Re: Anti-extropianism in the new Star Trek

From: J. R. Molloy (jr@shasta.com)
Date: Tue Mar 06 2001 - 16:17:13 MST


From: <Eugene.Leitl@lrz.uni-muenchen.de>
> Actually, on the whole entertainment incrementally edges towards
depicting
> more advanced technology. The depictions are rarely accurate, but at
least
> broader masses get to associate a label with something visual and
attaching
> some meaning.

Because the entertainment industry has for its purpose the making of money
by entertaining people, this may have an entropic cultural effect in that
people come to prefer cheap entertainment to the expensive realization of
scientific goals. Could it happen that some people feel no passion to
create a real advanced technology, since they've already seen one in the
movies... and that the movie experience felt more satisfying than doing
the hard work of science? Sadly, you can see that happening in the lines
cueing for science fiction films. You can hear it coming from enthusiasts
who've made science fiction their religion, with Trekkies one denomination
of it.

Or does the entertainment industry inspire young brains to pursue careers
in science so that they can make real their visionary longings? What movie
inspired Watson and Crick? As a child, did Bill Gates see a movie about
The Road Ahead? On the whole, I feel like decrying all SF movies as
anti-extropian.

τΏτ

Stay hungry,

--J. R.

Useless hypotheses: consciousness, phlogiston, philosophy, vitalism, mind,
free will



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