In HG Wells' and Olaf Stapledon's future histories, mankind remakes itself with science.
In Poul Anderson's first future history, the Psychotechnic Institute fails to remake mankind but eventually Galactic human beings mentally control cosmic forces.
Antithesis
In CS Lewis' That Hideous Strength, some men, the National Institute for Coordinated Experiment, proclaim a Wellsian-Stapledonian future while trying to use science as an instrument to control the rest of mankind.
Synthesis/New Thesis
In much sf, e.g., in Heinlein's Future History and Anderson's second future history, unchanged human beings live with continued scientific advances, e.g., they lead everyday lives on colonized extra-solar planets and also wage war on and between those planets.
New Antithesis
In Anderson's Harvest Of Stars Tetralogy, intelligent technology threatens to supersede its creators.
In Anderson's Genesis, intelligent technology does supersede its creators but the Terrestrial post-organic intelligence re-creates humanity...
New Synthesis?
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
Your "Thesis" reminded us of our old debate about "The Chapter Ends." Unless we find proof that Anderson intended that story to be part of the Psychotechnic series, I would still argue "Chapter" does not belong with the Psychotechnic stories. I still think of it as an early stand alone story that Sandra Miesel shoe horned into the series.
And your "New Synthesis?" reminds me of Frank Tipler's daring speculations in THE PHYSICS OF CHRISTIANITY.
Sean
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