Saturday 16 September 2017

Changing Human Nature

Although Poul Anderson directly modelled his Psychotechnic History on Robert Heinlein's Future History, the Psychotechnic History is also a direct successor of HG Wells' and Olaf Stapledon's earlier future histories.

"Leonardo da Vinci with his immense breadth of vision, his creative fervour, his curiosity, his power of intensive work, was the precursor of the ordinary man, as the world is now producing him."
-HG Wells, The Shape Of Things To Come (London, 1974), BOOK THE FIFTH, 8, p. 487.

And, elsewhere in this novel, Wells contrasts an irrational, intimidated crowd of the early twentieth century with an intelligent, inquiring crowd of the twenty second century.

In Chapter XI of Olaf Stapledon's Last And First Men (Harmondsworth, Middlesex, 1972), pp. 209-232, "MAN REMAKES HIMSELF."

And Anderson's Psychotechnic Institute tries to remake mankind. See here.

These works are not only fictional histories of future events but also discussions of the way forward for humanity.

6 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

And the mere fact Anderson has the Pyschotechnic Institute only "trying" to remake mankind shows he was more realistic than Wells. To say nothing of the distrust I have for alleged do-gooders trying to remold mankind.

Sean

S.M. Stirling said...

The problem with trying to rework humanity (or human societies) is that we have no real understanding of either.

Hence trying to "engineer" either is like trying to improve a watch by taking three stiff shots of vodka, closing your eyes and hitting it with a ball-peen hammer while shouting incantations.

S.M. Stirling said...

I've seen the early and middle 20th century defined as a period of "terrible optimism", of insane over-confidence in our ability to consciously control ourselves and our societies. The results were fairly gruesome.

And of course "this time it'll be different" is the mantra of idiots.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Dear Mr. Stirling,

I absolutely agree with both of your comments above! We are STILL afflicted with idiots praising socialism, for example. And praising the latest "noble experiment" in socialism, like the late, unlamented Hugo Chavez's regime in Venezuela. NOT so incidentally, that luckless country is sliding into chaos and civil war due to the inevitable and predictable failure of socialism.

We humans seem unable to learn from our mistakes or to give up cherished delusions!

Sean

Anonymous said...

Kaor, Sean and S.M!

I am essentially in agreement with both of you about this.

Best Regards,
Nicholas D. Rosen

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Nicholas!

I'm inclined to be a pessimist! That is why I am more often right than I would wish to be!

Regards! Sean