Science fiction about overpopulation was far from over
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In his new book one billion Americans, Political journalist Matthew Yglesias paints a positive picture of the future that America has revived itself by tripling the population. He says America’s younger and more competitive world would be more competitive globally and able to meet economic and environmental challenges.
“I think Americans should believe in ourselves,” says Iglesias in section 465. Guide to the Geek Galaxy podcast. “We should believe in our country and aim to achieve greatness and a more inclusive and humane view of ourselves, but also a patriotic spirit that wants to be the world’s leading country.”
This approach is in stark contrast to science fiction books and movies Soylent Green and Steel caves, who present population growth as a recipe for disaster. Yglesias says the grim futures described in these stories are not based on reality.
“Everything on the subject robot novels It is that the living standards on earth are extremely low [Asimov] it describes, if I remember correctly, that it has a population of 8 billion, “he says.” And they are all for some reason living in underground cities and eating algae for almost the population we have today. “
Dystopia scenarios can create exciting stories, but often their predictions are so serious that they inspire hopelessness instead of resolution. “I think if there’s an opinion that something is bad, if it’s a real problem, what needs to be done is to express the problem in the most appalling conditions possible, because it will encourage people to take action,” Yglesias says. “I don’t think that’s appropriate as a theory of human motivation. People are taking steps to prevent minor damage all the time. “
Instead, he thinks we should take a clue Star Trek, and working towards a future in which the problems of humanity are slowly being overcome with the help of technology. “If technology continues to improve, you’ll be better off, even if there are downsides, and that’s the real trajectory we see on our planet,” he says. “There are more people, people are better, the standard of living is higher. The problems are very manageable. “
Listen to the full interview in Matthew 465 with Matthew Yglesias Guide to the Geek Galaxy (above). And see some notable points in the discussion below.
Matthew Yglesias on Spock and Data:
“They are the most memorable and original creations of the show because they are interestingly alternative characters to the audience. But they are not typical audience replacement characters, but nerve replacement characters. You’re someone who thinks you’re more logical than most people you know, but you may not get emotional and social relationships. And there are those [characters] who are making important contributions to the crew, and who like and respect other people. Sometimes they’ll joke with Spock, but they don’t tease. He doesn’t harass people in a real-world way. “
Matthew Yglesias in Superman:
“I think a lot about the story DC where he did a while ago Lex Luthor He becomes president of the United States. … A big part of what Superman struggles with is that there is such a wicked person in the White House who does bad things, but you can’t fly to the White House, dig into the Oval Office, and use the heat approach. President of the United States. The legitimacy of the hero in society, the stability of the American government, would shed light on all sorts of things. So his superpowers have tackled these unresolved issues. He has the ability to do a lot of things that a normal person wouldn’t do, but that constantly raises the question of “What should I do?” What are my duties as a super man? ‘”
Matthew Yglesias in Spider-Man:
“I can’t imagine a moment in my life that I could help someone if I had the power of a spider, but since I didn’t have the power of a spider I couldn’t be useful. And if I want to think about situations that are close, they’re really small things. he asks her to come and help me move, and I can say, ‘Forget it, I can do it alone. I have super strength, I have these nets. All right.’ … I mean, I live in a city with a lot of crime — in Washington DC — but I’ve never witnessed it – I’ve never had anyone die before my eyes, and I could have stopped if I had a web shooter, but I couldn’t do anything because I didn’t have a web launcher. “
About the Matthew Yglesias book publication:
“It will not be feasible for the book publishing and media industries to reflect so sharply on the political beliefs of people who like to live in New York.… Politics has become much more polarized by population density and level of education, so if you get a bunch of college graduates living in a big city. there is nothing wrong with university graduates living in a big city, but they are consensual political opinions.it will be the left path of the national center – okay, but as a business proposition, you can’t run a book publisher like that.It doesn’t make sense commercially or intellectually.in America there are a lot of conservative people. They will write and buy books. It doesn’t make sense to try to stop them. “
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