"The Snows of Ganymede."
Superdielectrics, "...cheap, simple energy sources for vehicles and weapons..." (p. 177) shift the balance of military power away from central government towards small, fanatical groups. Would that happen?
Anti-technological sentiment becomes violent, the Institute resorts to unethical and illegal machinations and, most importantly:
"...the field equations did not indicate a solution." (p. 178)
But this is the most important point of all. The conflicts have become too complicated to be predictable and maybe psychotechnics cannot make predictions about a society in which psychotechnics is being practiced?
"How can the knower be known?" (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad)
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I actually bothered to take a closer look at the illustration you chose. And I saw the volume containing VIRGIN PLANET has two novels, the second being STAR WAYS/THE PEREGRINE.
Exactly, just about any society will be too big and complex for "psychotechnics" to be worthwhile.
Ad astra! Sean
I'm skeptical, tho, about small fanatical terrorist groups becoming a serious danger to any society UNLESS that society was already either starting to collapse or at serious risk of doing so.
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