Comments | faethverity: fixing the unfixable

faethverity

fixing the unfixable

Jun 28, 2005 23:34

On the plane ride back to Portland I read Orson Scott Card's book Pastwatch. It details the research of a group of scientists in the future trying to pinpoint the cause of societies current problems. It left my head spinning. I've been having trouble remembering that I don't live in the world where they have computers that can show them what ( Read more... )

books, unnamed, movies, self

Comments 9

(The comment has been removed)

faethverity June 29 2005, 16:43:40 UTC

Yeah, I'm aware of that. My point about Pastwatch has nothing to do with his personal beliefs and everything to do with the book. Card presents the possibility that the origins of all our problems are caused by slavery and the fact that Cristopher Columbus saw the natives he encountered in the Americas as less than human. Joseph Smith never comes into the equation.

phthoggos June 29 2005, 16:58:03 UTC

the Internet has declared war on Card, but that doesn't mean he hasn't written some of the best characterization science fiction has ever seen.

magic anonymous June 29 2005, 16:39:01 UTC

What about your amazing magic?

D-E

Re: magic faethverity June 29 2005, 16:44:25 UTC

I can't make castles fly or turn into a giant bird to fight armies.

Re: magic anonymous June 30 2005, 15:18:09 UTC

real magic doesn't work like that

brickc June 29 2005, 16:42:19 UTC

Fanatic or not, 'Ender's game' was a masterstroke in sci-fi.

Vera, what's up with the blast of futility? We can have a tremendous impact on the world. Without people who believe firmly in change and dedicate their lives to improving others', we would not have the honorable struggle for equal rights, for example, apartheid would still reign in South Africa, there would be no welfare state, and every other kind of discrimination you could think of. How does one stop war? I'm not expected a finger-snap solution, but don't tell me you're helpless.

faethverity June 29 2005, 16:46:58 UTC

Pastwatch does present a finger-snap solution. That's why it bothers me so much. All they do is go into the past and rework a few key events to avoid huge amounts of human suffering. There's a lot that I can and am doing right now, but I don't have a miraculous time machine.

brickc June 29 2005, 16:49:02 UTC

what about the temporal prime directive? (removes geek hat)

yes. I guess I misinterpreted what you read -- sorry.

faethverity June 29 2005, 16:50:43 UTC

No, you've got a point. And yes, the temporal prime directive is discussed, though it's never called that.

Also, Ender's Game in brilliant.