Wells
Stapledon
Lewis
Blish
Anderson
Pullman
Heinlein should also be mentioned as a future historian coming after Wells and Stapledon but before Blish and Anderson.
Nothing much was said that has not been said here before. All but Lewis and Pullman stand in a particular science fiction tradition. Lewis replies to Wells and Stapledon. Blish is post-Lewisian whereas Pullman is anti-.
Lewis' The Problem Of Pain is a work of Christian apologetics. Anderson's "The Problem of Pain" is a short story about a Christian man confounded by an Ythrian response to suffering and death.
Mike has read some Lewis and commended his psychological insights. He has also read Anderson's Genesis and thinks that mankind will be superseded not only by AI but even by unconscious AI and, furthermore, that this will be a good thing! Consciousness causes suffering and is a curse. If this is the real meaning of Buddhism, then I have to affirm that I am not a Buddhist although Zen meditation is beneficial for consciousness.
If Lewis' God exists, then He knows that He created both Wells and Lewis. We are all in this thing together, somehow. (That is not always true but it is here.)
2 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
What little I know about Pullman came from Wright's fierce criticisms of the former's DARK MATERIALS books. Altho still an atheist at the time Wright was outraged by what he considered Pullman's weak and absurd caricature of religion and religious believes.
And I absolutely disagree with your friend's suggestion it would be good for mankind to be displaced/replaced by AI!
Ad astrra! Sean
Pullman is one of those who make atheism a religion, which I consider absurd.
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