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©2008-2009 *ahermin
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Artist's Comments

"The world's now cold, featureless, and culturally dead; nothing really new has been created since the Overlords came ... there's nothing left to struggle for, and there are too many distractions and entertainments." - Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke

This quote is from Chapter 15, where a pitchman tries to convince George Greggson and his wife Jean to join the New Athens colony. It is the strictest and most concise warning of what may await humanity if a utopia were ever to be created (unlikely to happen in the real world any time soon, without the deus ex machina of a benevolent alien invasion). Since Thomas More introduced the idea in the Enlightenment, many philosophers have rejected the notion of a utopian society as completely imaginary: an idealistic, abstract idea. Childhood's End gives the reader a glimpse into what such a society might look like, were it ever to exist—and the results are not encouraging. Clarke's conception of utopia might differ from a more modern one now. A modern conception of utopia would probably involve people working on renewable resources, such as farming, and everyone would probably live on, at least, a slightly lower level of modernity. But in the 1950s, Clarke's conception of utopia meant that everything was industrialized: food, clothing, shelter, etc. are produced in factories and available to anyone who wanted it. It is questionable whether the Overlords' utopia would have been sustainable without the Overlords' frequent supply ships bringing new resources to Earth.
In any event, the notion that artistic achievement would begin to decline in a utopia, while entertainment becomes increasingly important, is probably a very accurate prediction. Something similar has happened in history before when a large number of people are relatively happy. Rome lost its sense of society in increasingly violent gladiatorial games. Even Americans, in the second half of the twentieth century—and particularly after the end of the Cold War—turned increasingly to entertainment as a way to get along with everyday life, which lacked the hardships and struggle of their ancestors. In its predictions, the utopia of Childhood's End has much to say to modern Western World.

Comments


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:iconkorrektor:
I love your work, man. And I absolutely agree with your philosophy here. Keep them coming.

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it's tough in the boot camp... it's easy in the battle
:iconchristyna-x:
amazing colour..amazing pic....amazing concept

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the one that keeps the curtains closed
:iconandrei-joldos:
Also an amazing track from Iron Maiden [link] , inspired probably by the book.

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If it's not broken, don't fix it!
:iconcrazyamazinglisa:
I love all these beautiful window series you've got going :)

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♥♥Lisa
:icongverti:
Where did you take this? It's beautiful.
:iconthetopcrusader:
The lighting is at its best here. :D Wonderful piece.

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J.B. Lewis

Website: jblewisphotography.com
Facebook: facebook.com/jblewisphotography

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)
:icontgphotographer:
really great!

--
My personal site: [link]
My deviantART page: [link]
Flickr: [link]
:iconkiagirl91:
love it!

--
"There must be some
kind of way out of here"

Details

May 26, 2008
6.1 MB
134 KB
900×600

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131 [who?]
2,152 (2 today)
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Camera Data

SONY
DSC-R1
10/400 second
F/13.0
30 mm
200
May 26, 2008, 6:09:28 PM

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