Even though Sci-Fi is the atheist genre, it’s telling that they reinsert God at every opportunity, just with makeup and extra forehead ridges.
The problem with materialist storytelling is that it’s boring. So Sci-Fi authors often sneak the magic in with a new coat of paint. 1/
The problem with materialist storytelling is that it’s boring. So Sci-Fi authors often sneak the magic in with a new coat of paint. 1/
https://twitter.com/gaulicsmith/status/1963897433282199657
If they were to tell stories like they teach in public schools, the message would be: humanity is an accident, we aren’t going anywhere, if we do it doesn’t matter, and you’re all going to die someday. Also you’re monkey spawn.
That’s not inspiring. /2
That’s not inspiring. /2
The atheists of the Carl Sagan variety needed something transcendental, a story that affords mankind dignity, a future, something to live and die for.
“We are stardust, and we’re going to meet God (as long as he’s not Christian)” was the message they settled on. /3
“We are stardust, and we’re going to meet God (as long as he’s not Christian)” was the message they settled on. /3
This satisfies the higher instincts of artists while also allowing people to yearn “the correct way” that avoids the annoying moralizing of Christianity. It’s safe religion. It’s the magic of God without all the crummy stuff that comes with it. They had a good racket going on. /5
Problem is that it’s fake and hollow. It was getting tired in the early 2010s and it’s collapsing in the 2020s. Safe kooky space religion isn’t cut out for the modern world. Each passing day looks more and more like a Hell scene out of Event Horizon. /6
Modern Sci-Fi, if it is to be meaningful at all, can’t handwave towards vague allusions of higher meaning. It has to plunge its hands in the mud and be courageous to provide hard answers. Rationalism and Kumbaya aren’t guiding principles in a world where the gate is open. /end
Damn it. I missed the /4
If you liked this thread, I have a sci-fi audio show exploring these themes. It’s called The Last Human. The first two seasons are out, and it’s available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Link below!
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