The artificial man

In a near‑future where surgeons can replace lost organs with synthetic substitutes, the story follows George Gregory, a star athlete and charismatic debater whose confidence rests on a belief that a disciplined mind can shield the body from harm. After a brutal Thanksgiving football collision leaves him without a leg, George’s world collapses. Confined to a hospital bed, he wrestles with the unsettling thought that his intellect and identity have been diminished along with his flesh.

Visiting him are David Bell, an eager medical student, and Rosalind Nelson, the young woman who has loved George since freshman year. Their conversations probe the tenuous link between thought and physique, raising questions about whether a person can be “whole” when part of them is artificial. As George confronts his new reality, the narrative explores the promise and peril of emerging technologies, inviting listeners to consider what truly makes us human.