Flash Tales #18: “Cogito Ergo Sum”

Posted on February 27, 2015 by // 7 Comments

Frans_Hals_-_Portret_van_René_DescartesPROMPT: When faced with the prospect of proving his own existence, the philosopher Rene Descartes (the fella above with the nice hair) famously answered “Cogito ergo sum”–I think, therefore I am. It might not be the most promising of axioms creatively, but let’s see if we can draw a fantasy, horror, or sci-fi story out of it.

GENRE: Fantasy, horror, or science fiction

LENGTH: < 1,000 words

DEADLINE: Thursday, March 12, 11:59 PM

About Evan Henry (257 Articles)
Evan Henry is a graduate student in English at the University of Virginia, where he works on the legacy of eugenics and scientific racism in American pop culture. As Head of Publishing for Black Ship Books he seeks to further social analysis of popular culture and develop new and unique voices in both creative and critical writing. His credits include Broken Frontier, the Virginia Literary Review, and numerous small publishers of fantasy and science fiction. His short story collection The Great City will be released this summer.
Contact: Twitter

7 Comments on Flash Tales #18: “Cogito Ergo Sum”

  1. Rose Green // March 3, 2015 at 7:16 am // Reply

    OK, here’s my response. It’s very short… http://scribblesofarose.webnode.com/news/genesis/

  2. Rem Fields Rem Fields // March 6, 2015 at 5:24 pm // Reply

    First attempt at this sort of thing. I ended up going 80 words over, will try to rein it in next time!

    http://remfields.com/2015/03/06/cogito-ergo-sum/

    • Evan Henry // March 6, 2015 at 6:04 pm // Reply

      I’m a beggar, not a chooser. Thanks, Rem!

    • Evan Henry // March 9, 2015 at 6:55 pm // Reply

      Finally read it, and I’m glad I did. Brilliant piece of writing! I’ve been on an AI kick lately (working on a few stories of my own), and this was definitely a thought-provoking take on it. Humans leading a computer revolution? Nice twist on an old stock story. I really like your metaphors and your similes, too: “symphony of imprisoned minds” and “like raindrops on a tin roof” especially. Thanks for the story, Rem!

  4. Rose Green // March 7, 2015 at 8:56 am // Reply

    Wow – three stories! Great prompt, Evan 🙂

    • Evan Henry // March 7, 2015 at 7:02 pm // Reply

      Thank you, Rose! You’re the bestest. I’m planning on cheating and throwing a piece of my own into the mix as well.

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