"...the prolonged hard times and unrest that had aided the Avantists to power." (p. 77)
In the prequel chapters of The Stars Are Also Fire, Avantism is mentioned as one of three factors troubling the World Federation government. See Averting Conflict.
The public has every right to ask why, after centuries of technological progress, there should still be any "hard times," let alone "prolonged" ones.
Hard times have three conceivable outcomes:
the economy recovers and returns to business as usual for a while;
too many people heed panaceas marketed by groups like the Avantists;
maybe enough people ask enough questions that a better answer is found?
Speculative fiction is relevant now.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
And I expect hard times to always be aw part of human history, because human beings are imperfect and prone to errors, follies, and blunders. That alone will make it more likely than not that hard times will occur.
Ad astra! Sean
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