Hi Tom.
To be honest this is the over all reason why I do not wish to work in
academia perminantly. More and more, I'm noticing that the way people choose
which side of any given ethical, metaphysical, religious, or scientific
question to come down upon is based not upon logic, but upon which position
personally appeals to them, and then defend this opinion with increasingly
more complex arguements.
One side says black, another says white, but the arguement betwene them will
be simply one side defending and clarrifying their position against the
other, with neither side of the debate actually progressing at all. I've
seen this happen myself increasingly in ebates about a number of topics,
including scientific ones.
This is why my own personal favourite model of scientific progress is Paul
fyrabent's notion of research projects, that rather than science having grad
theories that explain everything, science is the much smaller investigation
of a given research topic or small scale question.
To bring things back on track however, this does raise some interesting
possibilities for alien races and cultures, sinse the more we can believe
that any views we hold are mutable, the more possible it is to considder the
views of different times, places, or alien races.
For instance, in Steven donaldson's gap cycle he imagines humanity coming
into conflict with a race called the amneon. The amneon are not actually
evil as we would understand evil, sinse they do not feel animosity or hatred
to humanity or wish to destroy humanity at all, indeed they have a strong
sense of honour and reputation. Yet, they are driven by an absolute drive to
genetically alter any species they come across, to make that species
resemble themselves genetically.
This is not like the borg say, sinse anyone infected by the amneon remains
an individual, but the amneon themselves don't realize that the process of
having someone's body mutate will drive them literally insane.
Yet, the Amneon are desperate to maintain trading links with humans, sinse
they are able to recognize aimes that will fulfill their ultimate goal and
contribute to their survival, so they often trade with outlaw captains,
particularly for specimins of technology sinse their own biologically based
technology is less than efficient at mass production of anything (they thus
have far fewer space vessels than humanity), and of course for human
subjects to convert into amneon. It's indeed suggested that the amneon's
desire to convert others is simply a base survival instinct and a wish to
reproduce, but still one tempered by reason.
They're one of the most unique alien races I've seen in an sf setting, apart
from the fact that Donaldson's descriptions of them, their easthetics and
technology is extremely disturbing, and very different from what you'd
expect. I Also admire the completeness of the amneon because the gap cycle
involves just! the conflict betwene the amneon, privateer captains, and the
united mining company which through economic mite now controls all space
going vessels.
it is exactly this sort of explanation of different modes of thinking,
cultures and points of view that I really enjoy in sf, ---- or indeed in
fantasy, and primarily the only difference I see betwene them is that sf is
tempered by what "could" exist, albeit at the stretching of some scientific
principles, while fantasy begins with the idea of the exploration of what
could never exist, though consistancy, good characterization, and decent
plotting apply just as well to both forms of literature and I hate formula
fantasy as much if not more as I hate formula sf.
Beware the Grue!
ark.
---
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