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Re:The Eyes Have It (1953) by erwincoumans on Thursday January 20, 2022 @12:40AM (#30005159)
That story hit the nail on the head!
Re:The Eyes Have It (1953) by DaiPlusPlus on Thursday January 20, 2022 @12:50AM (#30005233)
I read it, but I don't understand it - at all.

So... it's a short story about a man recounting a book he read that claims aliens are invading the earth while describing a selfless alien woman who donates her body-parts to other people and the story ends with him playing Monopoly... I don't see a story here.

I know Philip K. Dick is a celebrated author, so I assume my not-getting-it problem is all-me - can someone please explain it to me?

Re:The Eyes Have It (1953) by Trasmatta on Thursday January 20, 2022 @12:59AM (#30005295)
The book isn't about aliens, it's an entirely normal book. The main character just interprets every phrase relating to a body part literally, and thinks it's talking about aliens. It's just a humorous short story, not a whole lot to it beyond that.
Re:The Eyes Have It (1953) by anonymous_i on Thursday January 20, 2022 @01:03AM (#30005325)
Thank you.

I went back and read the italicized lines only. I got the joke now.

Re:The Eyes Have It (1953) by squeaky-clean on Thursday January 20, 2022 @01:10AM (#30005376)
Don't forget to reread the punchline in the last sentence too ;)
Re:The Eyes Have It (1953) by kwelstr on Thursday January 20, 2022 @09:51AM (#30009568)
Philip K. Dick is having a little fun with a badly written paperback story or novel he must have found somewhere, and writing a cool science fiction story out of it. It is humor.

From the preface: "A little whimsy, now and then, makes for good balance. Theoretically, you could find this type of humor anywhere. But only a topflight science-fictionist, we thought, could have written this story, in just this way…."

Re:The Eyes Have It (1953) by shermablanca on Thursday January 20, 2022 @01:00AM (#30005301)
Don’t read it so literally. Lots of ways to interpret it. Cultural relativism, correlation vs causation, overconfidence, conclusions in isolation, etc. I think it drags in just a bit too long but it did make me chuckle.
Re:The Eyes Have It (1953) by erwincoumans on Thursday January 20, 2022 @12:59AM (#30005296)
If you take English language literally, it becomes alienating. Now take the nail out of that head!
Re:The Eyes Have It (1953) by anonymous_i on Thursday January 20, 2022 @12:59AM (#30005298)
same here LOL.

Here's my trippy understanding.

> I had had enough of the thing. I want to hear no more about it. Let them come on. Let them invade Earth. I don’t want to get mixed up in it.

> I have absolutely no stomach for it.

The author is finally mutated and someone took his stomach as well ?

He did not realize it because, someone stole his brain ?

Re:The Eyes Have It (1953) by DaiPlusPlus on Thursday January 20, 2022 @01:41AM (#30005585)
> He did not realize it because, someone stole his brain ?

Daaaaang, I never considered that.

Re:The Eyes Have It (1953) by andi999 on Thursday January 20, 2022 @06:50AM (#30007712)
He is nitpicking in a funny way that the word 'eyes' was used when 'gaze' was meant.