In a possible update/revision/adaptation of Poul Anderson's Psychotechnic History, these features would be retained:
World War III;
recovery;
UN world government;
UN-men;
food and other resources from the sea;
resources from space;
urbanization;
aircars;
colonization of the Moon, Mars, the asteroids and the outer Solar System;
a science of humanity covering both physiology and individual and social psychology;
automation;
technological unemployment;
economic abundance;
the "protean enemy";
the Psychotechnic Institute advising the government;
Planetary Engineers;
the launching of a generation ship.
The series would lose:
The Psychotechnic League as a title (Volume I should be The Psychotechnic Institute);
the colonization of Venus;
a predictive science of society;
psychotechnicians falsifying data;
the Humanist Revolution;
social fragmentation leading to the Second Dark Ages;
FTL.
This is just a blueprint. I think that there is enough in this future history without the additional and questionable premises of a predictive social science and FTL. I might discuss the idea further although no way am I up to writing any fanfic.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I have to disagree with most of that list of things you would omit from filmed adaptation of the Psychotechnic stories. Artistically, doing that would eliminate most of the reasons for CONFLICTS that would give both written stories and films their INTEREST, the things that makes people want to read or watch them. Also, Anderson made that "predictive" aspect an important part of that so called science of humanity. Removing the alleged ability to "predict" makes the rest mere psychology, at best.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
It does. For this purpose, I am interested in focusing on a more plausible psychological approach. This would not be a straight dramatization of the Psychotechnic History but a different series inspired by the first. In fact, I thought of it not as a screen version but as an alternative prose series. There is still plenty of conflict with the "protean enemy" and opposition to the Institute.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Understood. Altho I'm dubious that mere psychology by itself would make such a "spinoff" from Anderson's stories that interesting to read.
Ad astra! Sean
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