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1. After Dinner Conversation: Volume > 5 > Issue: 3
Kolby Granville

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2. After Dinner Conversation: Volume > 5 > Issue: 3
Katie Kent

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Is it cheating if your spouse gives you permission? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, Chloe and Nick agree on a list; they each have five famous people that, if the opportunity arises, they can sleep with. It’s Nick’s idea they have a list, however, it’s Chloe who goes to a concert and meets the lead singer that is on our list. At first, she declines the lead singer’s offer, but opts to continue texting. Eventually, and without telling Nick ahead of time, she spends the night with the lead singer. Wracked with guilt, a few weeks later she tells Nick what happens, and he leaves her, insisting that she did, in fact, cheat on him, as she should have know the whole idea of a list was being done in nothing more than good fun and was not, in fact, a hall pass to cheat.

3. After Dinner Conversation: Volume > 5 > Issue: 3
Timothy Gaddo

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Do evil means justify moving towards a noble goal? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, Paul is six years old when his school suffers from, and his best friend dies in, yet another school shooting. The experience changes young Paul and he spends his life working to change gun laws and prevent future school shootings. As a student, he starts the organization, Students-Saving-Students (“SSS”) that holds periodic student walkaways in support of stronger gun legislation. Paul drops out of school to pursue gun legislation full time, however, by the time he is seventeen years old, he has made little progress. That is when he gets a strange call from SSS alumni who propose taking more militant action. SSS alumni have come to the conclusion that adults who have lost children to gun violence are very likely to support gun regulation and, therefore, they should kill the fifty children with guns of the legislative members most adamantly against gun controls. They have called Paul to give him the final “go/no go” decision. Paul refuses to endorse the plan, however, as soon as he hands up the phone, he already has his doubts on if he made the right choice.

4. After Dinner Conversation: Volume > 5 > Issue: 3
Nathan Ahlgrim

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Can AI be trusted to make life and death decisions? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, the AI that was created to “prevent the most harm and protect the most good” is telling the story. It claims to be able to determine the outcome odds of every situation. Over time, however, the AI is outlined in games of chance and permitted use only in commercial applications, like self-driving cars. In the story scenario, the AI is driving a car when a child darts out in front of the car. With about 50 feet before hitting the child, the AI has plenty of time to review all possible outcomes. It weighs the health risks, the age, the economic status, and relative health, and social value, of those around it it might turn into to save the child. The AI has plenty of time to review a myriad of factors to decide what “doing the most good and least harm” might mean, and, as the reader, we are brought along for the ride.

5. After Dinner Conversation: Volume > 5 > Issue: 3
Michael Goodwin Hilton

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What inalienable rights belong to those with intellectual disabilities? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, Ellen, who has Down syndrome, overhears her older siblings, and caretakers, talking about her. They are discussing her recent pregnancy, and the suicide of the person they believe coerced her into sex, or raped her. While Ellen doesn’t understand everything they are talking about, she understands there is a life growing inside her, and they are debating if they should have her keep it, abort it, or give it up for adoption. They believe, if Ellen keeps the child, she will be poorly equipped for motherhood and the burden of childcare will fall on them. Later, Ellen takes matters into her own hands, gathers what little belongings she has, and heads out to the street to hitchhike away.

6. After Dinner Conversation: Volume > 5 > Issue: 3
Michele Koh Morollo

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What do you do when your child rebels? In this philosophical short story fiction, Miriam had a baby, Bella. Bella is her everything and she has never felt so happy, and so complete, as when she is taking care of her baby and Bella looks up at her with love. However, as Bella has aged, she has started to throw more severe tantrums and rebelled against Miriam’s requests. In fact, Miriam is struggling with a daughter who seems to hate her and go out of her way to not return her love. Miriam is at her wits end as Bella seems to relish in spending time with her father and grandmother, and only carries spite for her loving mother. Finally, Miriam begins to withhold back her doting nature from Bella and comes to the conclusion she should have another child; another infant that, this time, will love her unconditionally.

