3 ms·

Drug Themes in Science Fiction, by Robert Silverberg (1974) [pdf]

52 points by benbreen 6y ago

KineticLensman 6y ago
> That is, in a period of social upheaval such as we have experienced since the death of John F. Kennedy and the escalation of the Vietnamese war, conventional modes of behavior lose their appeal, and fascination with the bizarre, the alien, the unfamiliar , the strange, with all sorts of stimulation that provide escape from the realities of the moment, increases at a great rate. Written in 1974, this comment still seems true today, although the means of escape is probably now social media, rather than the drugs being discussed by Silverberg
- e9 6y ago
  I disagree actually, there is strong resurgence of psychedelic movement(hence decriminalization of shrooms, etc in various parts of the country)
Fnoord 6y ago
From [1]: "Many musicians have made songs referencing their heroin usage." That article provides references and examples. What do Apocalypse Now and A Scanner Darkly have in common? Drug abuse (I use the term abuse because the usage turns out harmful in both works). Philip K. Dick (writer of A Scanner Darkly, and other science fiction) is known to have used e.g. amphetamine. I would assume its because the authors are or have been recreational users as well. Heroin was used as medicine long before it was made illegal. Musicians used it, and wrote about the usage. A lot of the references are hidden, for example Alice D. in Wonderland or Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. When I told my parents about that (they were teens/young adults in the 60/70s) they were flabbergasted. Its kind of like a wink or nudge, given drug usage or abuse being socially not accepted. Edit: Another thing to add: Religions and traditions are full with drugs references as well. Find the mushrooms in old paintings of say Jesus Christ. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroin#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroin#History
- egypturnash 6y ago
  Are you sure your parents weren’t just pretending to be flabbergasted? I was a kid in the seventies and it was pretty common knowledge that Lucy was a drug joke despite Lennon’s insistence that it was just based on a drawing his kid did.
  - Fnoord 6y ago
    About the average or random parent, no. Mine? Yes, 100% sure. My parents aren't native English speakers though. Plus, they never experimented much with that type of drugs (it was tobacco, alcohol, and a few joints during teenage years). I've been a tad more naughty, and that was a period in my life. It was after that period that I brought it up to my parents. Found yet another reference (also brought up in the PDF), in Brave New World: "Huxley took the name for the drug used by the state to control the population after the Vedic ritual drink Soma, inspired by his interest in Indian mysticism." [1] Folklore has an abundance of drug references. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soma_(drink) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soma_(drink)
- varispeed 6y ago
  I wonder why the industry does not single out musicians who aid their work with drugs akin to using illegal supplements by athletes. It seems like by use of substances those musicians get competitive advantage over musicians who abstain from drugs and want to be on the right side of law. But somehow still the drug use among artists is viewed as "cool". This fascinates me that for one group such behaviour seems acceptable, but for another it's a big no-no.
  - TeMPOraL 6y ago
    My guess would be: because the audience - the general public - doesn't care about the in-industry competition for the top spots in music popularity charts[0]. People enjoy songs in isolation - a piece may be "good", or "bad", but isn't "unfair". In most spectator sports, however, ranking of the performers is everything, and perceived fairness is paramount - so the industry does its best to equalize every possible factor except the intrinsic qualities of people and teams. -- [0] - Hell, at least for pop music, IIRC those charts are mostly manufactured anyway and have little to do with any subjective or objective qualities of the songs in question.
ArtWomb 6y ago
It seems strange to me that in 2020 no major research center has been established to actively try and invent Huxley's Soma! As if medicinal uses are all well and good, but hedonics, mystical practices and pure escapism are not deemed necessities for human existence ;)
- yboris 6y ago
  I recommend reading Wireheading Done Right https://qualiacomputing.com/2016/08/20/wireheading_done_right https://qualiacomputing.com/2016/08/20/wireheading_done_righ... There are some excellent interviews with Andrés Gómez Emilsson about this topic. Here's a great start: https://mostinterestingpeople.podbean.com/e/16-andres-gomez-emilsson-on-solving-consciousness-and-being-happy-all-the-time/ https://mostinterestingpeople.podbean.com/e/16-andres-gomez-...
yboris 6y ago
The Nexus Trilogy explores a 'drug' that lets users communicate with each other telepathically, creating a large network. Was a fun read. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nexus_Trilogy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nexus_Trilogy The three books: Nexus, Crux, and Apex by Ramez Naam
fuzzfactor 6y ago
I remember _Drug of Choice_ from 1969: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18310318-drug-of-choice https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18310318-drug-of-choice Of course not as many had ever heard of Michael Crichton at the time. And this was way before the supposed Fyre _festival_. Eventually when they opened the initial far-from-complete version of Disney World, isolated in the middle of nowhere like a hidden Emerald City far from Orlando, when you went there, after you left it felt to some extent like it could have all been a mirage or an expereience influenced by some kind of gas they had in the air or something. Especially if you had been aware of what it was like when the area was 100 percent swamp, and back then it was still over 99 percent so outside appearances were no different yet. The Bahamas is isolated too and it's a famous resort even though it's always been 99 percent desert islands the whole time itself.

