Saturday, May 4, 2019

The Fiction of Ideas

'We Can Remember It For You Wholesale' by Phillip K. Dick (which is the inspiration for the film 'Total Recall', apparently) focused on a technology where someone could pay to have memories implanted of a adventure, one they would not know was fake. As the story goes, a humorous series of events shows that the requested fake memories of the main character were actually repressed memories that he actually experienced (like stopping an alien invasion? Okay??). 

Besides the plot itself, this concept of memories is one that is pretty dystopian. I wouldn't be surprised if 'Black Mirror' did a episode focused solely on it sometimes soon. But memories being taken or planted is one that is terrifying to many, and if it were ever possible, would be a dangerous power for the corrupt to have. Particularly the worlds governments. Dick's story doesn't really focus too hard on that angle, weirdly enough, but I think a lot of modern stories probably would. 

Samuel R. Delany's 'Aye and Gomorrah' focuses more on a physical change, where astronauts are neutered and are sexually repressed because of it. And about how there are humans who find that sexually arousing. 

I think both stories, along with modern stories like 'Black Mirror' are dipping into how technology will interact with human nature. I think 'Aye and Gomorrah' worked a bit better than Dick's short. And I think modern stories like 'Black Mirror' do this even better than the other two combined. Most of the episodes of 'Black Mirror' focus on how we will change our minds through technology, and the dangers of missing that technology with the corruption of human nature. 

For instance, 'The Entire History of You' is about an implant that allows for people to record every moment of their life and replay is back at whim, allowing for a disconnect form the present and a obsessive attention to details. 'Playtest' is about an implant that allows the user to experience the virtual world like its real, and 'Men Against Fire' merges the two technologies some to use on soldiers so that they view their opponents as inhuman monsters, and so that any memories they have of who they really are killing is wiped away and replaced with something easier on their consciences. 

All of these stories are just to examine where we are going to go with our technology and how its going to affect everyone on a person-by-person basis. Its a genre thats going to last a while, since we are all just trying to keep up with and adapt to the ridiculously quick release of new technologies, along with trying to figure out how to form our lives around them.