PRECIOUS ARTIFACT

   (1964 Oct): GALAXY
(1980): THE GOLDEN MAN, {Ed.: Hurst} Berkley, pb, 04288
(1987): THE LITTLE BLACK BOX/THE EYE OF THE SIBYL
(1991): WE CAN REMEMBER T FOR YOU WHOLESALE, Grafton

THE GOLDEN MAN story notes by PKD

"Precious Artifact"

    I insisted that this story be included in this collection. It utilized a peculiar logic which I generally employ, which Professor Patricia Warrick pointed out to me. First you have Y. Y. Then you do a cybernetics flipflop and you have null-Y. Okay, now you reverse it again and have null-null-Y. Okay, the question is: Does null-null-Y equal Y³? Or is it a deepening of null-Y?  In this story, what appears to be the case is Y but we find out the opposite is true (null-Y). But then that turns out not to be true, so are we back to Y? Professor Warrick says that my logic winds up with Y equals null-Y. I don't agree, but I am not sure what I do wind up with. Whatever it is, in terms of logic, it is contained in this particular story. Either I've invented a whole new logic or, ahem, I'm not playing with a full deck.