Project Gutenberg 2006-07-31 Public domain in the USA. 309 Piper, H. Beam 1904 1964 Piper, Henry Beam Piper, Horace Beam Day of the Moron Produced from Astounding Science Fiction September 1951. Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Day of the Moron" by H. Beam Piper is a science fiction novel written in the early 1950s. The book explores themes related to technology, human behavior, and the potential dangers that arise when insufficiently capable individuals work within critical fields, particularly those involving nuclear energy. Set in a future world where atomic power plants provide energy for vast metropolitan areas, it presents a narrative that delves into the implications of human error and negligence in high-stakes environments. The story follows Scott Melroy, an engineer tasked with implementing a cybernetic control system at a nuclear reactor. As he prepares to begin his work, he becomes increasingly concerned about the potential presence of incompetent workers among his newly hired staff. To mitigate the danger posed by such "emotional morons," Melroy enlists the help of psychologist Dr. Doris Rives to administer a series of tests aimed at identifying individuals who may be mentally unstable or insufficiently intelligent. Tensions rise as union representatives challenge Melroy’s methods, leading to a labor dispute that culminates in a catastrophic failure of the nuclear plant, highlighting the dire consequences of human folly in reliance on dangerous technology. The novel ultimately serves as a commentary on the fragility of modern civilization in the face of human incompetence. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 74.4 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Science fiction PS Text Science Fiction Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Novels 96333 2025-08-08T07:00:12.442293 text/html 92992 2006-07-31T15:34:10 text/html 312041 2025-08-08T07:00:17.001299 application/epub+zip 309820 2025-08-08T07:00:14.290334 application/epub+zip 100833 2025-08-08T07:00:13.161351 application/epub+zip 397897 2025-08-08T07:00:18.958251 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 388834 2025-08-08T07:00:16.196282 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 160785 2022-09-09T06:47:28.290940 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 87281 2025-08-08T07:00:12.125282 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 87208 2006-07-31T15:33:04 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 87199 2006-07-31T15:33:26 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 20583 2025-08-08T07:00:19.100278 application/rdf+xml 12447 2025-08-08T07:00:13.651320 image/jpeg 3324 2025-08-08T07:00:13.404294 image/jpeg 33825 2006-07-31T15:34:26 application/octet-stream application/zip 279978 2006-07-31T15:34:26 application/octet-stream application/zip 33802 2006-07-31T15:34:26 application/octet-stream application/zip 350425 2025-08-08T07:00:12.466283 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia