Dakota Smith 10114835 English 231 Christian Bok Tom Miller November 20th 2012 Humans vs Humanity

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In the book A Scientific Romance by Ronald Wright we are immersed in a parallel world in which David Lambert, a middle-aged archeologist, gets a message from H.G Wells author of The Time Machine, which leads him to an adventure in the year 2500 AD. In their books, both Wells and Wright illustrate their recognition of the perils of society as a result of the current unsustainable system. The difference in time periods upon when these books were published poses an interesting contrast of a similar themes of capitalism, influenced by their respective time of publishings current knowledge. Yet their resulting visions of future still share the same general dystopian collapse of human kind. Wells vision of the future is a depiction based on the current knowledge of his time period believing that the Earth contained the resources to maintain mankind for thousands more years. Therefore, he believed that the current economic system in place is one that would only further the separation of classes over time eventually leading to an extreme separation such as the Morlocks and Eloi. Wrights vision is a more modern perspective of the future where human kind is unsustainable resulting from aggressive growth of capitalistic behavior of mankind, and the perils resulting from its rapid evolution. Both

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authors illustrate issues deriving from constant exposure of capitalism to their current societies over time resulting in the collapse of humanity.

Wright wrote his novel with a greater understanding of the future sustainability. From the time when Wells wrote The Time Machine, new concerns have surfaced such as global warming, lack of resources, and over population. Professor Frank Fenner, a worldrenowned scientist explains that the start of industrialization can rival any ice age or comet impact (Fenner) and that it is predicted that the human race will be extinct within the next 100 years (Fenner). With this greater understanding Wright demonstrates that the constant growth of capitalism and evolving technologies resulting from it have created a world that will destroy itself over time. He expresses these views through David Lambert, a man who travels to 2500AD to discover the human race has been nearly wiped out. A point Wright makes it very clear is that humanity had brought this upon themselves through the use of symbols in the book. Normally a wild puma would see a human as a threat and kill it. With Graham however it dose not attack him but is friendly to him as long as he isnt threatening him. This is showing that nature is in a natural state, non-violent and only if provoked will it react violently. This could be related to the world as a whole. In nature the environment stays at a general status quo

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without any interaction of humanity. Only when human become a factor that negatively effects nature such as pollution and green house gases does nature react violently resulting in dangers like global warming and melting ice caps. Wright made Davids profession an archeologist to remind you of the idea that future species use to inhabit the Earth and we are no different from them. He did this to also symbolize that the new remnants found upon the ground of 2500AD are of the human population. Essentially implying that the industrialization growth is equivalent to the comet that wiped out the dinosaurs.

Wells novel is a more dated theory in the direction of humanity. He believed in his time that humanity would be physically sustainable for thousands of years and would just evolve. His views are more concerned with an economic collapse of society derived from the current ways thing were in his time. He lived during a time of extreme capitalist class separation among the bourgeoisie and proletariat. The bourgeoisie would own the companies and the proletariat would work long hard hours doing dangerous unhealthy manual labor. Wells used the Morlock and Eloi to represent these to classes at an extreme future view. From this separation of social classes over the period of hundreds of

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thousands of years Wells shows that these two new species are revolutionized posthuman races derived from the continuation of this system of labor. However the Eloi have de-evolved in this story, the time traveler asks himself were these creatures fools?(Wells 27) because of their below human intelligence. He also refers to them as looking so frail (26), and diagnoses that they do not work. These are all characteristics resulting from resolving all problems that require intelligence or strength on their part over thousands of years of evolution. The Morlocks have also evolved into a more effective race. Although Wells explains them as looking inhuman their intelligence can still be considered average to a human. They have developed the ability to see in the dark deriving from some time between 802,701AD when they started living underground; implying that the social classes differentiation got so extreme that the upper class felt the lower class did not belong on the surface. Overall these two species physical and mental evolutions were used to show destruction of human kind through separation of classes. The relation between Eloi and Morlock can be perceived as collapse of society considering the new species have new values and have evolved significantly. They no longer have humane views of each other but instead the Morlocks supply items to the

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Eloi the same way a farmer tends to chickens. This complete lack of humanity between these two post-human species, that resulted from evolution influenced by class separation gives a clear contrast to Wells view of capitalism in relation to society.

Although Wright and Wells lived in two separate eras they both shared the same views on society. Through their books they show that they view capitalism as an inevitable basis of the destruction of humanity. They both view capitalism in a pessimistic view and Wright even says all true pessimists, proved right in the end(Wright 105). He is referring to his own pessimistic view through out the entire book as being a correct prediction of society saying that it will prove to be right in the future. They both also refer to the theory of the invisible hand (meaning that an individuals desire for profit will guide the market) as the inevitable cause for the destruction of humanity as seen through the common trends in their books depictions of the future. Both authors express in their own way the problems that arise from capitalism and when you compare them you can see a definite theme of the negative impact excessive capitalism causes.

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Both Wright and Wells believed that capitalisms current exposure to their respective societies, if continued and increasing at its current rate, would result in a unsustainable society for mankind therefore leading to its collapse. Wells issues of the class division and Wrights issues of excessive industrialization in the future show a linking image of the destruction of humanity from their respective issues. Therefore, from this we can gather that capitalism has a negative effect on humanities intentions. Today mankind does not realize the effects their actions have on tomorrows society. Wells and Wright are essentially trying to inform and help recognize the perils of their respective current capitalistic statuses.

Dakota Smith 10114835 English 231 Christian Bok Tom Miller November 20th 2012 Work Cited

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Fenner Frank Human race will be extinct within 100 years', claims leading scientist. Daily Mail. Niall Firth, 19 June 2010. Web. November 19 2012. Wells, H.G The Time Machine New York:Signet, 2002. Print. Wright, Ronald A Scientific Romance Toronto: Vintage Canada, 1998. Print.