam confirmed that he was planning to direct a film adaptation of the novel.[2] There has been no news of the project since then.
.jpg)
