The Long Perspective

When synopsising Poul Anderson's works, it is difficult to remember every relevant detail. I missed one point in Ways. Not only time travelers and immortals but also time dilated space travelers witness the rise and fall of civilizations and their religions. In Starfarers, one crew member of an interstellar spaceship is possibly the last practitioner of Judaism, and, when the ship returns to Earth, Seladorianism has existed for longer than Christianity did.

Anderson follows Olaf Stapledon in imagining future religious figures. Stapledon's future history, Last And First Men, features the Daughter of Man and the Divine Child.

Will anyone ever time travel or experience time dilation or an indefinitely prolonged lifespan? Maybe. Maybe not. But we can in imagination. By studying history, futurology and cosmology and reading the science fiction of Stapledon, Anderson etc, we gain the long perspective that is necessary for understanding life in its cosmic context.