Randall Garrett's "By Proxy" is a science fiction short tale. It is a thought-provoking examination of the ramifications of sophisticated technology and the ethical quandaries that occur as a result of its application. The plot centres around a protagonist who finds caught in a complex and morally difficult scenario in a future where technology allows for direct cerebral connections between humans. The core idea includes the potential to feel another person's sensations and emotions via a brain proxy connection. This technology poses significant concerns regarding empathy, consent, and the limits of personal experience. As the plot progresses, the protagonist is dragged into a conspiracy involving the illegal use of this neural proxy technology. They must consider the ethical consequences of vicariously experiencing another person's life, emotions, and even criminal conduct. This creates a moral quandary for the protagonist, forcing them to confront their own ideals and feeling of responsibility. "By Proxy" is a cautionary story concerning the potential exploitation of technological technology and the blurred distinctions between personal agency and other people's experiences. Randall Garrett's story deftly addresses the ethical issues of a future in which empathy can be shared but at the risk of jeopardizing one's own ideals.
Phillip, Gordon Randall David Garrett (December 16, 1927 – December 31, 1987) was a science fiction and fantasy author from the United States. In the 1950s and 1960s, he contributed to Astounding and other science fiction periodicals. He taught Robert Silverberg how to market enormous amounts of action-adventure science fiction and worked with him on two novels about Earthmen upsetting a peaceful agrarian civilisation on an extraterrestrial planet. Garrett is best known for the Lord Darcy books, which include the novel Too Many Magicians and two short story collections set in an alternate world where a joint Anglo-French empire led by a Plantagenet dynasty has survived into the twentieth century and magic works and has been scientifically codified. The Darcy books are full of jokes, puns, and references (specially to works of detective and spy fiction: Lord Darcy is fashioned after Sherlock Holmes), with elements reappear frequently in the detective's lesser works. Michael Kurland went on to write two more Lord Darcy novels. Garrett used several pen names, including David Gordon, John Gordon, Darrel T. Langart (an anagram of his name), Alexander Blade, Richard Greer, Ivar Jorgensen, Clyde Mitchell, Leonard G. Spencer, S. M. Tenneshaw, and Gerald Vance. As "Randall of Hightower" (a pun on "garret"), he was also a founding member of the Society for Creative Anachronism.
