Thursday, 8 January 2026

Culmination

The immediately preceding post was so comprehensive that I find it hard to follow except perhaps by reiterating that Poul Anderson's ultimate single-volume future history, Genesis, presents all past and future human history as culminating in post-organic intelligences spreading between galaxies and also readdresses without definitively answering the question raised by the first modern science fiction novel, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelly: is it right to (re)create human life?

I have just returned from a social gathering in a country pub, will now go upstairs to meditate, this evening will attend a public meeting about Venezuela and tomorrow morning should walk to the gym.

Meanwhile, the future waits.

Onward, Earthlings.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kaor, Paul!

I think I can guess how Anderson would answer the question GENESIS poses: human beings alone should guide their fate, wisely or foolishly. And true AIs, assuming such things are possible, have no say in the matter beyond the strictly advisory.

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

But should human beings be brought back into existence after they have become extinct?

Paul.

S.M. Stirling said...

Paul: well, yes. A universe without human beings to observe it doesn't really exist.

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

I think that the universe pre-existed observers and that objects continue to exist while not being observed.