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From: waltt@tekecs.UUCP (Walt Tucker)
Newsgroups: net.books
Subject: Re: Re: Technology, Literature, Scientists, and Engineers
Message-ID: <5435@tekecs.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 12-Jun-85 18:24:19 EDT
Article-I.D.: tekecs.5435
Posted: Wed Jun 12 18:24:19 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 14-Jun-85 01:26:04 EDT
References: <1103@uwmacc.UUCP> <370011@acf4.UUCP> <1630@reed.UUCP>
Organization: Tektronix, Wilsonville OR
Lines: 22

> This list is ridiculously one sided.  However, that may be mainly because
> there isn't that much good literature out there praising technology.
> Indeed, it would probably seem silly as Vonnegut showed in "Cat's Cradle."
> The only good book that conveys a positive image of technology I can think of
> offhand is Rand's "Anthem."  Anybody out there know of anything other fiction
> that points out (but not necessarily celebrates) the good side of technology?
> 
> 						Mike Sykora

Going back quite aways, how about "Looking Backward" by Edward Bellamy.  This
book, published in the 1880s, is about a man of that period who goes to sleep
and wakes up in the utopian society of the year 2000.  It has been a number
of years (about 10-15) since I read this book, but I seem to recall that the
technology was presented very positively.  Also, many of the predictions were
pretty good considering the time the book was written in.  I have seen
references to this book in a number of literature articles, and get the feeling
that it is one of the classic books dealing with future utopian societies (on
par with "1984" and "Brave New World", which deal with "negative-utopia"
futures).

                           -- Walt Tucker
                              Tektronix, Inc.