Keep Happy Kitteh Happy
Give what you can
Or donate monthly, and a sponsoring FReeper will contribute $10
Save Lazamataz! He’s a Free Republic Treasure.
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.
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.
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.
I was referring to your use of the word "proclivities."
Drive-by character-assassination is fun, isn't it?
“Those who beat their guns into plowshares invariably find themselves plowing for those who didn’t.”
-Thomas Jefferson
“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”.
“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.”
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.
Translation: Only the “rights givers” have any rights. But of course, it’s for YOUR OWN GOOD, don’t you know!!!
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
Actually, this a reasonably good description of the average guy attending a Mensa meeting, not all of whom are by any means SF fans.
This comment brought to you by the Department of Redundancy Department.
Wow, a genuine mutation.
... Or he's imagining things.
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!
Next time, I'll submit my post in Elven runes. How about that?
Actually, mountain bikes, not dirt bikes.
Mountain bikes require a level of actual physical activity and fitness.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.