Quick Question

[beanish]

In a post-scarcity, post-singularity, post-humanity world where the basics of life are free to all, death and disease are mere annoyances, gender/body shape are aesthetic choices, intelligence is a birthright and immortality is a given -- where does the dramatic urge come from? I'm grappling with this, hashing out story ideas....

Comments

[closer2myself]

Tanith Lee's Don't Bite The Sun answers this question!

[human_loser]

I take your question to mean, in a world with no problems, where does the drama come from? If so, I would say that that level of perfection would have to be so tenuously maintained that the constant threat (or even just FEAR) of slipping backwards would be a big one. Plus no matter how lovely everything gets, there's always going to be those that just wanna smash shit. What do they do? And what is done with them?

Maybe that's not what you mean...

[bayushi]

There's also the fact that basic human existence, once the survival is taken care of, still consists of interpersonal relationships and also what achievements can be made? Is this perfect society bought at the price of a shorter lifespan? If it's a longer lifespan, does that come at the price of a lowered birthrate? Is this utopian society also spawning malcontents who want a struggle and are figuring out how to get OFF the planet? If so, where do they go? What happens to those they leave behind?

Older books

[anonymous]

Some of the older Mack Reynolds paperbacks I took from Dad have these ideas in them; if you want I can bring them down to Florida when we see you in December. There's one called "Perchance to Dream" and several more; give me a call and I'll take a look through the stack in the basement :)

Joshua