I mistyped George sorry and the mistake was almost invisible on the ipad editing window! Is this progress?

Hello Georgina - Thank you for a very entertaining and provocative read. I always love an ending where the good guys have won, but like Tommaso, I ended up with a queasy feeling. The community you describe would seem to involve conformity and compliance as a primary value, and the result seems serene, almost plastic. This is perhaps an appropriate cocoon for a child in school, but you have not given a clear picture of what the community is like at the adult level. Conformity and compliance at this level for adults could depress rather than promote innovation, initiative and creativity - all essential for continued survival in the face of continuous change and challenge.

You've discussed this concern in your responses above, and as you say "smooth seas do not make good sailors". Perhaps there is another level to your narrative that is only faintly revealed - the immense fear and vigilance of the adult community required to sustain this child's sense of peace - vigilance which includes personal self-sacrifice (forays to the surface, dangerous missions, emergency bio-hazards to fight) - something which generates the motivations to build and sustain the powerful shared moral framework on which the community rests...... We all love a good story with a balance of good and evil - and good winning out in the end (but just barely).

Thanks for the inspiration. - George

    I second you, Tommaso. John Boorman's Zardoz came immediately to mind. Then Orwell's 1984 with its indoctrination of the middle classes and exclusion of the proletariate. (Thinking I might want to escape and join the prols, I was going to add Lucas's THX 1138 to the mix; but freedom of movement isn't policed in that direction.) Georgina is quite frank in acknowledging these dystopic overtones. - Mike

    Hi Wilhelmus,

    you are right that the seas have never been entirely smooth but mankind has lived through the best of times in the relatively stable inter glacial period. Now it seems climate change will only add to our woes world wide. More droughts more floods, more tornadoes and cyclones, more lightning, more wildfires, more heatwaves, more unseasonable weather, as well as a population still growing and oil running out that mechanized intensive agriculture, that has fed the world, depends upon.

    I will read your essay Wilhelmus : )

    Hi George,

    thanks for reading the essay and for filling in the blanks in your own way. My daughter also informed me that in a story something exciting or intriguing has to actually happen. We were only allowed 9 pages and were instructed to be optimistic. All I have done is set the scene, as a vehicle for highlighting a number of issues and their solutions. They are facing the unknown. What they can do is to learn how to survive whatever happens, they are 'filling the tool box' so to speak, so that they have what they need to do that.

    High culture and creativity are two measures of the success of the sanctuary so there will be effort put into enabling and encouraging personal development and exploration and celebration in those areas. I imagine just as the children learn to create virtual environments to explore so do the adults, not just as games but as experiences. Art is not limited to external images and objects but becomes immersive and interactive too. Architecture is also a creative field in which old limitations might be left behind. Building unimaginable shapes There is also no reason why the sanctuaries could not 'evolve' over time to better meet the emotional and intellectual needs of the people. A symbiotic relationship is imagined in which the people serve the needs of the sanctuary and the sanctuary serves the needs of the people.

    Hi Vladimir,

    Yes George is OK if you like, the 'ina' is just a feminisation.

    Thank you so much for your very appreciative comments. Glad you picked up that the tale is not mere fantasy but is a vehicle for raising a number of problems facing humanity and their solutions, linked to current scientific knowledge.

    Glad you enjoyed it.

    Hi Gene,

    this is actually my first attempt at fiction (since high school). I found it surprisingly easy to write as my imagination did a lot of the work for me. I have written other FQXi essays but I would only recommend "Which of our basic physical assumptions are wrong", as it is relatively easy to read and was well received. It contains the diagram of the explanatory framework for physics which was in passing referred to in the last section of the story you read. There is also an enlarged copy of the diagram in the discussion thread. Prior to finding FQXi.org on which I am able to discuss and share ideas I wrote a few books but I am no longer distributing them as my ideas have moved on, it is not financially viable or worthwhile to me to produce and distribute them and I am also a better writer now than then. Perhaps this contest may inspire me to wrote more fiction. Really glad you found it enjoyable, and yes I do think we have a lot to learn.

    Hi Joe, thanks glad you enjoyed it and found it informative. I really appreciate you taking the time to read and comment.

