Estou procurando uma história curta
"Faça uma pergunta tola" por Robert Sheckley Você pode lê-lo no Project Gutenberg ou ouvir uma leitura em Librivox .
onde 2 homens (muito velhos e jovens) procuram um planeta com supercomputador, que conhece as respostas para todas as perguntas.
"We'll find out," Morran murmured. He helped the old man unstrap himself. "We're going to find the Answerer!"
Lingman nodded at his young partner. They had been reassuring themselves for years. Originally it had been Lingman's project. Then Morran, graduating from Cal Tech, had joined him. Together they had traced the rumors across the solar system. The legends of an ancient humanoid race who had known the answer to all things, and who had built Answerer and departed.
Finalmente, eles o encontram. Mas o computador não está dando respostas diretas, pois não sabem fazer as perguntas adequadas.
"Is the universe expanding?" Morran asked confidently.
"'Expansion' is a term inapplicable to the situation. Universe, as the Questioner views it, is an illusory concept."
"Can you tell us anything?" Morran asked.
"I can answer any valid question concerning the nature of things."
O velho morre no final.
"Shall we go, sir?" Morran asked. Lingman's eyes remained closed. His taloned fingers were clenched, his cheeks sunk further in. The skull was emerging.
O ponto é, para fazer a pergunta apropriada, é preciso saber pelo menos metade da resposta.
Sim, essa é a última linha da história:
In order to ask a question you must already know most of the answer.