thoughts on low-tech sci-fi
I rarely watch anime anymore, except for the occasional movie. However, as mentioned in one of my weeknotes from last month, I occasionally get bouts of nostalgia for shows that I watched in the past. The most recent one is Shin Sekai Yori, or From the New World. I've watched the anime series twice, and also read the science fiction novel it's based on. I'm pretty much "done" with it now, but every now and then I remember elements of it and find myself thinking "that's so neat!"
From the New World is set in a Japan of the distant future, where society has largely collapsed as a consequence of humans developing psychic powers and the knock-on effects of this. The remaining humans live in rural communities which make very limited use of technology and follow an orderly life structured by customs and rituals. Initially, the world appears very pastoral and idyllic. The inner workings of this society are then gradually revealed and escalate into a larger conflict involving the other sentient species of this future world, the queerats (mole rat-like humanoids).
The series is probably best known for its second half and ending, which centers around the queerats. Personally, I've always preferred the first half - or, to be precise, the initial set-up. I've realised that this is one of those stories where I like the base worldbuilding better than the actual story.
For the human society in From a New World, the psychic powers (called Cantus) are the central problem that everything revolves around, because they can have catastrophic consequences if not handled properly. My favourite aspect is the juxtaposition of the "future setting" with low-tech solutions to this societal problem. Low-tech sci-fi, if you will.1
For example, the human settlement this story focuses on is surrounded by a barrier that children aren't allowed to cross. Instead of a large wall or a series of manned checkpoints, it's a very long straw rope with paper streamers, like the shimenawa in Japanese shrines. Children are taught that this barrier is there to keep bad things out, and are told folk tales about bad children that stepped outside and ran into demons. When their pscyhic powers being to awake, the children are brought to a temple outside of the barrier, where their powers are temporarily sealed before the start of the proper education. We later learn that the powers aren't actually sealed; the ritual is instead a type of suggestion that lets the children believe so.
Much of this is rooted in the mechanics of the psychic powers, especially their limitations and dangers. In addition to the above, there are also a few more sinister methods that betray the setting's idyllic / utopia-like appearance.2 But they too are similar in the sense that they circumvent the direct use of the psychic powers.
I am fascinated by this "anthropological" slant to the setting, or (more broadly) the concept of humans returning to low-tech solutions to avoid the negative consequences of highly-evolved tech. In this way, From the New World is similar to Frank Herbert's Dune, where "thinking machines" like computers and AI have been destroyed / outlawed because of the consequences they caused. Another (real-world) parallel that came to mind when thinking about this again are long-term nuclear waste warning messages like the Landscape of Thorns concepted by Michael Brill and Safdar Abidi, or the (humorous) 10,000-Year Earworm to Discourage Resettlement Near Nuclear Waste Repositories inspired by the same concept.
For most of my life, technological advancement has almost always been seen as a categorical good, and I've (subconsciously) held this view, too. But recent developments (even if they won't be as catastrophic as in some of these science fiction / science fantasy stories) provide lots of food for thought to question this "base belief", and to re-evaluate "old-fashioned" things like education, philosophy, customs, and rituals as a possible counterweight to unchecked technological advancement.
Next things to do
- Read the first Dune book (I've only seen the movies and read through the Wiki so far)
- Read Yokohama Kaidashi Kiko (also a sci-fi story featuring an "idyllic" post-apocalyptic setting)
The novel won a Japanese science fiction award back in 2009, but it's really science fantasy. After all, it features magic, much like the Force in Star Wars.↩
This aspect of the setting leads to the "preventive educational" approach often being labeled as brainwashing in discussion of this series. This is another interesting element of the setting, because even though the education has "brainwashy" elements, it's both well-meaning and necessary to prevent potential disastrous consequences in this world. This thematic space between education, propaganda and brainwashing can lead to interesting story threads; I wish From the New World explored it more.↩