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Overthinking Things
May. 21st, 2007 08:21 pmI recently read a couple of items that at first glance don't seem at all related. On second thought, they share a common thread.
The first item was David Brin's 1985 novel The Postman
. This book is the basis for the 1997 Kevin Costner movie of the same name.
Brin's book is much better then the Costner movie. First, the title character, Gordon Krantz, is an ex-intellectual and much more self-doubting then in the movie. Second, Brin spends a fair amount of capital providing a theoretical underpining to the bandit army. They are survivalists, following the writings of Nathan Holn, a vaguely-authoritarian nut who was hung for his troubles. In fact, the term "Holnist" is used interchangeably with the word survivalist in the book.
Brin explains what caused the collapse of the United States after a limited nuclear war, and part of the problem was the survivalist mentality. That, and various folks acting selfishly for short-term gain. It's a thoughtful book.
The second item was this book excerpt from Al Gore's latest, The Assault on Reason (hat tip Patrick Nielsen Hayden) Al Gore spends the excerpt decrying the lack of critical thinking in American life, and blames his defeat in the 2000 elections on his sighing during the debate.
Both pieces, although interesting and well-read, share a common failure. They overthink the problem, and by implication look down on those who aren't as "intellectual." Al Gore - well, if you can take peace, prosperity and a budget surplus and not win your home state, maybe your problem is that you're a bad campaigner. Brin's work isn't as obviously overthought, but his characters do share a common trait, that of waiting for somebody else to help them. In The Postman, the common man is OK in finding food or shelter, but the idea of bonding together in cooperation eludes everybody. Even Gordon's just in it for the short term.
Brin is correct when he points out that many of the Founding Fathers were in fact geniuses. However, there were all sorts of "just plain folks" behind the scenes, and these folks weren't waiting for the intellectuals to ride in and save everybody. Don't get me wrong - I like The Postman, and recommend you read it. I'm just not sure I agree with some of Brin's conclusions.
The first item was David Brin's 1985 novel The Postman
. This book is the basis for the 1997 Kevin Costner movie of the same name. Brin's book is much better then the Costner movie. First, the title character, Gordon Krantz, is an ex-intellectual and much more self-doubting then in the movie. Second, Brin spends a fair amount of capital providing a theoretical underpining to the bandit army. They are survivalists, following the writings of Nathan Holn, a vaguely-authoritarian nut who was hung for his troubles. In fact, the term "Holnist" is used interchangeably with the word survivalist in the book.
Brin explains what caused the collapse of the United States after a limited nuclear war, and part of the problem was the survivalist mentality. That, and various folks acting selfishly for short-term gain. It's a thoughtful book.
The second item was this book excerpt from Al Gore's latest, The Assault on Reason (hat tip Patrick Nielsen Hayden) Al Gore spends the excerpt decrying the lack of critical thinking in American life, and blames his defeat in the 2000 elections on his sighing during the debate.
Both pieces, although interesting and well-read, share a common failure. They overthink the problem, and by implication look down on those who aren't as "intellectual." Al Gore - well, if you can take peace, prosperity and a budget surplus and not win your home state, maybe your problem is that you're a bad campaigner. Brin's work isn't as obviously overthought, but his characters do share a common trait, that of waiting for somebody else to help them. In The Postman, the common man is OK in finding food or shelter, but the idea of bonding together in cooperation eludes everybody. Even Gordon's just in it for the short term.
Brin is correct when he points out that many of the Founding Fathers were in fact geniuses. However, there were all sorts of "just plain folks" behind the scenes, and these folks weren't waiting for the intellectuals to ride in and save everybody. Don't get me wrong - I like The Postman, and recommend you read it. I'm just not sure I agree with some of Brin's conclusions.
