Astounding Science Fiction, August 1955 (British Edition) — page 130: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

128 ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION ‘““Won’t you walk a little faster,” said the whiting to the snail, ‘“There’s an atom close behind me, and he’s treading on my tail.” I have a hunch that we’ve reached the end of the road on the business of physical weapons. But that I’m not alone in considering the interesting implications of a set of social sciences—psychology and sociology and the rest—that were real, engineering-type predictable sciences. After all, it doesn’t matter a bit what weapons the other fellow has, if you have a weapon that makes it impossible for him to want to use it! | Perhaps a culture can become satiated with engineering achievements, somewhere along the line—and seek a new, totally different kind of frontier to explore. How would it look, from within such a society, when that change first began to gather momentum, I wonder? Probably, at first, it wouldn’t be a conscious decision, a conscious policy—just a gradual drifting away toward new territories. _ Certainly, it would be exceedingly difficult to determine whether the move was wise or not—except, as usual, by that wonderful, almost infallible method called hindsight. At the time, no doubt, it would appear a most frustratingly confused period of history. 2 _ THe EpIror. | ‘THE WORLD OF TOMORROW waits for you in the coming issues of ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION THE SEARCHING, PENETRATING STORIES IN THIS MAGAZINE CANNOT BE EQUALLED ANY- .¢ WHERE ELSE. A WHOLE YEAR 3k OF READING PLEASURE CAN BE HAD BY JUST FILLING IN THE ATTACHED COUPON AND SENDING IT TO YOUR NEWS- AGENT, OR THE PUBLISHERS— | | [Se aes Se ee ee (your newsagent), or ATLAS PUBLISHING & DISTRIBUTING CO. LTD., 18 Bride Lane, London, E.C.4 | Enclosed is my subscription for . . . one year-£1/ . . . six months—10/- strike out whichever is inapplicable |t0 ASTOUNDING Science Fiction BP IMET THRE HSERESES SES SEES ERIESODUD SOBEL OCHS SOUSHIOESE EORTC OOSTONEDERPEVES EDS SSE CESIOCOSSESEOOS OSH DOSSESOOUHSESESSOSEOSCSSERSSESSSORSOTODELRSDDONOHSLESEOSINTSSOONMORS TAULTOFASALTSHSHPSOHSH HH SECOOTHHEDSOSOSSTOLDSOES SESS SESESOHOESERS ONES SOTASHESSHSZOONOO TOON FO DIVSSUSESESHSSOSECSTH OH SEEROSSSSSSOSSOTAOSSSSHUSSAOES OTST HOSERSSETES FOSCHT TASTES LO SORSINOPASEESETORSTEOHHS EE SHON S teEHOHEEEOEHOSAESEHOE TINTS LAHEY EDOKOSEeSHeserehesesreCrboSesspesete WER EEE TiS esE ge =F EEE acsasenessseosenes comicbhooksscom