    Hi Domenico,

    glad you found some sense in it. I suppose it might be a bit disorienting. There is a narrative in black type which is describing life in the sanctuary . There is the writing on the girl's computer and home screen in blue, sayings that bind the community together and lessons that the girl is being taught. Then in red is technical information from the Knowledge Hub, which is I imagine is the communities super computer and repository of knowledge. The technical information is not a necessary part of the story but provides actual scientific information to back up the story details. The reference numbers throughout refer to the reference list at the end in which there are many hyperlinks making the finding of additional information easy.

    Population growth is slowing but it is still growth. I am unsure about the future promise of biotechnology due to the hit and miss nature of using virus vectors.(Possible damage to the plants genetic code by the insertion of the vector and attached code.) There is some debate about the safety of GM crops. the increasing use of pesticide on Roundup ready crops and the problem of resistant weeds arising from unintended gene transfer. Perhaps one day it may be possible just to print out desired genetic code circumventing the vector issue.

    Thanks for your comments.

    Dear Georgina,

    Very enjoyable essay!

    You have a fascinating futuristic world. How are we to get there from where we are now, I am wondering. What practical steps are feasible? Will appreciate your thoughts. For instance, how to regulate and restrict the primordial instinct, and the individual freedom, to procreate, given the way societies function today?

    Kind regards,

    Tejinder

      Georgina,

      I have to say, from my personal perspective, that is a very tough read. I started it a few days ago and had to stop. Much of what you describe is potentially quite logical, but on an emotional level, I find myself rejecting it quite vehemently. Maybe this is due to my own fairly comfortable and usually outside life, but there is a degree of sterility I sense would be quite deadening. Not to say much of current society isn't already overly sterilized, but then I try to avoid leaving the farm.

      I think if I was to take one point to argue over, it would be the emphasis on survival. Now logically it would seem survival is a natural prerequisite for life, but I would go out on a limb here and argue the opposite, that so much of living is about expression and that it is this cycle of rising and falling which is most elemental. Simple survival would be like a flatline on the heart monitor. DNA is about survival. Individual lives are about pushing the boundaries as far as possible. Like a tree, the growth rings are on the outside, while the wood in the trunk is stable but prone to rot. A healthy society is often on the border of chaos and order is for the churches, schools and courts.

      Regards,

      John

        John,

        thanks for reading it. The story is a vehicle for raising and giving solutions to a number of problems.On this discussion thread a have given a list of many of the problems raised. It is set of a time when surface living has become too difficult for most because of the consequences of climate change. Though subterranean or sub-aquatic living is not compulsory and some have decided to stay outside and 'battle' the elements. I would ague with you view that there is a degree of sterility . Unlike many other Utopian tales nature has been taken into the sanctuaries for its continuation and for the needs of mankind. As I said mankind belongs with the tree of life. Disease is avoided by having a healthy natural microflora living in the environment. There are green spaces for recreation and stress relief, there are wildlife zones there is horticulture and aquaculture. There are companion animals for stress relief and companionship.

        There is a hierarchy of needs and at the base there are the prerequisites for survival. Without the ability to survive non of the higher needs will be fulfilled. The societies are facing the unknown and so is filling its 'tool box' with means of survival so that they are able to adapt to whatever happens. They are becoming highly versatile. Yes I agree about pushing boundaries but that is what these people are doing by biominicry, bio-engineering,and creative cultural pursuits. High culture and creativity are measures of the sanctuaries success.See may reply to George Gantz re.creativity

        Hi Tejinder,

        thank you for reading my essay and for the questions.

        Perhaps Japan might give us an idea of a society where procreation is not universally considered a priority. Japanese adults could choose to have children but many are not. Though there has been a rise in companion dog ownership. Demographics of Japan There are other purposes for which lives can be lead. And with busy fulfilled lives there isn't a place for children too. In my 'Utopia' it's the people who want to be parents more than anything else and are prepared to dedicate their lives to the role of raising those children that do that. They give up other options in order to fulfill that primary desire.Children are not an add on that parents don't really have time for, or accidents, or extensions of their selfish parent's egos.

        increasing childlessness in Germany and Japan

        Helen Mirram confronts the final female taboo

        Quote: "Although a minority of women choose not to have children, the trend constitutes a genuine revolution, pointing to some unspoken resistance to motherhood. As we know, as soon as women were able to control reproduction, pursue studies, enter the job market and aspire to financial independence, motherhood stopped being an inevitable, self-evident step and became a choice instead."By Elisabeth Badinter, Special to CNN, May 15, 2012 "Why are rich nations birthrates in freefall?"

