I enjoyed reading this: Re: Canticle for Leibowitz -- I've certainly heard of the book all these decades; I read so much science fiction as young person that I must have read it. But also feel that I may have missed it and I remember the title because I knew I should read it. Many times in all my study and research I've asked myself, "Why do this [particular study]"? And I reminded myself of the dark ages, that loss of knowledge does occur, and that adding to humanity's knowledge is a good thing. [Rationalization probably]. I appreciate your novel take on the topic.
This was novel to me: But if history is any guide, we won’t keep it up forever.
In fact, our Golden Age may already be winding down.
I have never read "A Canticle for Leibowitz" nor even heard of it. But you are right; I should do.
Because a certain prominent moral philosopher began his most influential work thus:
"Imagine that the natural sciences were to suffer the effects of a catastrophe. A series of environmental disasters are blamed by the general public on the scientists. Widespread riots occur, laboratories are burnt down, physicists are lynched, books and instruments are destroyed...."
And then he notes, "This imaginary possible world is very like one that some science fiction writers have constructed...."
But he goes on to suggest that this imaginary SCIENTIFIC scenario describes quite accurately our current MORAL scenario, as concerns public ethics. Our moral libraries have been sacked and burned.
(Or as another author wrote, of a fictional Middle Earth, "And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth. And for two and a half thousand years, the ring passed out of all knowledge.”)
So the non-scientists among us—people like me—must do our part in the recovery too. We, with all others in the community, must create and sustain islands and oases where scientists can gather and organize these curated libraries.
Your essay reminded me of: The_Village_(2004_film)
This move depicts a planned society that resembles the Amish. A retreat from knowledge-intensive modern society (and other modern ills).
I enjoyed reading this: Re: Canticle for Leibowitz -- I've certainly heard of the book all these decades; I read so much science fiction as young person that I must have read it. But also feel that I may have missed it and I remember the title because I knew I should read it. Many times in all my study and research I've asked myself, "Why do this [particular study]"? And I reminded myself of the dark ages, that loss of knowledge does occur, and that adding to humanity's knowledge is a good thing. [Rationalization probably]. I appreciate your novel take on the topic.
This was novel to me: But if history is any guide, we won’t keep it up forever.
In fact, our Golden Age may already be winding down.
That is sobering. Hm.
Great post! I feel like the institutional staying power of the church could be beneficially combined with AI to create the corpus you envision.
I have never read "A Canticle for Leibowitz" nor even heard of it. But you are right; I should do.
Because a certain prominent moral philosopher began his most influential work thus:
"Imagine that the natural sciences were to suffer the effects of a catastrophe. A series of environmental disasters are blamed by the general public on the scientists. Widespread riots occur, laboratories are burnt down, physicists are lynched, books and instruments are destroyed...."
And then he notes, "This imaginary possible world is very like one that some science fiction writers have constructed...."
But he goes on to suggest that this imaginary SCIENTIFIC scenario describes quite accurately our current MORAL scenario, as concerns public ethics. Our moral libraries have been sacked and burned.
(Or as another author wrote, of a fictional Middle Earth, "And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth. And for two and a half thousand years, the ring passed out of all knowledge.”)
So the non-scientists among us—people like me—must do our part in the recovery too. We, with all others in the community, must create and sustain islands and oases where scientists can gather and organize these curated libraries.