Comments on: What Classic Sci Fi Can Teach Us About The Future http://www.theamateurfinancier.com/blog/classic-sci-fi-predicting-future/ Thoughts on Money, Investing and Life Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:41:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Roger http://www.theamateurfinancier.com/blog/classic-sci-fi-predicting-future/#comment-1239 Roger Sun, 04 Apr 2010 06:23:08 +0000 http://www.theamateurfinancier.com/blog/?p=1703#comment-1239 @Forest: Indeed, that sounds like a pretty apt metaphor. Here's hoping we come to our senses before it ends up being too late... @Level_Head: I'm not that familiar with Robert Heinlein's work (there's far too much good science fiction out there; I've barely had the chance to scratch the surface). It sounds as if he had an interesting approach to how government should be structured, one that might be worth considering. How well it would work in practice is hard to tell; from what I've gleaned of the idea (from skimming your blog, among other sources), it seems a pretty radical departure from the current state of society, and with any major change, there will be winners and losers. That's just the nature of the beast (so to speak). @Forest: Indeed, that sounds like a pretty apt metaphor. Here’s hoping we come to our senses before it ends up being too late…

@Level_Head: I’m not that familiar with Robert Heinlein’s work (there’s far too much good science fiction out there; I’ve barely had the chance to scratch the surface). It sounds as if he had an interesting approach to how government should be structured, one that might be worth considering. How well it would work in practice is hard to tell; from what I’ve gleaned of the idea (from skimming your blog, among other sources), it seems a pretty radical departure from the current state of society, and with any major change, there will be winners and losers. That’s just the nature of the beast (so to speak).

]]> By: Level_Head http://www.theamateurfinancier.com/blog/classic-sci-fi-predicting-future/#comment-1238 Level_Head Sun, 04 Apr 2010 01:49:57 +0000 http://www.theamateurfinancier.com/blog/?p=1703#comment-1238 It certainly is difficult to predict the future. I was quite surprised to read how closely Robert Heinlein called the end of the 20th century (from 1959) in Starship Troopers. Not the technology, per se, but the odd change in societal attitudes. For example, he predicted decades in advance that society would change to consider spanking a child as an act that caused severe psychological trauma to the child. Not many people in the 1950s would be thinking that way -- and he predicted that this attitude and other similar ones about personal responsibility would be enough of a threat to bring the United States to an end. The threat is large, and we'll see what happens. I'm not ready to concede the issue yet. He came up with a novel form of government in that book, which was eminently reasonable to me. There were some who hated it, and they made a movie of Starship Troopers as a parody specifically to discredit Heinlein's ideas. ===|==============/ Level Head .-= Level_Head´s last blog ..<a href="http://level-head.livejournal.com/450597.html" rel="nofollow">Tea Party epithets</a> =-. It certainly is difficult to predict the future. I was quite surprised to read how closely Robert Heinlein called the end of the 20th century (from 1959) in Starship Troopers. Not the technology, per se, but the odd change in societal attitudes. For example, he predicted decades in advance that society would change to consider spanking a child as an act that caused severe psychological trauma to the child.

Not many people in the 1950s would be thinking that way — and he predicted that this attitude and other similar ones about personal responsibility would be enough of a threat to bring the United States to an end.

The threat is large, and we’ll see what happens. I’m not ready to concede the issue yet.

He came up with a novel form of government in that book, which was eminently reasonable to me. There were some who hated it, and they made a movie of Starship Troopers as a parody specifically to discredit Heinlein’s ideas.

===|==============/ Level Head
.-= Level_Head´s last blog ..Tea Party epithets =-.

]]> By: Forest http://www.theamateurfinancier.com/blog/classic-sci-fi-predicting-future/#comment-1161 Forest Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:31:37 +0000 http://www.theamateurfinancier.com/blog/?p=1703#comment-1161 Absolutely.... we never learn... We are like cats that keep running round the back of the mirror and never finding the other cat.... Absolutely…. we never learn… We are like cats that keep running round the back of the mirror and never finding the other cat….

]]> By: Roger http://www.theamateurfinancier.com/blog/classic-sci-fi-predicting-future/#comment-1158 Roger Tue, 23 Mar 2010 21:55:58 +0000 http://www.theamateurfinancier.com/blog/?p=1703#comment-1158 @Forest: Very true, much of what was considered science fiction in the sixties and seventies has formed the basis of our everyday lives today. Although, I do kind of wish that more inventors and corporations took the 'robot controlled bases on the moon' approach rather than the 'fancy communication devices' one; the former just seems much cooler. As for society, we do seem to be unable to learn from anything; science fiction, the past, our own recent experiences, nothing seems to quite get through. @Forest: Very true, much of what was considered science fiction in the sixties and seventies has formed the basis of our everyday lives today. Although, I do kind of wish that more inventors and corporations took the ‘robot controlled bases on the moon’ approach rather than the ‘fancy communication devices’ one; the former just seems much cooler. As for society, we do seem to be unable to learn from anything; science fiction, the past, our own recent experiences, nothing seems to quite get through.

]]> By: Forest http://www.theamateurfinancier.com/blog/classic-sci-fi-predicting-future/#comment-1157 Forest Tue, 23 Mar 2010 14:16:37 +0000 http://www.theamateurfinancier.com/blog/?p=1703#comment-1157 I think one of the reasons technology predictions tend to be reasonable in old sci fi is that sci fi is where we get ideas for future technology. Just think of all the elements of the original star trek which are being brought to life one at a time (starting with the flip phone) and things like the video phone in 2001 Space Odyssey.... We mimick sci fi as it's almost impossible for our brain to come up with a completely unique idea, it's always a progression.. As for society, it's a flowing moving mass of liquid with no possible predictable direction apart from down the plughole eventually!! (Ok that's a bit drastic but we do seem to be hell bent on running ourselves into the ground!). Awesome post, it's been tweeted :) I think one of the reasons technology predictions tend to be reasonable in old sci fi is that sci fi is where we get ideas for future technology.

Just think of all the elements of the original star trek which are being brought to life one at a time (starting with the flip phone) and things like the video phone in 2001 Space Odyssey…. We mimick sci fi as it’s almost impossible for our brain to come up with a completely unique idea, it’s always a progression..

As for society, it’s a flowing moving mass of liquid with no possible predictable direction apart from down the plughole eventually!! (Ok that’s a bit drastic but we do seem to be hell bent on running ourselves into the ground!).

Awesome post, it’s been tweeted :)

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