Best selling science fiction books. Their varying influence

 

Best selling science fiction books. Their varying influence

Science fiction books and the paramount advantage they offer to their readers by making them overcome the recession human imagination can face when humans are unable to offer their minds the premiums of new scientific ideas. And to overcome this deficit of intellectual growth at personal level, best selling science fiction books are the most effective option to add increments of new scientific ideas to the scifi reader’s minds. Where these #scifibooks keep reviving and reengineering the nostrum of scifi readers’ mental vivaciousness. Becoming the most potent tool that prevents the minds of scifi readers from getting pushed into a state of intellectual recession. 

But does this mean that all scifi books, in one way or another, help the #scifi raiders to avoid this intellectual bankruptcy, or it specifically applies to tne best selling #scifibooks?

There is no single answer to this question. Since all scifi readers possess different tastes and IQs along with intellectual peaks and crests. As do all scifibooks as well. Therefore, a scifi reader whose intellectual peak is very high may find a scifi book with an ordinary scientific idea unfit to fertilise the intellectual landscape of his/her mind. Whereas a scifi reader whose IQ is at mid range, may find the same scifibook very appropriate to end the aridness of his/her intellectual potential. And that is why this question cannot be answered in one way. For this question to be addressed appropriately and adequately as well, addressing all its facets is necessary.

Let me refer to something interesting at this point and then we shall proceed further. Quoting a very eminent scientist and professor, named Mr. James B. Conant:

 “If science has to gain mainstream popularity we will have to be highly innovative. Because there will be times when many humans will be pursuing social science, history, humanities, literature as subjects of interest. And when that happens, it rests completely on the academicians to infuse the books related with these subjects with scientific angles or perspectives. Which would directly benefit the students pursuing these subjects. Because gradually they will develop scientific intellect and IQ as well- To be exact they will cultivate scientific propensity. This development will be gradual, but it will be so organic that after a generation or so, most of the students will pursue mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry and other related streams of science as their main subjects of interest. It will prevent humans from entering into a retrogressive state, as far as scientific awareness and zeal to pursue it are concerned.”

PS. I have not quoted his exact words or lines from his book titled: On Understanding Science, printed in the year 1951. I have rephrased it to make it more intelligible. And I hope I will not be reprimanded for availing this liberty. I am sure Mr. James B. Conant would not have.

Anyway!

So, what is the point that I am trying to make here?

It is a very simple and uncomplicated one. When I was reading this book, which happens to be twice as old as I am. I realised it is a compilation of his lectures delivered at various universities and at Harvard university as well. And it dealt with a wide range of topics. This made me think for a moment if I really wanted to discover this book at all. 

However, being an assimilation of many lectures the topics tend to change, but the vision always remains the same. That is to say, the intellectual destination does not change in any of his lectures. And this made me carry on with my addictive interaction with the book.

He talks about water pumps and how they evolved in the 1700s and were perfected in the mid 1800s. He also talks about how Galileo’s prosecution changed the relationship between science and theology based understanding of the cosmos. And he hails this moment as groundbreaking because it redefined how humans viewed the solar system, and it challenged the heliocentric view of the world. It was a eureka moment in the scientific world. And he talks about a lot of other fascinating things. He even quotes from a letter sent to Mr. Michael Angelo by some scientist in the mid 1600s. Now what could be a holier relic than getting to feel or see a letter that is touched or felt by the genius himself, Mr. Michael Angelo.

Now, I as a person enjoy knowing about how rockets work, how quarks behave, how muons redefine our view of sub atomic particles, and I think I may know a little about God particle or dark energy. These are fascinating topics, because they force our billions of neutral pathways to redevelop new pathways and reach a neural limit that equals infinity. So, these topics are extremely fascinating.

Now you might wonder what the hell am I doing reading a booklet published by Mr. James B. Conant, that talks about a water pump and how it works on the principle of suction and air pressure? Well, I too thought so when I was reading the book. For a while I thought, really, am I reading this! But then I realised something very appealing. It was the way Mr. James B. Conant had explained different scientific topics and written  about them. He made me feel I was living in the 17th century with no access to electricity, let alone computers. And there I was working on a suction pump, when humans still thought the sun was the center of the universe. And it was this realisation that made me marvel at Mr. James B. Conant’s intellectual indomitability. That as a reader, it was able to lead me into a new world of reading experience. The experience of simplicity of expression, and ability to explain things with such uncomplicatedness that I felt I was the inventor of the water pump. A water pump that a French scientist would perfect later. It also made me aware that Italians occupied the front rows of scientific innovations in the 18th century. 

