Roderick Wayne propounds four ideas of a superman:
"'...a bulletproof organism of a thousand horse-power...'" (1, p. 45);
"'...a macrocephalic dwarf talking in symbolic logic formulas...'" (ibid.);
"'...a godlike being, a greatly refined and improved human.'" (ibid.)
"'...Homo sapiens is a long way from realizing the full capacities he's already got. He needs training right now, not evolution.'" (ibid.)
Wayne contrasts this fourth idea with supermen but in fact it is one of the proposals for how humanity might become superior and again it ties in with Anderson's Psychotechnic Institute. (Another fictional Wayne, highly motivated, consulted experts and trained himself for two decades in combat skills, acrobatics and sciences related to detective work.)
Meanwhile, Wayne's taciturn son, Alaric, sprawls on the floor turning the pages of diverse scientific text books apparently at random:
"He must be only a - moron?" (p. 46)
The plot thickens.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
And, of course, as we know, Poul Anderson came to believe a fifth alternative was far more plausible: that for all practical purposes, mutations caused by massive doses of radioactivity would NOT be beneficial. A theme discussed in his book THERMONUCLEAR WARFARE.
And I did notice the use of the WAYNE name! And was reminded of Bruce Wayne.
Sean
Sean,
Good morning, as it is here. I might publish a post before breakfast.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Good morning! As usual, you are way ahead of me in rereading books by Anderson! (Smiles)
Sean
Post a Comment