One sign of an apocalyptic age like ours is the frequency with which news headlines read like science fiction. This story from the AP describes a scientific conference held under the auspices of the Vatican Observatory and ending yesterday at which a group of scientists examined the evidence for extra-terrestrial life.
The article takes all the requisite cheap shots at the Vatican about the case of Galileo, so I’ll let it alone. It doesn’t sound like there were any breakthroughs or special announcements at the conference, unfortunately; no pictures of little green men in red hats.
But the story does remind me of two of the most richly imagined, frightening and rewarding books of science fiction I’ve ever read. The Sparrow and Children of God, both by Maria Doria Russell, describe the encounter of Catholic missionaries with an intelligent but very alien civilization. The books are steeped in the misunderstandings and mistakes that accompanied the early encounter of missionaries with human cultures and civilizations; readers will be reminded I think especially of the encounters of the Jesuits with Japanese and American Indian cultures. But the stories have a drive and a mystery and a horror all their own.
This is science fiction for people who hate science fiction — as well as for people like me, who can’t get enough of it. I think it’s the best possible complement to a reading diet of serious history and literature for somebody who wants to understand international politics today. It’s far more useful than most political science, and a lot more fun to read.
Enjoy!