What's Expected of Us

"What's Expected of Us" is a science fiction short story by American writer Ted Chiang, initially published on 6 July 2005 by Nature. The story was also included in the 2006 anthology Year's Best SF 11 and in the 2019 collection Exhalation: Stories.

DOI 10.1038/436150A

Plot summary

A small device, the Predictor, looks like a remote control. It consists of a button and a big green LED. When you press the button, the light flashes. However, it flashes a second before you click on the button — by receiving a signal a second from the future. Millions of these devices have been sold. The Predictors create a dystopic world by providing evidence that free will is actually a myth — the future is predetermined and fixed. As a result, people become lethargic and just stop eating entirely.