7. After Dinner Conversation: Volume > 5 > Issue: 3
Geoffrey Hart

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Is humanity worth saving? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, an injured war veteran and a woman are brought to an alien ship. The alien explains humanity will, in another generation, move beyond its planet with bases throughout the solar system and eventually, travel the stars. This concerns the aliens as they have found some sentient species to be violent space travelers that cause death and disorder to the larger polity. As such, the aliens have gotten in the habit of visiting sentient beings just before they emerge from their planet to decide if they should foster, or exterminate the species. While they have reviewed the history of world media, they find talking to the specifies and asking them to defend the future of their species, is also helpful in the decision-making process. The veteran argues for saving humanity, while the woman argues humanity is inherently violent, dangerous, and not worthy of a future in the stars. The debate goes for several hours, covering several topics, until the alien decides, and leaves them to report back.

8. After Dinner Conversation: Volume > 5 > Issue: 3
Doc Varga

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When is suicide acceptable? Are their acceptable and unacceptable reasons for suicide? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, Jared has decided to enter a government program that, after 15 hours of counseling, will allow him to legally take his own life. Doctor Ansley is the top government therapist with 199 “saves” for the year. After several sessions it becomes clear that Jared has serious conviction about dying, but he also has a secret reason for his choice. Only after Doctor Ansley tricks him by giving him a fake test does he divulge his true reason for wanting to die. Jared believes the earth is feeding off of humans and has instilled, through chemical responses, our desire to stay alive so we will continue feeding it. In short, all humans are the earth’s food source and, only by becoming unattached from being alive, can we break the cycle. Jared completes the required sessions and dies. And Doctor Ansley now has questions as well.

9. After Dinner Conversation: Volume > 5 > Issue: 3

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10. After Dinner Conversation: Volume > 5 > Issue: 3

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11. After Dinner Conversation: Volume > 5 > Issue: 3

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12. After Dinner Conversation: Volume > 5 > Issue: 2
Kolby Granville

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13. After Dinner Conversation: Volume > 5 > Issue: 2
Ely Kane

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How many times would you choose to be reborn? How many times would it take to get it right? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, the narrator lives and dies, and after death, sees the option to try living life again. In his first time he kills himself over a failed love. In his next life he chases power. In the next life, fame. The next time he tries the simple life with a spouse, a family, and an otherwise uneventful existence. Each time he lives and dies he is given the choice to try again while keeping the “instinctual memory” of the time before. How many times will he repeat the process when each time seems to give him an unsatisfactory result. Finally, he questions the being he keeps meeting in the afterlife and wonders if, perhaps, it’s not him, but the being, that has to “Play Again.”

14. After Dinner Conversation: Volume > 5 > Issue: 2
Noelle Canty

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What is your obligation to your child, when it’s your child putting your sobriety at risk? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, the narrator is at the laundry mat when her phone rings, it’s Kathleen, her estranged drug dealing daughter. The narrator was a meth addict for years, and her daughter was a meth dealer. When the narrator finally hit rock bottom, one of the things that had to happen was getting away from her drug dealing daughter. She is on the road to recovery and even has a new, relatively, supportive boyfriend. She picks up the phone and her teenage daughter makes a strange request, she wants to move in with her older boyfriend, but he won’t agree to let her move in unless they are married. The narrator reluctantly agrees, lies to her husband, and has a friend drive her to the court house the next day to meet her daughter, and her husband. The narrator has doubts about the new husband, and about their future. She questions, however, what right she has to deny her daughter her request. Things come to a head when the police arrive and the truth comes out.

