Perelandra by CS Lewis;
World Without Stars by Poul Anderson;
"Flight to Forever" by Poul Anderson.
In Perelandra, the scientist, Weston:
"...GAVE UP HIS WILL AND REASON TO THE BENT ELDIL
"WHEN TELLUS WAS MAKING
"THE ONE THOUSANDTH NINE HUNDREDTH AND FORTY-SECOND
"REVOLUTION AFTER THE BIRTH OF MALELDIL
"BLESSED BE HE."
-CS Lewis, Perelandra IN The Cosmic Trilogy (London, 1990), pp. 145-348 AT p. 316.
That means that he became demonically possessed in 1942 A.D. There is nothing like sf for giving us alien perspectives. James Blish said in private correspondence that Weston's confused monologue was one of the most chilling passages that he had read in fiction.
In World Without Stars, Yo Rorn, giving up his will and reason to the Ai Chun, receives serenity:
"In the Earth-days since he renounced his species, Rorn had improved his command of Yonder until he could readily use it; so much does the removal of inner conflict do for the mind, and you may decide for yourself whether it's worth the price." (XIII, p. 97)
Obviously that way of ending inner conflict is not worth the price.
In "Flight to Forever," when the Vro-Hi offer to remove a time traveler's neuroses, he says that he likes his neuroses.
Some sf seems to offer two alternatives: men as they are with all their flaws or something worse. Another example: Brave New World. Huxley, later commenting on his own text, proposed a third alternative: working towards something better - self-transcendence of our own inner conflicts.
9 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Just to be nit picky, I could argue that Dennis the Short made an error when working out what became our BC/AD era dating system. Herod the Great died in 4 BC, which means Our Lord was most likely born in 5 BC. Dennis should have added five years to our AD system, making this year, 2018, AD 2023!
I agree, Rorn paid too high a price, giving up his will and reason to the Ai Chun, for that kind of inner peace and stability.
It is my belief that, at its best, Christianity offers mankind a way of transcending our inner conflicts. I would argue the RIGHT way.
Sean
Sean,
When I worked as a Religious Education teacher, I told a class that Jesus was probably born in what we call 4 or 5 B.C. Some idiots were so busy seizing the opportunity to ridicule me for the supposed absurdity that Christ was born before Christ, that I honestly think that they were missing the point. I got out of school teaching.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
I'm sorry about this unpleasantness happening to you. And all that had happened was Dennis making a plain old MISTAKE.
I recall how "Flight to Forever" mentions a sect imposing a theocracy on Earth long enough that its "correction" of Dennis' mistake came to be accepted and used even after its overthrow.
Sean
Sean,
I had forgotten that calendar adjustment in "Flight to Forever."
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
I have sometimes toyed with the idea it would be desirable to correct Dennis' mistake by adding five years to our era. But it's such a small matter that most people, except pedants like me, wouldn't care! (Smiles)
Sean
Sean,
I regard the historical Jesus as separate from his myth so for me the difference in the dates kind of makes sense.
The change that does need to be made is to:
13 months, each of 28 days, beginning on Sunday and ending on Saturday;
one extra day for New Year, not part of a week - Year Day;
another extra day each leap year - Leap Day.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
But the "historical Jesus" is the same as the Jesus Christ who is the Second Person of the Trinity, the Incarnate Logos. I know, you don't agree!
Ah, calendar reform! I have read of such things, some of them being reforms the Church would not oppose. And the reform you sketched out reminds me of the Shire and Numenorean calendars JRR Tolkien worked out, which can be found in his Appendix on the calendars in THE LORD OF THE RINGS.
Sean
Sean,
With the 13 month scheme, every calendar and diary would be the same.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
True, and I'm surprised the scholars who worked out the calendar we now use for Pope Gregory XIII did not propose some thing like this 13 months calendar (with special New Year Days and Leap Days not part of the standard week and months).
Sean
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