「タルネル」 (Taruneru)
“Talnel”

I’ve been waiting for an episode like this from Seikai Suru Kado, one where a significant push-back is mounted against Za and we get to see some opposing perspectives against his rapid technological advancements. Kado‘s done a good job of canvasing a lot of interesting futurist discussion, as sci-fi of its like should, but perhaps everything has been going a bit too well and, as an ingrained pessimist, I’m waiting around for someone to ask, ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’ and then receive a thorough answer. Am I playing devil’s advocate for the sake of it? Perhaps (though as far as advocating for the devil goes, I’m sure the lord of hell has plentiful access to attorneys). But I do think that without someone else persuasively arguing the counterfactual Kado would just be beating up strawmen and its vision of the future would feel incomplete. And on a more personal level, characters aren’t as interesting without doubt, so Shindou being prompted to question the course of his actions now can only be a good thing.

I do admit that I’m often critical of what goes on in Kado, but that’s not always on the show itself, but more on how the characters within it act. Perhaps that’s what Kado wants me to do, I’m not sure. Google has turned into Facebook and decided sharing is greater than all else. The Prime Minster of Japan has basically abdicated all strategic responsibilities. Is their flippancy towards the consequences of their actions a testament to their faith in humanity, or a laissez-faire attitude towards the social consequences of technology? Are they convinced that things will turn out fine, or do they just not care? Regardless, my fundamental criticism stems from how, in a science fiction show that’s enamored with technology, its characters have abandoned the scientific method.

For a while, we did have scientists on this show, who seemed to care about finding out how Za’s toys actually worked, but slowly but surely they’ve faded out of any role of importance. Take this Sansa thing now. Prior to unleashing it on 2.5 million people, only four people have tried it: the three journalists, and Shindou. Based on only that sample, without any objective measure of the Sansa’s effects, and without waiting to observe any that may pop up later, apparently we’ve all decided that it’s fine. Am I the only one who thinks this is very shaky reasoning? There’s a reason why we don’t test drugs on humans from the get go. And conversely, when we our medicine we do so in the comfort of knowing that someone’s tried that thing before we had. Science! We’ve trusted it as the means for us to understand our world, but for the Sansa, we’ve foregone measurement and rigour in favour of, ‘Well, I feel fine.’.

Near the beginning of the series we discussed whether Za was God. We decided that he may as well be. Such is his role now, if not as God, then as the prophet of a higher power. And when he descends from the mountain with commandments, the other characters of Kado take them up as a matter of faith. But faith is the realm of the metaphysical. For the physical, we have science. And I think even God would want us to at least try to work it out for ourselves.

 

Preview

22 Comments

  1. Let’s see, in how kind of “aftereffects” the anime here thinks of, if Humans do not need to sleep anymore

    – Earth still rotate into Night and Day shifts, Power for the Lights at night
    – you eat & drink more

    and so on.. Let’s see in how deep they think it out

    Worldwidedepp
    1. – Earth still rotate into Night and Day shifts, Power for the Lights at night
      Wam, bam, thank you Zam.

      – you eat & drink more
      Even if you did, what would be the problem, as long as you aren’t talking alcoholic drink here? Given that energy is now to all intents and purposes free, food and drink should cost a lot less.

      Angelus
      1. So they’d need to import more food. Well, the whole world would need more food. But with the wam, what’s the problem? You are no longer dependent on sunlight for growing crops as you can light the fields up any time you like for free and so greatly increase output. Transportation costs drop too as cars/trucks/ships and eventually planes can all run for free. Wage costs will drop as well, because energy costs have been abolished then people don’t need to earn as much.

        But let’s not take this too seriously, because what would really happen if something like the wam were to come into existence is that the world would rapidly descend into chaos.

        Angelus
      2. – Countries depending on the world wide oil price, are happy about the Wams.. Okay, food is free…

        Nah it is much more complex then for the good of this Anime

        Worldwidedepp
      3. Temporary chaos then significantly better world.

        Actually, private companies are working on fusion power now expecting a break thru anytime. Fusion power will massively lower energy costs, it just that we will have more adjustment time as the fusion power plants are built.

        RedRocket
      4. RedRocket, practical fusion power has been “real soon now” for the past 60 years. And as for the private companies doing fusion research, or zero point energy as they call it now, it’s not based on any known principle of physics except for the one that says there’s one born every minute.

        Angelus
      1. In this case yes, the autistic or low mental ability people might not be able to use the ability but the brain should adjust quickly to the new information or just ignore the new information like animals ignore the TV most of the time.
        The best comparison I have is using a rear view mirror on a bike helmet. You put the thing on and it drives you nuts and makes you feel real bad but if you suffer through an hour or so and then sleep on it the bad feeling way better. In three days of using a rear view mirror, you do not want to bike without one. Unfortunately too few are willing to go through the pain for a major safety gain.

        I have read many places the brain is very good at quickly adjusting to new inputs. Input that the body or brain are generating like pain or hearing sounds that are not there a different story.

        RedRocket
  2. There is no such thing as a free meal. All this tech is going to come at a great cost. Who knows how humanity has to pay for it. I don’t believe in humanitarian missions especially if we look at historic examples.

    Conspiracy theorist
    1. Historically it a mixed bag. More recently humanitarian missions have been rather helpful although sometimes too slow because of red tape. Exception humanitarian missions into places where they are fighting often not helpful because fighting messes everything up.

      Earlier often some groups just feed people, did medicine, and educated. Unfortunately at the same time exploiters came in and did horrible things. And religious conversion depends on who is right, the religious people or those of us who don’t think that should be pushed on people too hard. Also incomplete help or misguided help like trying to cover up naked people with clothes that they have no ability to wash causing disease. Right now trying to end child marriage when in those cultures they kill females who have premarital sex thus you need to end the honor killing first. Second with our possible higher suicide rate and misery rates at 50% our version of Juvenal adult years might be as bad or worse.
      In many cases except for the humiliation of being treated as a second class citizen in your own country living conditions during colonization was better than the constant fighting before or dictatorships and ethnic slaughter afterward. Other colonization was far worse than before and after example parts of Congo.

      RedRocket
  3. Allowing Sansa to air just like that was the biggest disappointment for me in the show. I expected more ressitance, more…sensibility. The fact that it directly impacts the human body with NO definite idea of any effects is highly dangerous, no matter how slim that chance is. Cutting away sleep for it is not an exchange that’s worth it. With Wam, it required a lot of changes with the system but had a lot of benefits. Not needing sleep isn’t…well, I guess Za got what he wanted. He just wanted people to have more time to think for the “right answer” and doesn’t care for anything else.

    I don’t agree with Tsukai that the universe was driven by the will on no one. The universe itself is the will of everything, but it inorganic or organic. WE are the universe. Our culture and technology is part of nature. We should never consider ourselves separate from it. All our actions are man-made but that’s only our definition. In truth, how we exist is still part of nature itself. We are animals too.

    But I agree with the message behind it, that the benefits are not always what’s important. And who really can make that kind of call? Most of our knowledge are based from experience and study. We don’t change humanity history because you can do it by pushing a button. There is a process through it, a history that leads one event to another. That’s how we’ve evolved all this time. Straying from that now, what use would our wisdom be?

    tanz
  4. To be honest, a counter argument would me that humanity is so deep in the mess they have created that refusing the help of Za would be utter stupidity, you can talk about the pride of humanity all you want but we sure as hell need help and refusing it strikes more of arrogance not seeking help when is right in front of you.

    haseo0408

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