The Man Who Evolved
Encyclopedia
"The Man Who Evolved" is a science fiction
short story
by Edmond Hamilton
that was first published in the April 1931 issue of Wonder Stories
. In his comments on the story in Before the Golden Age
, Isaac Asimov called it the first science fiction short story (as opposed to novel) that impressed him so much it stayed in his mind permanently. In her introduction to The Best of Edmond Hamilton, Leigh Brackett
called the story "a fine example of Hamilton's skill in encapsulating an enormous theme into the neat and perfect compass of a short story."
, has been conducting research into the question of what causes the mutation
s that drive evolution
. Pollard informs them that he has determined that cosmic rays are the source of the mutations, and that he has decided that bombarding himself with heavy concentrations of cosmic rays will cause him to evolve into a future version of humanity. (As Asimov notes in Before the Golden Age, cosmic rays do indeed play a part in causing mutations, but they cause evolutionary changes in large populations rather than individual organisms. Though Pollard claims to have done "something no physicist has been able to do, to concentrate the cosmic rays and yet remove from them their harmful properties", this is merely handwaving
. Subjecting oneself to a concentrated blast of cosmic rays would, as Asimov notes, simply result in one's death, something that was known perfectly well even in the early 1930s.)
Pollard has built himself a cosmic-ray-concentrator that will allow him to evolve at the rate of 50 million years every 15 minutes exposure, but he needs someone else to operate it, which is why he has invited Wright and Dutton to his laboratory. Wright reluctantly agrees to operate Pollard's device.
Fifteen minutes in the device leave Pollard with enhanced intelligence and a highly developed physique. However, he is eager to continue the process and explore the further evolutionary changes mankind will undergo. The next stage, though, finds him with a huge bald head atop a frail body and atrophied emotions. He insists on continuing, and each stage of the process finds his brain larger and more powerful, and his body smaller and weaker. At each stage Pollard derides the previous stage as brutish and primitive, praises his current condition and looks forward to the next stage in his evolution. After two transformations Pollard's ambition's is to enslave humanity and turn the Earth into a vast laboratory for his own use, but as the transformations proceed he moves beyond such desires, with only intellectual curiosity remaining. The penultimate stage finds Pollard transformed into a vast, naked telepathic brain that feeds on pure energy. A final use of the device, to Wright's shock, leaves Pollard a small blob of protoplasm, apparently bringing the evolution of humanity full circle back to its beginning. Dutton goes mad with horror and wrecks the laboratory, and Wright barely pulls him out before it, and Pollard's house, go up in flames.
Dutton remains permanently mad, while Wright is left to wonder whether Pollard really has simply returned to humanity's starting point. "Or is this evolutionary cycle we saw a cycle in appearance only, is there some change that we cannot understand, above and beyond it? I do not know which of these possibilities is truth, but I do know that the first of them haunts me."
television series, "Zygote Music", has a similar storyline, in which a scientist uses a machine to evolve. In the final stage, however, the scientist has been transformed into pure thought. He is defeated in a manner similar to the one used to prevent Pollard from taking over the Earth, namely, advancing his evolution until he is beyond such desires.
The Outer Limits episode "The Sixth Finger" features a character that is artificially evolved; according to David Schow's book The Outer Limits Companion, the original conclusion of the script precisely imitated "The Man Who Evolved," but was changed in later script revisions to simply restore the superhuman to his original human state.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Edmond Hamilton
Edmond Hamilton
Edmond Moore Hamilton was an American author of science fiction stories and novels during the mid-twentieth century. Born in Youngstown, Ohio, he was raised there and in nearby New Castle, Pennsylvania...
that was first published in the April 1931 issue of Wonder Stories
Wonder Stories
Wonder Stories was an early American science fiction magazine which was published under several titles from 1929 to 1955. It was founded by Hugo Gernsback in 1929 after he had lost control of his first science fiction magazine, Amazing Stories, when his media company Experimenter Publishing went...
. In his comments on the story in Before the Golden Age
Before the Golden Age
Before the Golden Age: A Science Fiction Anthology of the 1930s is an anthology of 25 science fiction stories from 1930s pulp magazines edited by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in April 1974....
, Isaac Asimov called it the first science fiction short story (as opposed to novel) that impressed him so much it stayed in his mind permanently. In her introduction to The Best of Edmond Hamilton, Leigh Brackett
Leigh Brackett
Leigh Douglass Brackett was an American author, particularly of science fiction. She was also a screenwriter, known for her work on famous films such as The Big Sleep , Rio Bravo , The Long Goodbye and The Empire Strikes Back .-Life:Leigh Brackett was born and grew up in Los Angeles, California...
called the story "a fine example of Hamilton's skill in encapsulating an enormous theme into the neat and perfect compass of a short story."
