Astounding Science Fiction, British Edition — page 88: what you’re looking at

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

386 ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION that the subdivision of the Adminis- tration of Alien Cultures, known as the Office of Perimeter Research, is incapable of seeing one micromilli- meter beyond the collective probos- cises on its collective countenances. SPECIFIC: The Sosterich Federation is Its administrators-to-be await our guidance. Request: (1) That the present Sup- reme Arbiter be transferred to the Office of Alien Guidance and, (2) That he be assigned to duty on Sol III immediately. the oldest known civilization in the _ galaxy, yet in the very heyday of its To: Ghan, Director of Alien Guid- intellectual maturity it is apparently ance (Temp.) immune to the basic truth that the Guidance Center I future of any race should not be ex- Sol Il trapolated from the minds of those | who are its administrators today, but From: Administrator of Alien Cul- from the minds of those who will be tures its administrators tomorrow. Stellar Headquarters The potential future of Sol III has Sosterich HI nothing whatever to do with the appalling present of Sol III. GENERAL: SPECIFIC: Request granted. 5 Ce ees eee SCIENCE FICTION: A COMMENT Our interest in science fiction is somewhat more than that of pure entertain- ment value; most of us, I believe, genuinely feel that it is of high importance that human beings learn to think in terms of a technical age. Once, business executives were almost uniformly lawyers, or men educated in a general Liberal Arts course. Today, a high percentage of executives are technicians—because only a technically educated man can correctly interpret the world of today. People in general, however, have not yet accepted that this is not the end of technical advance, but the beginning. The importance of science fiction, aside from its purely entertainment value, lies in its influence in orienting people to appreciate that fact. ““Technology exists; technology will change. All right, but so what? What does it mean to me? I’m no engineer.” The increasing acceptance of science fiction is simply the direct result of an ncre asing acceptance of the fact that technology will affect us, our lives, our security, without our individual choice, unless we choose to learn enough about it to choose. The technological age has now reached a point where we can’t live without it—and we can’t live with it, if only a few. of us understand what it means. The Editor. connicloooks.c© im