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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
This was such a short but very profound read. E.M Forster was way ahead of his time.
Damn. Most prescient thing I've ever read in my life. Dude predicted the Metaverse and internet-age pandemic self-isolation in 1909. What?!
One of my favorite books that I have had to read for school. Even though it was written in 1909 the themes are still very relevant today. I quick read and a definite nerdy recommendation.
Favorite quotes:
-“Beware of first-hand ideas!” exclaimed one of the most advanced of them. “First-hand ideas do not really exist. They are but the physical impressions produced by love and fear, and on this gross foundation who could erect a philosophy? Let your ideas be second-hand, and if possible tenth-hand, for then they will be far removed from that disturbing element — direct observation.
-Time passed, and they resented the defects no longer. The defects had not been remedied, but the human tissues in that latter day had become so subservient, that they readily adapted themselves to every caprice of the Machine.
-All were bitterly complained of at first, and then acquiesced in and forgotten. Things went from bad to worse unchallenged.
-Man, the flower of all flesh, the noblest of all creatures visible, man who had once made god in his image, and had mirrored his strength on the constellations, beautiful naked man was dying, strangled in the garments that he had woven.
-“Beware of first-hand ideas!” exclaimed one of the most advanced of them. “First-hand ideas do not really exist. They are but the physical impressions produced by love and fear, and on this gross foundation who could erect a philosophy? Let your ideas be second-hand, and if possible tenth-hand, for then they will be far removed from that disturbing element — direct observation.
-Time passed, and they resented the defects no longer. The defects had not been remedied, but the human tissues in that latter day had become so subservient, that they readily adapted themselves to every caprice of the Machine.
-All were bitterly complained of at first, and then acquiesced in and forgotten. Things went from bad to worse unchallenged.
-Man, the flower of all flesh, the noblest of all creatures visible, man who had once made god in his image, and had mirrored his strength on the constellations, beautiful naked man was dying, strangled in the garments that he had woven.
Disclosure: I only read "The Machine Stops", and this is what I'm rating 5 stars. "The Machine Stops" was a beautifully short and accurate depiction of the dangerous capabilities that technology possesses to influence our society.. and it was written over a century ago, which only makes it all the more captivating to read! I absolutely loved it.
Haunting, and I honestly didn't enjoy reading it but I also could stop until I finished it? Written in 1909, it's a little eery how accurate some of his predictions are.
http://apolloreborn.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-machine-stops.html
"The clumsy system of public gatherings had been long since abandoned; neither Vashti nor her audience stirred from their rooms. Seated in her armchair she spoke, while they in their armchairs heard her, fairly well, and saw her, fairly well." written in 1909, could've been written in 2020.
Considering this book was first published in 1909 it is clearly mentioning technology such as Skype, undersea cables, the Internet, etc. It just blew my mind how this all became reality right down to us living in a room connected to others solely by The Machine.
Imagine living in a world where humans interact by computer screen and rely on technology to bring them anything they want. This is the world that E.M. Forster imagined back in the early 1900’s in The Machine Stops and I wonder if he had any idea how portentous his story would turn out to be. In Forster’s world, humans had become so reliant on technology and leadership that they ceased thinking for themselves and had no need for physical human contact. Humanity had, quite literally, driven itself underground and given itself over to the whims of The Machine. Collectively, it was easier to do as told than to protest, and humans swallowed the stories told to them by The Machine without question in order to avoid any discomfort. But amidst the complacent darkness, there was one man sought the light and The Machine Stops is his story.
This book is entirely too relevant to today’s world. It’s not hard to draw parallels from The Machine to our political system. We also live in a society that oftentimes values individual comforts over the collective good. Plus, we do, actually, idolize and interact by computer screen and can have goods delivered to us with the touch of a button. So while we may not live underground and shy away from sunlight, the following quotes pulled from The Machine Stops demonstrate exactly how prescient Forster may have been.
This review was originally posted at The Book Wheel.
This book is entirely too relevant to today’s world. It’s not hard to draw parallels from The Machine to our political system. We also live in a society that oftentimes values individual comforts over the collective good. Plus, we do, actually, idolize and interact by computer screen and can have goods delivered to us with the touch of a button. So while we may not live underground and shy away from sunlight, the following quotes pulled from The Machine Stops demonstrate exactly how prescient Forster may have been.
This review was originally posted at The Book Wheel.