Teaching Moments of the 22nd Century
Nov. 21st, 2010 10:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elfsThat evening, Kouryou-chan complained that she hadn't enough "snuggle time" with her parents, and wanted to sleep in the adults' bed. I agreed, figuring that she needed more Daddy time. So, we snuggled down in the big bed and, oddly enough, talked about Mars. (The following conversation only makes sense if you've read A Miracle of Science.)
"People kept coming up to Benjamin and giving him flowers. Why?"
There's something über-futurist about trying to explain to an eleven-year-old the difference between a hivemind and a tribemind. I reached for an example. "Do you like ice cream?"
"Of course I like ice cream, Daddy." Complete with eyeroll.
"But, before I brought it up, were you thinking about how much you like ice cream?"
"No."
"So, 'liking ice cream' is just something you know about yourself, and comes to the top of your mind only when the topic of 'ice cream' is brought out into the open, by seeing it, or talking about it, right?"
"Right."
"That's what's going on, on Mars. In that scene, Benjamin is sitting in the park, watching Caprice go and get ice cream-- "
"Sherbert, Daddy."
"Sherbert, right. Anyway, people are walking through the park and each person who sees Benjamin sees this person who's not part of their collective and wonders who he is. The way Mars is, though, that person then remembers who he is, as if he'd always known, that he's Benjamin Prester, and that Mars-- and all Martians-- like Benjamin. Mars doesn't enforce that, it's not like they're ordered to like Benjamin, everyone just does, the way you like ice cream. And the kinds of people who would give a flower to someone they like go up and give Benjamin a flower. But Mars needs people to be individuals too, or it would just be one boring person, so it doesn't 'remind' all Martians about everything, like that they like ice cream; it leaves many important decisions, like who you are, and who you fall in love with, and what flavor of ice cream you like, up to you. That's why it's a tribemind, and not a hivemind. People are still individuals, but they have agreed to a few strong common goals, and share those on the same deep, subconscious level where ordinary individuals like you and me keep their own wants and goals."
Kouryou-chan not only understood this concept, but agreed that it was very cool. We didn't get into the how of this, for obvious reasons, for which I was grateful.
"People kept coming up to Benjamin and giving him flowers. Why?"
There's something über-futurist about trying to explain to an eleven-year-old the difference between a hivemind and a tribemind. I reached for an example. "Do you like ice cream?"
"Of course I like ice cream, Daddy." Complete with eyeroll.
"But, before I brought it up, were you thinking about how much you like ice cream?"
"No."
"So, 'liking ice cream' is just something you know about yourself, and comes to the top of your mind only when the topic of 'ice cream' is brought out into the open, by seeing it, or talking about it, right?"
"Right."
"That's what's going on, on Mars. In that scene, Benjamin is sitting in the park, watching Caprice go and get ice cream-- "
"Sherbert, Daddy."
"Sherbert, right. Anyway, people are walking through the park and each person who sees Benjamin sees this person who's not part of their collective and wonders who he is. The way Mars is, though, that person then remembers who he is, as if he'd always known, that he's Benjamin Prester, and that Mars-- and all Martians-- like Benjamin. Mars doesn't enforce that, it's not like they're ordered to like Benjamin, everyone just does, the way you like ice cream. And the kinds of people who would give a flower to someone they like go up and give Benjamin a flower. But Mars needs people to be individuals too, or it would just be one boring person, so it doesn't 'remind' all Martians about everything, like that they like ice cream; it leaves many important decisions, like who you are, and who you fall in love with, and what flavor of ice cream you like, up to you. That's why it's a tribemind, and not a hivemind. People are still individuals, but they have agreed to a few strong common goals, and share those on the same deep, subconscious level where ordinary individuals like you and me keep their own wants and goals."
Kouryou-chan not only understood this concept, but agreed that it was very cool. We didn't get into the how of this, for obvious reasons, for which I was grateful.
Tribemind is a great term.
Date: 2010-11-21 07:35 pm (UTC)A Miracle of Science was one of my favourite comics while it ran, and it's always nice to see somebody else getting to enjoy it as well.
Tribemind ... it's a good way of describing it, so much more relaxed than Hivemind (and the society on Mars is much more relaxed than a hive-mind would be).
Did you ever have anything like that show up in the Pendorverse? It's a bit long for me to quickly check ... :)
-- Brett
Re: Tribemind is a great term.
Date: 2010-11-21 09:20 pm (UTC)Which, i suspect, reflects my interest in what people are doing rather than some long-term existential being condition. Which is ironic because I find myself more often than not mulling over what Ken & company will be-- just how much contribution they can make-- when they're into their tenth millenium.
Re: Tribemind is a great term.
Date: 2010-11-22 02:14 am (UTC)