So, the book that was many decades old, had enough means to help me overcome the aridness of my mind, especially when it came to the topics discussed in it. The book had gradually lit a flame of scientific curiosity in me. Only now it had shifted from muons to water pumps, from dark energy to energy released during combustion. And a lot more.

And this is what we should understand about #scifibooks as well. They enhance the mental capacity of different scifi readers in different ways. Now, if my friend who happens to be a junior engineer with the water works department would have been reading this booklet by Mr. James B. Conant, he may have found the topic related to water pumps boring. Because in 2024 he has the privilege to work with advanced versions of water pumps. But if he would happen to be someone with endless curiosity like Mr. James B. Conant, he would have found the topic fascinating. That is how humans evolved the concept of basic suction water pumps into modern day water pumps that can drain out the water from a small pond in a matter of minutes.

One book can bring different reading satisfaction to every reader. For me it was delightful; for my friend it may have been a drab, for someone who happens to be an engineer in the water works department but has a lot of curiosity, it may have proven to be fascinating and exciting.  

And scifibooks are not any different.

But there are many #scifibooks that have the potential to end the intellectual recession of all #scifi readers. Because they deal with universal topics. Topics that interest us all with the same intensity and appeal.

Which scifibook or any book would be the best example when it comes to this?

Once again, it cannot be classified with particularisation in mind. But it certainly can be generalised for the sake of this blog post.

So, which book?

Well, for me it would be Mr. Albert Camus. Any of his books. Why? Because he deals with topics that matter to all of us, and he writes them in such a style that if you are a passive person by nature it appeals to you, if you are a born rebel it appeals to you as well, if you are someone who believes in being carefree its appeal does not spare you either. He somehow manages to overcome generational and societal gaps with such an intellectual ease that you feel you are reading a book about your own life and its moments of imprecision and highest precision. 

And I personally find him interesting because he is like this young man who is bursting with an infinite reserve of energy and boisterousness, yet he manages to calm all this down when he wants to think and behave like an intellectual. I think this is a rare gift, it is a genetic wonder,; where one can be like Mr. Mike Tyson and at the same time he is able to behave like the best and most refined version of Mr. Leo Tolstoy. They are quite opposing personalities. But Mr. Camus seems to have mastered this skill of personality evolution with an unmatched proficiency. And I personally relate with his personality type more. Now, that might be the reason I opted for Mr. Camus’s books subconsciously to meet the requirements of this blog post. But without letting you wander too far into speculating, I would recommend that you read one of his books. And I am sure you will experience either of the two effects:

I- If you are Mr. Mike Tyson type personality. His book will bring out the Mr. Leo Tolstoy in you.

II- If you are a Mr. Leo Tolstoy like personality. His book will bring out the Mr. Mike Tyson in you. That does not mean you will be now boarding the super-fast train of Adrenalin Rush, it only means you will have endless energy that can be channeled in the right direction.

And this gift is very rare. People with such gifts are genetic masterpieces!

Similarly there are scifi authors who possess Mr. Camus like command over the flow of their story or topic. And for me these scifi authors will be Mr. H. G. Wells and Ms. Mary Shelley. Because their #sciencefiction books have a universal appeal that adds a new idea, a new streak of thought to the mental landscape of every scifi reader. And they do not allow their #scifibooks to get fenced by the scientific redundancies. They tactfully avert these situations by adding deep human emotion to science theme based stories that are moving ahead on the wheels of fiction. And that is a very rare talent to possess.

However, Ms. Shelley would be my favourite, because she thinks like a  scientist but writers like a beautiful and intellectually strong woman with an exceptionally loving heart. If you study her views about Frankenstein’s Monster you would find that she is extremely intelligent but she does not let this peaking quantum of intellect suppress her loving and warm personality. Because she makes you empathise with the Frankenstein's Monster. Who in most cases would be pictured as a grotesque villain. But she has this rare gift of seeing the beauty in the beast. That is what is amazing about her. 

Her #scifibook Frankenstein, fertilises the emotional landscape of scifi readers and at the same time it also enriches their scientific imagination. And not all #scifibooks can accomplish this. 

Hold on! There might be one that gets a little close to her book. Just a little close. And you might want to read this #scifibook to know how close it actually gets to her style. It is titled, They Loved in 2075.

By explaining more about this #scifibook I would not terminate the curiosity you are experiencing when it comes to, They Loved in 2075. Therefore, please read it because a Frankenstein-like surprise is waiting to leave you bedazzled.

For everything else, there is always the water pump to think about, and how muons and dark energy behave, there is Mr. Camus’ willingness to introduce you to the rebel and to the pacifier as well, there is Ms. Shelley to reveal to you the matchless intellectual supremacy with a heart that knows to love as well, and for everything else there is, I guess so; the #scifibook, They Loved in 2075. Because a part of all of them comes alive in it.