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The Indefatigable Frog
"The Indefatigable Frog" is a science fiction short story by Philip K. Dick, first published in the July 1953 edition of Fantastic Story Magazine, and later in The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick. It has since been republished several times, including in Beyond Lies the Wub in 1988.
The story centers around two college professors, Hardy and Grote, who argue about one of Zeno's Paradoxes, called The dichotomy paradox, where a frog wants to get up from a well, but each jump is half of the previous one. That way, Hardy argues, the frog will never exit the well, while Grote argues the opposite: that the frog will eventually escape from the well.
The Dean of the college wants to settle this age-old paradox and instructs the two professors to create an experiment with the frog. Hardy and Grote do exactly that: they send the frog down a large tube and subject it to an energy field which reduces the size of the frog in half for each leap. The frog eventually becomes so small that it disappears. Grote goes into the tube to figure out what happened, while Hardy flicks on the switch, forcing Grote down the tube. Grote is halved in size as he progresses, and the smooth floor of the tube eventually becomes huge rocks and boulders as he nears microscopic size. Grote disappears, and Hardy claims that the frog never made it across and that he was right. In the end, Grote -- and the frog -- became so small that they passed through the molecules of the tube, away from the field and back to their original size.
The story centers around two college professors, Hardy and Grote, who argue about one of Zeno's Paradoxes, called The dichotomy paradox, where a frog wants to get up from a well, but each jump is half of the previous one. That way, Hardy argues, the frog will never exit the well, while Grote argues the opposite: that the frog will eventually escape from the well.
The Dean of the college wants to settle this age-old paradox and instructs the two professors to create an experiment with the frog. Hardy and Grote do exactly that: they send the frog down a large tube and subject it to an energy field which reduces the size of the frog in half for each leap. The frog eventually becomes so small that it disappears. Grote goes into the tube to figure out what happened, while Hardy flicks on the switch, forcing Grote down the tube. Grote is halved in size as he progresses, and the smooth floor of the tube eventually becomes huge rocks and boulders as he nears microscopic size. Grote disappears, and Hardy claims that the frog never made it across and that he was right. In the end, Grote -- and the frog -- became so small that they passed through the molecules of the tube, away from the field and back to their original size.
9 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1953
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35 people want to read
About the author
Philip K. Dick
2,010 books22.5k followersPhilip Kindred Dick was a prolific American science fiction author whose work has had a lasting impact on literature, cinema, and popular culture. Known for his imaginative narratives and profound philosophical themes, Dick explored the nature of reality, the boundaries of human identity, and the impact of technology and authoritarianism on society. His stories often blurred the line between the real and the artificial, challenging readers to question their perceptions and beliefs.
Raised in California, Dick began writing professionally in the early 1950s, publishing short stories in various science fiction magazines. He quickly developed a distinctive voice within the genre, marked by a fusion of science fiction concepts with deep existential and psychological inquiry. Over his career, he authored 44 novels and more than 100 short stories, many of which have become classics in the field.
Recurring themes in Dick's work include alternate realities, simulations, corporate and government control, mental illness, and the nature of consciousness. His protagonists are frequently everyday individuals—often paranoid, uncertain, or troubled—caught in surreal and often dangerous circumstances that force them to question their environment and themselves. Works such as Ubik, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, and A Scanner Darkly reflect his fascination with perception and altered states of consciousness, often drawing from his own experiences with mental health struggles and drug use.
One of Dick’s most influential novels is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which served as the basis for Ridley Scott’s iconic film Blade Runner. The novel deals with the distinction between humans and artificial beings and asks profound questions about empathy, identity, and what it means to be alive. Other adaptations of his work include Total Recall, Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly, and The Man in the High Castle, each reflecting key elements of his storytelling—uncertain realities, oppressive systems, and the search for truth. These adaptations have introduced his complex ideas to audiences well beyond the traditional readership of science fiction.
In the 1970s, Dick underwent a series of visionary and mystical experiences that had a significant influence on his later writings. He described receiving profound knowledge from an external, possibly divine, source and documented these events extensively in what became known as The Exegesis, a massive and often fragmented journal. These experiences inspired his later novels, most notably the VALIS trilogy, which mixes autobiography, theology, and metaphysics in a narrative that defies conventional structure and genre boundaries.
