Arc, Vol. 1 Quotes

“William Gibson told only half the story: like the future, the past is also here in the present, and just as unevenly distributed.”
― China Miéville, Arc, Vol. 1

“We could just turn our phones and computers off – but we don’t. And we don’t blame ourselves for our lack of self-control: we blame our technology for being too addictive.”
― China Miéville, Arc, Vol. 1

“I have mixed feelings about zoos. Some days, it makes me sad to see animals in confined habitats, under constant observation by an alien species. Other days, I see the amount of care and love provided by the zookeepers; I remember how dangerous the wild is, particularly for endangered animals. I tear up a little when I see a kid staring at some weird creature from another continent – I know that kid is going to learn everything about that animal, and love it, and fight for its survival.”
― China Miéville, Arc, Vol. 1

“The one that goes: I’d like to die peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather. Not screaming in terror like his passengers.”
― China Miéville, Arc, Vol. 1

“But sharing has its limits. It might make you famous, but chances are it won’t earn you a buck. It might find you new people to connect with, but it won’t make it any easier to click with them. And it might let you tell the world what’s on your mind; but it won’t make the world listen.”
― China Miéville, Arc, Vol. 1

“The assumption – and I think it’s correct – is that the technology is going to happen anyway, so the best thing is to get it distributed as quickly as possible and see what people use it for, and keep an eye out for any problems that arise.”
― China Miéville, Arc, Vol. 1

“In 1964 a coalition of activists, technologists, and academics delivered “The Triple Revolution”, an open memorandum to President Lyndon B. Johnson. The signatories pointed out that “wealth produced by machines… is still wealth”, and used this to argue for more a equitable distribution of global profits.”
― China Miéville, Arc, Vol. 1

“Edward Gibbon: “As the happiness of a future life is the great object of religion, we may hear without surprise or scandal that the introduction, or at least the abuse, of Christianity, had some influence on the decline and fall of the Roman empire. The clergy successfully preached the doctrines of patience and pusillanimity; the active virtues of society were discouraged; and the last remains of military spirit were buried in the cloister: a large portion of public and private wealth was consecrated to the specious demands of charity and devotion; and the soldiers’ pay was lavished on the useless multitudes of both sexes who could only plead the merits of abstinence and chastity.”
― China Miéville, Arc, Vol. 1

“Why should we not shep naches from the accomplishments of our machines? This vicarious joy or success sounds somewhat odd, but it shouldn’t be. We get excited when our sports team wins a game; why should it disturb or disappoint us when our creations turn out to be more accomplished than ourselves?”
― China Miéville, Arc, Vol. 1

“It is a jungle where hierarchies of infinities tower like prehistoric beasts.”
― China Miéville, Arc, Vol. 1