Why Sci-Fi is too Conservative
This may at first seem like a crazy suggestion. We think of sci-fi and we envision aliens, cyborgs, lazers, and dystopian megalopolises that all seem to be the product of over-active imaginations. Yet, the third law of Arthur C.Clarke states: 'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.' Does sci-fi really embrace this principle?
Let's break this down:
In the future humans may no longer be recognisable due to genetic modification and cybernetics. Who wouldn't take advantage of a technology to make them smarter, stronger or fitter? Our evolution would be accelerated at such a rate that our appearances would change dramatically. We'd be taller, more muscular, maybe we'd change the colours of our eyes and skin. The least tasteful element may come from people wanting to adopt the appearance of whichever race was most powerful at the time (possibly Chinese or Indian judging by current economic growth). Or maybe race would no longer be relevant and we'd become more creative in our body modifications. Look at what people are doing today with tattoos, piercings, implants and hair dyes. Imagine a time where we could take a capsule to turn our skin blue or green! Some (weird) people may think it's fun to grow horns or a tail! The possibilities are endless.
We wouldn't age, we'd require less food and water and we'd probably be able to convert inedible materials into food. Maybe we'd be able to breathe underwater or survive the vacuum of space and the intense radiation. Maybe we'd be able to set foot on Venus without a protective suit because our new bodies could survive the heat and atmospheric pressure! Maybe there'd no longer be a typical human form. We may be so good at surviving that our biggest threats become overpopulation and conflict.
Lazers are the stalwarts of any sci-fi armoury, but this technology is currently available, albeit in crude form. In the future weapons will probably come in very different forms to what we have today. In fact there may be no need for weapons at all. Once we have cracked the code of the human brain, mind control will be a reality and we'll all be puppets. But let's suppose we are still at each other's throats a century from now.
Weapons will likely be microscopic. Nanite plagues could incapacitate you, turn you against your allies or break you down at the subatomic level. Maybe they could induce hallucinations, make soldiers cry like babies and run in terror. Maybe they could target the DNA of ethnic groups and infect them like an artificial plague. The key element is we wouldn't see them coming and wars would be won by whoever struck first without any fighting taking place. There'd be no defence and no-one would ever be truly safe. Imagine a terrorist with a nanite plague at his disposal.
Aliens, if we ever meet them, probably aren't remotely anthropomorphic. Their natural physiology would match the conditions of their environment, but they could also be body modifiers. Or maybe they'd go a step further and have mechanical bodies. Why have two arms if you can have four? Why not give yourself wings? Aliens may have given up any attachment to their natural design and built artificial bodies purely for practical purposes. Maybe they have a different design for every task they perform. Maybe they are shape shifters. Maybe we will be too and will be unable to distinguish aliens as a separate species because the concept will become irrelevant.
To be continued...
Let's break this down:
In the future humans may no longer be recognisable due to genetic modification and cybernetics. Who wouldn't take advantage of a technology to make them smarter, stronger or fitter? Our evolution would be accelerated at such a rate that our appearances would change dramatically. We'd be taller, more muscular, maybe we'd change the colours of our eyes and skin. The least tasteful element may come from people wanting to adopt the appearance of whichever race was most powerful at the time (possibly Chinese or Indian judging by current economic growth). Or maybe race would no longer be relevant and we'd become more creative in our body modifications. Look at what people are doing today with tattoos, piercings, implants and hair dyes. Imagine a time where we could take a capsule to turn our skin blue or green! Some (weird) people may think it's fun to grow horns or a tail! The possibilities are endless.
We wouldn't age, we'd require less food and water and we'd probably be able to convert inedible materials into food. Maybe we'd be able to breathe underwater or survive the vacuum of space and the intense radiation. Maybe we'd be able to set foot on Venus without a protective suit because our new bodies could survive the heat and atmospheric pressure! Maybe there'd no longer be a typical human form. We may be so good at surviving that our biggest threats become overpopulation and conflict.
Lazers are the stalwarts of any sci-fi armoury, but this technology is currently available, albeit in crude form. In the future weapons will probably come in very different forms to what we have today. In fact there may be no need for weapons at all. Once we have cracked the code of the human brain, mind control will be a reality and we'll all be puppets. But let's suppose we are still at each other's throats a century from now.
Weapons will likely be microscopic. Nanite plagues could incapacitate you, turn you against your allies or break you down at the subatomic level. Maybe they could induce hallucinations, make soldiers cry like babies and run in terror. Maybe they could target the DNA of ethnic groups and infect them like an artificial plague. The key element is we wouldn't see them coming and wars would be won by whoever struck first without any fighting taking place. There'd be no defence and no-one would ever be truly safe. Imagine a terrorist with a nanite plague at his disposal.
Aliens, if we ever meet them, probably aren't remotely anthropomorphic. Their natural physiology would match the conditions of their environment, but they could also be body modifiers. Or maybe they'd go a step further and have mechanical bodies. Why have two arms if you can have four? Why not give yourself wings? Aliens may have given up any attachment to their natural design and built artificial bodies purely for practical purposes. Maybe they have a different design for every task they perform. Maybe they are shape shifters. Maybe we will be too and will be unable to distinguish aliens as a separate species because the concept will become irrelevant.
To be continued...
No comments have been added yet.
