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Originally Posted by WT Sharpe
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Wonderful find WT!!
I agree that 'The Machine Stops' is extraordinarily prophetic. The impact of globalisation has already been mentioned; but also the aversion to risk taking - here in the UK reference is often made to our 'nanny state', and the burgeoning Health & Safety industry that some people see as being overly protective.
I was also struck how much closer we are to the world the story depicts in terms of global communications (e.g. MobileRead forums
); and the way we often choose vicarious over direct experiences.
In the voting thread, Ea mentioned that Forster said his story was a reaction to Wells' 'heavens' - it's interesting to note the way Forster's troglodytes and surface dwellers differ to those in Wells' 'The Time Machine'.
For such a short work, 'The Machine Stops' is stuffed with thought provoking concepts!