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This
essay originally appeared as an editorial in the December
'04 issue of www.AstoundingTales.com.
As an
editor and writer of speculative fiction I'm often asked why
I like these types of stories. Most recently, with the publication
of my collection of short stories "Digital Daydreams,"
my own mother asked: "Why can't you write something simple:
a romance or a mystery story?"
The short
answer is that those types of stories (though very good in
their own right) aren't grand enough for me. I like writing
and reading about extraordinary circumstances and people rising
to incredible challenges. Of course, the next question I usually
get is: "But these stories are so unrealistic. Why not
write about things that can really happen?"
Ah, things
that can "really" happen. Now there's a thought.
In the
past month alone I've read three news articles that smack
of speculative fiction but which are all true. Just go on
the internet and check for yourself.
First,
a group of swimmers off the coast of Australia are saved by
a pod of dolphins.
Three
life guards were out swimming when they suddenly found themselves
surrounded by a pod of dolphins. For some unknown reason the
creatures gently but insistently herded the swimmers into
a small group and then began to circle them. When one of the
swimmers tried to drift outside of the circle he was confronted
by two large males who insisted he return to the center of
the circle. But not before the man spotted an eight-foot long
Great White shark less than two yards away.
It's a
documented fact that dolphins will form a protective circle
around their young when confronted by a dangerous predator.
But certainly these creatures did not mistake three humans
for their young. So why did they do it? Could these dolphins
be intelligent enough to offer assistance to creatures not
even of their own species? How much intelligence must you
have to be able to express empathy and compassion? Or are
they dumb animals who fell back on an instinctual response?
Will we ever find out?
Second,
a scientist in England has been implanting microchips in himself
in order to be able to interface his brain with a computer
network. So far, he's been working on the ability to manipulate
robotic arms with just his thoughts. He was quoted as saying
that in the future everyone will have cybernetic implants.
The blind will see. The lame will walk. He envisions a future
where cybernetic implants will be so common that non-cyborgs
(his words) will become a "subspecies."
Third,
the counterfeiting of prescription drugs has become so rampant
that the pharmaceutical companies are working towards implanting
a chip in every container of medicine so as to track the entire
journey of that package: where it's been, who touched it,
and where it ended up. The pharmaceutical firms believe that
this will be their best weapon in preventing dangerous fraud.
But privacy
advocates worry that such a thing could be used to remotely
determine what medication we are using. Think of what the
marketing gurus would do with the ability to drive down a
street and determine who's using Viagra and who's using Cialis.
Or maybe you're on anti-depressants. Think your boss might
want to know that? Many employers are now reading their employees
emails. Could snooping in your medicine cabinet be far behind?
And have you been taking your Lipitor for that "bad"
cholesterol as prescribed? A 30-day supply should get used
up in 30 days. But a bad patient, who forgets to take his
medication, is an insurance risk. Can you think of who might
want to know that?
The remarkable
truth is that today's impossible is frequently tomorrow's
improbable -- and next week's achievable. Airplanes, microwaves,
cell phones, men on the moon, robots on Mars, animal cloning,
were all impossible at one time - now, all old news. At the
speed that the world is changing even the most impossible
ideas are being explored. So why not write and read about
them?
Speculative
Fiction was the mythology of the Greeks, the passion plays
of the middle ages, and is the science fiction, fantasy, and
horror of today. It's a way of exploring a person's place
in an ever changing world. It's a way of challenging our perceptions
of what is possible and what is impossible.
And, when
all other reasons are put aside, it's a hell of lot of fun.
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