Solipsism and Manifest Destiny in ‘-All You Zombies-’ by Robert A. Heinlein and ‘The Great Gatsby’ by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Robert A. Heinlein (1907–1988) is a key figure in the development of American science fiction. What makes his contribution so unique is his emphasis upon philosophical speculation. In ‘-All You Zombies-’ published in 1959 he wrote the classic solipsism story. This short time travel story appeared 18 years after ‘By His Bootstraps’ which it resembles in many ways but in this iteration the causal loop or predestination paradox is far more convoluted and…