All You Zombies—
Robert A. Heinlein · 1959 · Short Story
This story is the quintessential literary exploration of the bootstrap paradox, where a character is their own ancestor, pushing the boundaries of identity, causality, and predestination.
What it is
A bartender recounts a strange life story to a patron, revealing a complex causal loop where the patron is not only their own mother but also their own father and the individual who recruits them into a temporal agency. It is the ultimate exploration of the bootstrap paradox, where a person becomes their own genetic and temporal origin. The story challenges traditional notions of identity and linear causality.
Craft in this work
↑Inherited from(1)
↓Passed on to(3)
The predestination paradox, where John Connor's existence relies on Kyle Reese being sent back in time to become his father, is a direct thematic descendant.
Features characters caught in seemingly inescapable causal loops and predestined events, echoing the fatalistic elements.
Explores complex, self-referential time travel loops and the creation of multiple versions of oneself, directly engaging with the ideas of self-origination.