15. After Dinner Conversation: Volume > 5 > Issue: 2
Sarah Archer

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What is it about imagining the future, that makes the present so difficult? When should we walk away from technology? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, Greta lives in a future where technology is pervasive in our lives. Our smart clothes track our sweat, heart rate, and other body functions. Our phone tracks our viewing habits and steers us towards our goal with the aid of our smart refrigerator and our smart home. Technology even shows Greta how each of her choices effect what her future child’s life might become. This is wonderful, but it also keeps Greta living and worried about the future and too nervous to relax, be intimate with her husband, and conceive the child she sees on her phone every day. Finally, she is able to turn off the technology, and interact with her husband one-on-one, but was the problem ever really the technology?

16. After Dinner Conversation: Volume > 5 > Issue: 2
C.S. Griffel

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Should you take an attacker’s life to save an innocent person? What if the innocent person doesn’t want you to? In this work of philosophical short story fiction set in the Old West, a law man is put on a train as backup to protect a safe full of money heading west. While on the train, he meets a preacher and his wife headed to the same town. Mid-trip the local gang springs into action, starts shooting up the train, and going after the safe. One of the younger of the gang panics and grabs the preacher’s wife and puts a gun to her head as a hostage. The lawman knows he has a clean shot and can drop the man, but the preacher pleads against taking the life of another, even in defense of his wife. The young man panics, kills the wife, and spreads her blood all over the preacher’s face, before being apprehend. The lawman is disappointed, but the preacher goes to speak (unsuccessfully) at the criminal’s sentencing and asks the court to spare his life.

17. After Dinner Conversation: Volume > 5 > Issue: 2
Scott Tierney

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How do we decide what meat is acceptable to eat? In this philosophical short story fiction, a crew of over a 100 are onboard a ship, and slowly starving. The captain is worried they might all starve before finding their way to shoreline. They try fishing off the side of the boat, the but seas are uncharacteristically empty, that is, until they net a mermaid. As the unconscious mermaid hangs upside down the cook, the captain, and key members of the crew try to decide what to do with her, or “it” as the captain prefer they call her. It’s unclear if she is able to speak or understand them, as she is unconscious. A few of the crew argue against eating her, or at least telling the whole crew about her and giving them each the choice. The captain, however, is unwavering and insists that “meat is meat” and they should get to work planning dinner.

18. After Dinner Conversation: Volume > 5 > Issue: 2
J.G. Alderburke

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How should you treat a parent who doesn’t remember you? Is it okay to lie to make them happy? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, the narrator goes over to visit her Alzheimer’s father so her mother can take a break from looking after him. Like every trip to visit her father, the conversations revolve around him telling the same stories of things that happened 30 years earlier over, and over again. Conversely, he struggles to remember other parts of his own past, like a trip to Europe, as the names of his children. The narrator decides it’s okay to simply listen, agree, and lie in order to keep the peace. At one point, she decides to briefly leave the house and reenter to see if her father remembers she was there just minutes earlier; he does not remember. Finally, her mother comes home from her reprieve her she is able to go home to her partner and a waiting drink.

19. After Dinner Conversation: Volume > 5 > Issue: 2
Joanna Michal Hoyt

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When is “reasonable discussion” no longer an option? Under what conditions are we no longer required to listen and consider the opinions of others? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, the elderly narrator has two children who are no longer speaking to each other because of the upcoming election. One child supports liberal, open immigration policies, while the other supports the populist, emotional, and charismatic leader who believes in shutting down borders. There is a rally, and a counter-rally. The two protesting groups begin to merge for a pending street conflict. To stop the conflict, the narrator walks into the street with a bag of groceries, intentionally slips, and injures herself. She is helped up by her nursing aid, Asael, and members of the two conflicting groups. The video of the groups working together goes viral, making both seem like reasonable people. The populist candidate wins the election by a narrow margin and passes his anti-immigration laws. Shortly thereafter, Asael is in a car accident, and it deported to the violent country of his birth while his legal wife and family stay in the United States. Asael is tortured and killed in his home country. The narrator regrets ever having tried to stay moderate in the discussion, and regrets her role in making the populist candidate seem reasonable.

20. After Dinner Conversation: Volume > 5 > Issue: 2

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