Throughout his life, Dick faced financial instability, health issues, and periods of personal turmoil, yet he remained a dedicated and relentless writer. Despite limited commercial success during his lifetime, his reputation grew steadily, and he came to be regarded as one of the most original voices in speculative fiction. His work has been celebrated for its ability to fuse philosophical depth with gripping storytelling and has influenced not only science fiction writers but also philosophers, filmmakers, and futurists.
Dick’s legacy continues to thrive in both literary and cinematic spheres. The themes he explored remain urgently relevant in the modern world, particularly as technology increasingly intersects with human identity and governance. The Philip K. Dick Award, named in his honor, is presented annually to distinguished works of science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States. His writings have also inspired television series, academic studies, and countless homages across media.
Through his vivid imagination and unflinching inquiry into the nature of existence, Philip K. Dick redefined what science fiction could achieve. His work continues to challenge and inspire, offering timeless insights into the human condition a
Raised in California, Dick began writing professionally in the early 1950s, publishing short stories in various science fiction magazines. He quickly developed a distinctive voice within the genre, marked by a fusion of science fiction concepts with deep existential and psychological inquiry. Over his career, he authored 44 novels and more than 100 short stories, many of which have become classics in the field.
Recurring themes in Dick's work include alternate realities, simulations, corporate and government control, mental illness, and the nature of consciousness. His protagonists are frequently everyday individuals—often paranoid, uncertain, or troubled—caught in surreal and often dangerous circumstances that force them to question their environment and themselves. Works such as Ubik, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, and A Scanner Darkly reflect his fascination with perception and altered states of consciousness, often drawing from his own experiences with mental health struggles and drug use.
One of Dick’s most influential novels is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which served as the basis for Ridley Scott’s iconic film Blade Runner. The novel deals with the distinction between humans and artificial beings and asks profound questions about empathy, identity, and what it means to be alive. Other adaptations of his work include Total Recall, Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly, and The Man in the High Castle, each reflecting key elements of his storytelling—uncertain realities, oppressive systems, and the search for truth. These adaptations have introduced his complex ideas to audiences well beyond the traditional readership of science fiction.
In the 1970s, Dick underwent a series of visionary and mystical experiences that had a significant influence on his later writings. He described receiving profound knowledge from an external, possibly divine, source and documented these events extensively in what became known as The Exegesis, a massive and often fragmented journal. These experiences inspired his later novels, most notably the VALIS trilogy, which mixes autobiography, theology, and metaphysics in a narrative that defies conventional structure and genre boundaries.
Throughout his life, Dick faced financial instability, health issues, and periods of personal turmoil, yet he remained a dedicated and relentless writer. Despite limited commercial success during his lifetime, his reputation grew steadily, and he came to be regarded as one of the most original voices in speculative fiction. His work has been celebrated for its ability to fuse philosophical depth with gripping storytelling and has influenced not only science fiction writers but also philosophers, filmmakers, and futurists.
Dick’s legacy continues to thrive in both literary and cinematic spheres. The themes he explored remain urgently relevant in the modern world, particularly as technology increasingly intersects with human identity and governance. The Philip K. Dick Award, named in his honor, is presented annually to distinguished works of science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States. His writings have also inspired television series, academic studies, and countless homages across media.
Through his vivid imagination and unflinching inquiry into the nature of existence, Philip K. Dick redefined what science fiction could achieve. His work continues to challenge and inspire, offering timeless insights into the human condition a
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 16, 2019
In this story, first published in Fantastic Story Magazine (1953), a college dean, weary of the habitual quarreling between two professors over Zeno’s Paradox, orders the two men to devise an experiment that will settle the question once and for all. They build a large electric tunnel and acquire two frogs . . . but then one of the professors changes the rules, and things start to get interesting.
On the surface, this is just a silly little story, but it it is also 1) a satire on the arid rigidity of academia, and 2) a demonstration of how a dry mathematical paradox, subjected to experimentation, may yield surprising—and subversive--results.
Not a great story by Dick standards, but it amused me and made me think.
July 11, 2017
“In this class the frog will never reach the top of the well.”
