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Arthur C. Clarke & Gun Control (vanity)

Posted on 05/10/2011 12:11:36 PM PDT by Abin Sur

I'm a big fan of written SF. I can enjoy reading authors whose political views differ from my own so long as their politics don't clumsily interfere with the story. I recalled an essay by Arthur C. Clarke that illustrates just how whacked out his views were. and was able to find it online. I present to you an excerpt from "Scenario for a Civilized Planet", in which he outlines what weaponry would be permitted. Mind you, he thinks this will apply to the entire planet:

http://www.lightmillennium.org/2006_18th/arthur_c_clarke_civilized.html (yeah, it's looney webite...what a shock)

High-tech weapon systems are the crutches of impotent nations; nukes are just the decorative chromium plating. Let us see what crutches we can throw away, to walk proudly into a decent future.

The first criterion for civilized weaponry should be the total avoidance of collateral damage (to use another piece of mealymouthed Pentagonese, like friendly fire). In fact--don't laugh--no device that could kill more than the single person targeted should be permitted. A larger radius of action could be allowed only for instrumentalities that produced temporary disablement e.g., the "gas of peace" in H.G. Wells's Things to Come, acoustic or actinic bombs, water cannons, hypodermic guns, etc. Many more could be found if a fraction of the effort devoted to slaughtering people was spent devising ways of immobilizing them.

To deal with the sort of minor disturbances that may require police action even in the most utopian society, here are the minimum-force items that would be added to the above:

Nonlethal martial-arts devices, like quarterstaffs (Robin Hood had the right idea).

Genetically modified feline, canine, ursine, or simian aides, preferably in the five-hundred-kilogram class, playing the same role as today's guard dogs, but with higher IQs.

Passive defense robots (Robocop plus Asimov's three laws).

The permitted delivery systems for all these would include bicycles, scooters, jeeps, hovercraft, and helicopters.

So much for basic law and order. But for real emergencies, which will occasionally arise even in utopia, single-shot rifles and handguns could be issued, perhaps only under presidential orders...

And that's it.


TOPICS: Books/Literature; Society
KEYWORDS: banglist; clarke; guncontrol; sciencefiction
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Comment #21 Removed by Moderator

To: E. Pluribus Unum

Are you referring to Clarke’s (alleged) pedophilia? I’d say it’s pretty well proven, and I don’t think anybody has to prove it to you or anybody else.


22 posted on 05/10/2011 12:53:09 PM PDT by ozzymandus
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To: The KG9 Kid

Spoken like an illiterate who never read a book. You might make the case that Jules Verne was a lightweight, but hardly a nerd. And H.G. Wells was neither. Even Mark Twain once wrote a sci-fi story. But then, I’m probably betraying my own dorkiness by admitting that I’m actually aware that there’s such a thing as literature.


23 posted on 05/10/2011 12:57:35 PM PDT by Tar and Feathers (http://intensedebate.com/people/Tar_n_Feathers)
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24 posted on 05/10/2011 12:58:38 PM PDT by TheOldLady
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To: The KG9 Kid
And, that's why when they finally invent something awesome and dangerous like an airborne laser or an Atlas V rocket, it's taken away from them for the good of Mankind by the same grown up jocks who humiliated them in high school who now wear General's stars.

LOL - congratulations on the brilliant irony, a rant against science fiction and nerds that is itself a work of purest science fiction. Dorky science fiction, at that.
25 posted on 05/10/2011 1:03:03 PM PDT by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: ozzymandus
Are you referring to Clarke’s (alleged) pedophilia?

I was referring to your use of the word "proclivities."

Drive-by character-assassination is fun, isn't it?

26 posted on 05/10/2011 1:05:20 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Islamophobia: The fear of offending Muslims because they are prone to violence.)
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To: sono

“Those who beat their guns into plowshares invariably find themselves plowing for those who didn’t.”

-Thomas Jefferson


27 posted on 05/10/2011 1:07:50 PM PDT by Emperor Palpatine (One of these days, Alice....one of these days.....POW!! Right in the kisser!!!!)
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To: The KG9 Kid

28 posted on 05/10/2011 1:10:55 PM PDT by Emperor Palpatine (One of these days, Alice....one of these days.....POW!! Right in the kisser!!!!)
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To: The KG9 Kid

“Why are you surprised? Sci-Fi is for nerds and dorks who gobble pizza and have a pile of filthy jerk socks under their computer desk and a hard drive filled with Japanese cartoon “anime” porn of little girls in sailor suits. They’re half queers, at a minimum.”