52 points by benbreen 6y ago

> That is, in a period of social upheaval such as we have experienced since the death of John F. Kennedy and the escalation of the Vietnamese war, conventional modes of behavior lose their appeal, and fascination with the bizarre, the alien, the unfamiliar , the strange, with all sorts of stimulation that provide escape from the realities of the moment, increases at a great rate. Written in 1974, this comment still seems true today, although the means of escape is probably now social media, rather than the drugs being discussed by Silverberg

e9 6y ago
I disagree actually, there is strong resurgence of psychedelic movement(hence decriminalization of shrooms, etc in various parts of the country)

Fnoord 6y ago

From [1]: "Many musicians have made songs referencing their heroin usage." That article provides references and examples. What do Apocalypse Now and A Scanner Darkly have in common? Drug abuse (I use the term abuse because the usage turns out harmful in both works). Philip K. Dick (writer of A Scanner Darkly, and other science fiction) is known to have used e.g. amphetamine. I would assume its because the authors are or have been recreational users as well. Heroin was used as medicine long before it was made illegal. Musicians used it, and wrote about the usage. A lot of the references are hidden, for example Alice D. in Wonderland or Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. When I told my parents about that (they were teens/young adults in the 60/70s) they were flabbergasted. Its kind of like a wink or nudge, given drug usage or abuse being socially not accepted. Edit: Another thing to add: Religions and traditions are full with drugs references as well. Find the mushrooms in old paintings of say Jesus Christ. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroin#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroin#History

egypturnash 6y ago
Are you sure your parents weren’t just pretending to be flabbergasted? I was a kid in the seventies and it was pretty common knowledge that Lucy was a drug joke despite Lennon’s insistence that it was just based on a drawing his kid did.
- Fnoord 6y ago
  About the average or random parent, no. Mine? Yes, 100% sure. My parents aren't native English speakers though. Plus, they never experimented much with that type of drugs (it was tobacco, alcohol, and a few joints during teenage years). I've been a tad more naughty, and that was a period in my life. It was after that period that I brought it up to my parents. Found yet another reference (also brought up in the PDF), in Brave New World: "Huxley took the name for the drug used by the state to control the population after the Vedic ritual drink Soma, inspired by his interest in Indian mysticism." [1] Folklore has an abundance of drug references. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soma_(drink) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soma_(drink)
varispeed 6y ago
I wonder why the industry does not single out musicians who aid their work with drugs akin to using illegal supplements by athletes. It seems like by use of substances those musicians get competitive advantage over musicians who abstain from drugs and want to be on the right side of law. But somehow still the drug use among artists is viewed as "cool". This fascinates me that for one group such behaviour seems acceptable, but for another it's a big no-no.
- TeMPOraL 6y ago
  My guess would be: because the audience - the general public - doesn't care about the in-industry competition for the top spots in music popularity charts[0]. People enjoy songs in isolation - a piece may be "good", or "bad", but isn't "unfair". In most spectator sports, however, ranking of the performers is everything, and perceived fairness is paramount - so the industry does its best to equalize every possible factor except the intrinsic qualities of people and teams. -- [0] - Hell, at least for pop music, IIRC those charts are mostly manufactured anyway and have little to do with any subjective or objective qualities of the songs in question.

ArtWomb 6y ago

It seems strange to me that in 2020 no major research center has been established to actively try and invent Huxley's Soma! As if medicinal uses are all well and good, but hedonics, mystical practices and pure escapism are not deemed necessities for human existence ;)

yboris 6y ago
I recommend reading Wireheading Done Right https://qualiacomputing.com/2016/08/20/wireheading_done_right https://qualiacomputing.com/2016/08/20/wireheading_done_righ... There are some excellent interviews with Andrés Gómez Emilsson about this topic. Here's a great start: https://mostinterestingpeople.podbean.com/e/16-andres-gomez-emilsson-on-solving-consciousness-and-being-happy-all-the-time/ https://mostinterestingpeople.podbean.com/e/16-andres-gomez-...

yboris 6y ago

The Nexus Trilogy explores a 'drug' that lets users communicate with each other telepathically, creating a large network. Was a fun read. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nexus_Trilogy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nexus_Trilogy The three books: Nexus, Crux, and Apex by Ramez Naam

fuzzfactor 6y ago

I remember _Drug of Choice_ from 1969: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18310318-drug-of-choice https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18310318-drug-of-choice Of course not as many had ever heard of Michael Crichton at the time. And this was way before the supposed Fyre _festival_. Eventually when they opened the initial far-from-complete version of Disney World, isolated in the middle of nowhere like a hidden Emerald City far from Orlando, when you went there, after you left it felt to some extent like it could have all been a mirage or an expereience influenced by some kind of gas they had in the air or something. Especially if you had been aware of what it was like when the area was 100 percent swamp, and back then it was still over 99 percent so outside appearances were no different yet. The Bahamas is isolated too and it's a famous resort even though it's always been 99 percent desert islands the whole time itself.