While reading Philip K. Dick’s amusing short story The Indefatigable Frog - a title somehow reminding me of Edgar Allan Poe –, sentences like the one above not only made me smile but they also brought back to my memory the good old university days with their sometimes rather pettifogging animosities based on differences of opinion. I was told, however, that the times when universities harboured a variety of opinions and allowed their proponents discussion and scholarly jousting have by now been got over in favour of safe spaces and trigger warnings, at least in the more progressive social studies and humanities departments whereas the vulgar sciences still confront their students with the unreasonable demand of listening to thoughts they do not like and may even find emotionally disturbing.
The quarrel between professors Hardy and Grote described in this story is about the frog paradox developed by the Greek philosopher Zenon. I know it in the following version: Will a frog ever be able to cover a distance of, let’s say, 10 metres if its first leap is one metre and every following leap half of the distance covered by the previous one? Our two scholars, Hardy a physicist, Grote a philosopher, disagree on the answer to that question, and that’s why they decide to put it to the test in the course of an experiment. The more bloody-minded Hardy, however, is not only determined to prove Grote wrong but also to annihilate him in the process.
I really enjoyed this tale about two quarrelling professors and cannot help thinking that Dick, when he was writing it, also had a hell of a good time, with the following passage even echoing Oliver Hardy’s famous “Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into”:
Especially professor Grote’s reaction at the end of the story proved very hilarious to me
The story also reminded me of the delightful and endearing absurdities of mathematics, such as this one. If it takes three men to build a house in six days, it follows by a rule of three that 1,000,000 men can build a house in circa 0.17 seconds. If you don’t believe it, just try it with your 999,999 Facebook friends!
While reading Philip K. Dick’s amusing short story The Indefatigable Frog - a title somehow reminding me of Edgar Allan Poe –, sentences like the one above not only made me smile but they also brought back to my memory the good old university days with their sometimes rather pettifogging animosities based on differences of opinion. I was told, however, that the times when universities harboured a variety of opinions and allowed their proponents discussion and scholarly jousting have by now been got over in favour of safe spaces and trigger warnings, at least in the more progressive social studies and humanities departments whereas the vulgar sciences still confront their students with the unreasonable demand of listening to thoughts they do not like and may even find emotionally disturbing.
The quarrel between professors Hardy and Grote described in this story is about the frog paradox developed by the Greek philosopher Zenon. I know it in the following version: Will a frog ever be able to cover a distance of, let’s say, 10 metres if its first leap is one metre and every following leap half of the distance covered by the previous one? Our two scholars, Hardy a physicist, Grote a philosopher, disagree on the answer to that question, and that’s why they decide to put it to the test in the course of an experiment. The more bloody-minded Hardy, however, is not only determined to prove Grote wrong but also to annihilate him in the process.
I really enjoyed this tale about two quarrelling professors and cannot help thinking that Dick, when he was writing it, also had a hell of a good time, with the following passage even echoing Oliver Hardy’s famous “Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into”:
”’See what you’ve done?’ Hardy whispered, as they filed into the Dean’s office. ‘You’ve got us into trouble again.’”
Especially professor Grote’s reaction at the end of the story proved very hilarious to me
The story also reminded me of the delightful and endearing absurdities of mathematics, such as this one. If it takes three men to build a house in six days, it follows by a rule of three that 1,000,000 men can build a house in circa 0.17 seconds. If you don’t believe it, just try it with your 999,999 Facebook friends!
December 24, 2023
la rana infatigable
lo termine de leer y me dejo indiferente, reflexionando un poco me parece asombrosa la critica hacia el metodo cientifico y como muchos científicos son tan cerrados en su manera de pensar que no están abiertos a posibles nuevas explicaciones ni resultados diferentes, aquí la importancia de las humanidades como el filosofo que se enfoca en descubrir la verdad y no en tener la razón
lo termine de leer y me dejo indiferente, reflexionando un poco me parece asombrosa la critica hacia el metodo cientifico y como muchos científicos son tan cerrados en su manera de pensar que no están abiertos a posibles nuevas explicaciones ni resultados diferentes, aquí la importancia de las humanidades como el filosofo que se enfoca en descubrir la verdad y no en tener la razón
April 8, 2018
Actual Science Fiction comedy! Showcases the goofyness of theoretical-debate, and is an entire nod to Zeno!
January 31, 2021
Hilarious paradoxical story with sureall environments. Oh, and with a frog.
January 23, 2024
The cask of amontillado x zenos paradox. Unfortunately, it's not as cool as it sounds.
January 2, 2016
Not one female character :(
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews