If we consider the last blog entry, ‘From Sindbad Science Fiction: Enter The Muslims’, as an introduction to this theme, we must now accept that Muslims have been writing in the Sci-Fi genre of for over a millennia. This is counter the to claims that people of a religious persuasion are inherently threatened by science. In fact it is so incorrect that those people of firm religious belief, adept as the sciences of theology, spirituality and philosophy, even went as far as to speculate on the future of humanity through experimental and theoretical ‘science’ (in reference to natural philosophy as well as the associated sciences all considered under the term philosophy). However, it is true that many people of a religious persuasion are, irrationally, threatened by scientific innovation. With those points in kind, let us now consider our position and more importantly our context in 21st century society.
Context is key to understanding the visions of great thinkers. Whether genius or not, they are no doubt a product of their times, including their dreams, fears and visions for the future. In saying this, we do not deny their ability to envision new or radical approaches, technologies, or the ability to make accurate predictions for future innovation. Such is the nature of speculative science fiction narrative, that it encourages and generates thought in key areas. In many well-documented cases it has led directly to a number of crucial human developments, most notably in the realms of techne and modern science.
Some of the best examples of this come from a selection of my favourite writers. Arthur C. Clarke’s paper on the concept of orbital satellites laid the groundwork for one of the most important technological innovations of the 20th century, without which our navigation, cellular and a plethora of other technologies would be unfeasible. Isaac Asmiov coined the term ‘Robotics’, and developed his three laws or robotics to define the core relationship between the artificially intelligent, and humanity. Despite these ideas being grounded in works of fiction, they are as prescient to our rapidly growing sciences today as Newton’s were to the growth of modern physics, in that they establish a series of ethical and logical positions with distinctive technological, moral and social implications.
The works of Iaim Banks offer some fascinating insights into the technological-human integrations so present in our 21st century lives. Working on the ‘Culture’ novels from the 1980s until his recent death, Banks’ sophisticated layering of sentient life forms, living appendages, drones, avatars and aliens, (with a few humans in the mix) put out an accurate vision of our digital futures that the late Steve Jobs would surely be proud of.
So we know they were dreamers, and we feel they have strong visions for new futures, but how original could these artists possibly be? What are the limitations of the human imaginations, outside of genuine inspiration? Can inspiration be separated from the human psyche at all, or is it a function that we can arrive at through some conscious act(s)?
Those questions have serious theological and philosophicalramifications that we won’t yet explore here, simply as I am not qualified to do so. The distinction between genius and human, so eloquently and succinctly summarised by Elizabeth Gilbert, at least points us in the right direction. Decisions were made, language evolved, associations changed. The result, was a fundamental shift in our beliefs, epitomised in the values of Renaissance Europe and the greater Western Hemisphere :
But what of these visionary writers’ Dream Contexts?
The Dream Context explains some of the directions various writers have moved in and the limitations of what they could envision, as compared to the actual future they referred to. This is particularly obvious when we consider even relatively recent writers, such as H.G. Wells, and the limits of ‘The Shape Of Things To Come’ (although it should be noted that this was a compilation of the various writings of a peer), despite some of its uncanny aspersions that lived true. This can be said even more so of earlier writings, through the Renaissance, to the golden age of Islam and Judaism in the Middle Ages, back to the Classical period. There was only so far one could go outside the limits of one’s contemporary knowledge. Wells is credited with delving into atomic theory (specifically nuclear chain reactions) so astutely that he apparently inspired the Hungarian scientist Leo Szilard in the field (a man responsible for various innovations in nuclear physics, from reactors to the infamous Manhattan Project). But Wells was surely a product of the colonial, imperial, modern industrialised world. He did not go into Atomics, as most of his writings preceded that age. His technologies, fascinating and so often monstrous, were the epitome of the analogue, mechanical and industrial age.
Asmiov was certainly a child of the atomic, Cold War era, which played a significant role in series such as ‘Foundation’. The rise and fall of empires had preceded him, and the new age of the superpower was at full steam. The vast, trans-national social projects of socialism and capitalism were then pitted against one another in a struggle for supremacy spanning all areas of society, which resonates with the galactic scale of the Foundation series’ ‘Psychohistory’, and the role of the various ‘Foundations’ of science and psychology.
Whether it was Clarke’s or Asmiov’s mass engines, Wells’ time machines, or Banks’ pantheon of sentient minds from world masters to jewellery, each of these visionaries was inspired by, and to some extent contained within, the very limits of their contemporary imagination; their Dream Context. Strokes of genius came from beyond them, but were no doubt as real as the pages they wrote on.
So what does one say of the Dream Context of a Prophet? Whether you believe them or not, Prophecy and Revelation come from outside of time and space. Thus they are not limited to a contemporary condition by nature, yet they all began acting within one, inserted into our Universe like a micro-culture dropped into pure water. Generations passed, revelations still remain, prophecies are still coming true and various ones remain unfulfilled. The context of those dreams, visions and fears for our future, much like those of the great science fiction writers, still resonate with us. But there is a fundamental difference at the heart of them. The writings of a literary genius, adept with word and grammar, lucid in his descriptions and the embodiment of his characters, is still confined, very far in the distance, by the constraints of his time and space.
Revelation is from without, yet it enters within. How it will affect Science Fiction, and what it can be, will be a fascinating turn on the 21st century. Islam is credited by both it’s followers and critics of holding incredible sway on our world. It is a tour de force, a highly sophisticated and rapidly moving entity spanning the globe. It is not unique in this way, as Christianity behaves similarly. But Islam’s robustness, it’s ability to incorporate new ideas and cultures and it’s resistance to decay is unique. These qualities are certainly in need of revival across the so-called Muslim World, but they are highly active in the countries where Muslims exist as minorities, particularly in the Western Hemisphere. Islam is here to contribute, inspire and grow through the pens of writers, be they Muslim or not. How it does this, and how it affects contemporary & mainstream culture, will define all of our futures.