        Its seems given a choice many women choose to be child free(rather than just child less), ie. not having children seen as a positive state of affairs.

        Peaceful transition to the kind of societies imagined would require public familiarization with the various problems that have lead to their necessity.See also my reply to Tommaso.

        Mostly the story is a vehicle for introducing numerous problems and giving solutions. For a list please look in this discussion thread at Apr. 22, 2014 @ 21:41 GMT

        It is important to appreciate that this is not just a pretty Utopian fantasy.

        Real problems that are or may well soon affect mankind are raised and importantly solutions are given. I have not merely said this is a problem or we should do something or lets all be nice to each other ( though of course that is desirable).

        Here are some of the problems raised in the essay (not in the order they appear ), read it carefully to find the solutions.

        Growth of population, 2.growth in the consumption of resources,3.unwanted / uncared for children,4.education in the future,5.diet,,6.stress,7.antibiotic resistance, 8.desertification,9.sea level rise,10.how to adapt to the unknown,11.maintaining social cohesion,12.mass migrations,13.maintaining good will, co-operation, and genetic exchange between isolated communities,14.potential ice age,15.how to feel worthwhile without children,16.need for sustainable measures of economic success,17.need for a shared goal and values for humanity,18.self sufficiency,19.security,20.How to create independent colonies suitable for space migration,21.what happens to non human life as climate change progresses? 22.cancer

        The tale progresses from a rather stark opening quote that shows the devaluation of humanity and ends on an uplifting quote that in contrast shows the unappreciated value of life, and especially the human being. It also progresses through a day from 'sunrise' to 'sunset'.Physics is woven into the tale both in the context of problems we will face and as solutions to problems. I particularly like the realization that light at night is linked to cancer and so can be prevented by a healthy sleep regime.

        The final section relates to my explanatory framework for physics in which the (material un-written )future is not fully determined so mankind has freewill to build his future. Through out the essay are many references the reference list contains a large number of hyperlinks making the access of additional information easy.

          Georgina,

          I well appreciate that you have taken an extremely hard-headed view of many of the problems faced by humanity and yet have tried, given the most extreme consequences, to distill out a message of hope. I have to say that I am much more a person of my particular circumstance and do admittedly bury my head in the sand about many major issues, even many happening today, because I know that with my own limited attention and time, it's best to focus on what little I do have some influence over. As such mine is about a specific issue that will be needed to be addressed in our own lifetimes and I leave other problems, from climate change, to war, for those more focused on pursuing them.

          Best wishes,

          John

          Hi Michael, Tommaso,

          I had not heard of 'Zardoz' but have now read about it on Wikipedia and watched a trailer for the film. Oh dear I will never think of Sean Connery in the same way again!

          I envision "my warriors" to have a role more akin to that of soldier ants that guard and keep safe the colony. Rather than being completely separate independent agents they are still a functional part though taking on a specialized role.

          I don't see them as brutal and undisciplined but quite the opposite. Working in well regulated groups for mutual protection and survival. They are not 'gladiators' working for public entertainment, as in 'Zardoz'. Though I think applauding their efforts and celebrating their successes is important to give work satisfaction and esteem to the warriors. Important because their dissatisfaction would risk the warriors turning on their own sanctuary.

          Immortality is a theme explored in 'Zardoz'. I have not looked at the problem/s of immortality or drastic life extension. Maybe it should have been mentioned in my essay but a large number of other problems were dealt with. The story assumes moderately extended life span due to: eradication of disease, famine and war, optimized diet and sleep regulation. 0% population growth through planned child birth rate.

          Thanks, Georgina

          Mohammed,

          Thank you so much for reading my easy and for your kind comments. Glad you agree with the overall message.

          Maintaining genetic diversity within the population is important for genetic fitness,i.e. the population has greater adaptability to unknown challenges through the various phenotype differences.Genetic drift should be avoided to maintain all kinds of suitabilities and diverse 'strengths'.

          It may be that all of the children are not necessarily the biological offspring of their parents. Perhaps gametes from the whole population could be pooled and embryos developed from selections of healthy gametes. Or perhaps excellence in any dedication has the reward of one's gametes being added to a pool for possible embryo development.

          This system would allow rejection of defective gametes prior to embryo creation.And, as outlined above, an element of competition in selection of the biological parents of the next generation, as occurs in nature, could be incorporated. These kind of ideas stray into the difficult subject of eugenics which is beyond the scope of my essay but has been considered by Judy Nabb.