LOL! The real losers are those who cluelessly stereotype others while completely missing the mark. Many of the Apollo astronauts were science fiction fans, for instance.

I hope you grow up someday, “Kid”.


29 posted on 05/10/2011 1:17:45 PM PDT by PreciousLiberty
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To: infowarrior
Clark was at his best inventing new worlds and situations in space, such as he did with Rondevoux with Rama. He was at his worst in his sci-fi set on this world, such as the book Dolphin Island where the enlightened scientists were trying to force-teach killer whales to not eat dolphins - a complete rejection of how nature really works.
30 posted on 05/10/2011 1:24:21 PM PDT by dirtboy
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To: Reily

“The Weapons Shops of Isher”

The shops’ motto was,

FINE WEAPONS. THE RIGHT TO BUY WEAPONS IS THE RIGHT TO BE FREE.

Still true to this day, isn’t it? On the subject, Arthur C. Clarke’s “Childhood’s End” had for me a really creepy ending. So did James Blish’ “Cities in Flight”. Isaac Asimov was an outspoken atheist, IIRC. A denial of the immortality of the human spirit seemed to be a common thread.

Of course, I read speculative fiction only while I was in college and still ferociously intellectual. That was four decades ago. My mental pretensions have sinced evolved:

“A man’s got to believe in something. Believe I’ll have another drink.”


31 posted on 05/10/2011 1:38:49 PM PDT by elcid1970 (Deport all Muslims. Nuke Mecca. Death to Islam.)
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To: Hegewisch Dupa

So true. Mr. Clarke is quite obviously unfamiliar with the lethality potential of a quarterstaff.

Most obviously, it is utterly lethal if you want it to be.

Get your guy down and keep pounding till his head is mush. Works every time.


32 posted on 05/10/2011 1:42:17 PM PDT by Sherman Logan
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To: Abin Sur

Translation: Only the “rights givers” have any rights. But of course, it’s for YOUR OWN GOOD, don’t you know!!!


33 posted on 05/10/2011 1:51:21 PM PDT by Oldpuppymax
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To: The KG9 Kid

A science fiction author.

“Travis Shane Taylor ... holds a doctorate in Optical Science and Engineering and master’s degrees in Physics and Aerospace Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville; a master’s degree in Astronomy from the University of Western Sydney; and a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Auburn University. He is also a licensed professional engineer in the state of Alabama.”

“He lists his hobbies as competitive karate, piloting, SCUBA diving, riding mountain bikes and road bikes and singing in rock bands.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travis_S._Taylor


34 posted on 05/10/2011 1:51:58 PM PDT by Sherman Logan
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To: The KG9 Kid
Sci-Fi dorks dream of a universe where their awesome brain power will finally be acknowledged by all as the final arbiter of all things related to Mankind's destiny and their own individual success at money, love, and respect. Pretty soon, Angelina Jolie will be knocking at their door dressed in her 'Tomb Raider' getup wanting to breed with them.

Actually, this a reasonably good description of the average guy attending a Mensa meeting, not all of whom are by any means SF fans.

35 posted on 05/10/2011 2:07:37 PM PDT by Sherman Logan
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To: Tar and Feathers
"... Spoken like an illiterate who never read a book."

This comment brought to you by the Department of Redundancy Department.

36 posted on 05/10/2011 2:18:01 PM PDT by The KG9 Kid
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To: Sherman Logan
"... (List of accomplishments of some allegedly non-dorky Sci-Fi author who has advanced degrees and does kick-ass things, including riding dirt bikes wearing a Kung Fu black belt)"

Wow, a genuine mutation.






... Or he's imagining things.

37 posted on 05/10/2011 2:23:04 PM PDT by The KG9 Kid
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To: The KG9 Kid

You need to meet Dr. Travis Taylor.
Rocket scientist, geek, martial artist, gun nut, patriot, and SF Author.
Sort of the exact opposite of Arthur C. Clarke. He think we need to be able blow ‘em up REAL GOOD!


38 posted on 05/10/2011 2:26:35 PM PDT by Little Ray (The Gods of the Copybook Heading, with terror and slaughter return!)
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To: JenB
Witness and acknowledge there's more applause than hostility for my post, madam.

Next time, I'll submit my post in Elven runes. How about that?

39 posted on 05/10/2011 2:28:05 PM PDT by The KG9 Kid
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To: The KG9 Kid

Actually, mountain bikes, not dirt bikes.

Mountain bikes require a level of actual physical activity and fitness.


40 posted on 05/10/2011 2:31:39 PM PDT by Sherman Logan
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