Plot summary
The narrator, Arthur Wright, and his friend Hugh Dutton visit their former classmate, Dr. John Pollard at his combination house/laboratory. Pollard, a classic mad scientistMad scientist
A mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction. The mad scientist may be villainous or antagonistic, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes, if...
, has been conducting research into the question of what causes the mutation
Mutation
In molecular biology and genetics, mutations are changes in a genomic sequence: the DNA sequence of a cell's genome or the DNA or RNA sequence of a virus. They can be defined as sudden and spontaneous changes in the cell. Mutations are caused by radiation, viruses, transposons and mutagenic...
s that drive evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
. Pollard informs them that he has determined that cosmic rays are the source of the mutations, and that he has decided that bombarding himself with heavy concentrations of cosmic rays will cause him to evolve into a future version of humanity. (As Asimov notes in Before the Golden Age, cosmic rays do indeed play a part in causing mutations, but they cause evolutionary changes in large populations rather than individual organisms. Though Pollard claims to have done "something no physicist has been able to do, to concentrate the cosmic rays and yet remove from them their harmful properties", this is merely handwaving
Handwaving
Handwaving is a pejorative label applied to the action of displaying the appearance of doing something, when actually doing little, or nothing. For example, it is applied to debate techniques that involve logical fallacies. It is also used in working situations where productive work is expected,...
. Subjecting oneself to a concentrated blast of cosmic rays would, as Asimov notes, simply result in one's death, something that was known perfectly well even in the early 1930s.)
Pollard has built himself a cosmic-ray-concentrator that will allow him to evolve at the rate of 50 million years every 15 minutes exposure, but he needs someone else to operate it, which is why he has invited Wright and Dutton to his laboratory. Wright reluctantly agrees to operate Pollard's device.
Fifteen minutes in the device leave Pollard with enhanced intelligence and a highly developed physique. However, he is eager to continue the process and explore the further evolutionary changes mankind will undergo. The next stage, though, finds him with a huge bald head atop a frail body and atrophied emotions. He insists on continuing, and each stage of the process finds his brain larger and more powerful, and his body smaller and weaker. At each stage Pollard derides the previous stage as brutish and primitive, praises his current condition and looks forward to the next stage in his evolution. After two transformations Pollard's ambition's is to enslave humanity and turn the Earth into a vast laboratory for his own use, but as the transformations proceed he moves beyond such desires, with only intellectual curiosity remaining. The penultimate stage finds Pollard transformed into a vast, naked telepathic brain that feeds on pure energy. A final use of the device, to Wright's shock, leaves Pollard a small blob of protoplasm, apparently bringing the evolution of humanity full circle back to its beginning. Dutton goes mad with horror and wrecks the laboratory, and Wright barely pulls him out before it, and Pollard's house, go up in flames.
Dutton remains permanently mad, while Wright is left to wonder whether Pollard really has simply returned to humanity's starting point. "Or is this evolutionary cycle we saw a cycle in appearance only, is there some change that we cannot understand, above and beyond it? I do not know which of these possibilities is truth, but I do know that the first of them haunts me."
Cultural references
An episode of the Mighty MaxMighty Max
Mighty Max may refer to:* Mighty Max , a series of toys from Bluebird Toys** Mighty Max , a television series based on the toys* Max Weinberg, an American drummer and television personality...
television series, "Zygote Music", has a similar storyline, in which a scientist uses a machine to evolve. In the final stage, however, the scientist has been transformed into pure thought. He is defeated in a manner similar to the one used to prevent Pollard from taking over the Earth, namely, advancing his evolution until he is beyond such desires.
The Outer Limits episode "The Sixth Finger" features a character that is artificially evolved; according to David Schow's book The Outer Limits Companion, the original conclusion of the script precisely imitated "The Man Who Evolved," but was changed in later script revisions to simply restore the superhuman to his original human state.
Publication
- Horror on the Asteroid and Other Tales of Planetary Horror, P. Allen, London, 1936.
- From Off This World, Leo Marguiles and Oscar J. Friend, eds., Merlin Press, 1949.
- Before the Golden Age: A Science Fiction Anthology of the 1930s - Book 1, Isaac Asimov, ed., Doubleday, 1974.
- The Best of Edmond Hamilton, Leigh Brackett, ed., Doubleday, 1977.