Quote:
Originally Posted by bill_mchale
Well, there is some truth in that; one just needs to temper what makes a good story from what might exist in the real world. Robots won't be perfect, but they are unlikely to go on killing sprees either.
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In
Runaway, they were specifically programmed by a terrorist to go on killing sprees. I honestly don't see that as being too farfetched... which, of course, was one of Crichton's strengths.
I believe Crichton had an MD, but never practiced (he discovered his penchant for writing at about the time he got the degree). Not that that necessarily makes a difference in his writing, other than the fact that he clearly had a sound scientific basis for (most of) his writing.
But his writing is, I think, an indication of his general train of thought in relation to science... it may not have been directly expressed, but I'd bet it was at least subconsciously projected that he felt a serious need to examine science from all angles, and not to let the unexpected elements surprise and wreck you.
Or maybe people who listened to him, allowed their knowledge of his novels to color their conceptions of his comments...