Don’t worry about the future of A.I. (Artificial Intelligence), fret over the lack of intelligence now on earth.
I was going to quote the famous quote associated with “Star Trek”: “Beam me up, Scotty. There’s no intelligent life down here.” But I discovered it might never have been said in the common version of it, regardless of its prevalence in pop culture.
In a recent article in the CBR newsletter, writer Jennifer Winarski says the most likely culprit is that over time the various phrasings got lumped into one generic “Beam me up, Scotty.” And for whatever reason, she says, this is the one that has stuck with “Star Trek” fans and various pop culture references over the last 50 years.
My source for the above assertion was Comic Book Resources. I don’t know much about that topic since I stopped reading comics before high school. Well, to be honest, I still read “Calvin and Hobbes” for its wit and philosophical leanings.
So, another cultural war symbol bites the dust, alas. Is everything fake, artificial to the seasoned mind?
Nothing seems sacred, not even the wisdom from “Star Trek.” There are only shades of truth, some better than others. Some lies are bigger tan others, of course, something obvious from political comments by presidential candidates.
For an alien spy from a distant planet spending 24 hours watching our news, what might he/she/it believe?
• That while Earth is spinning into a climate disaster, some don’t believe so and continue to support fossil fuels and gas-guzzling cars while denying any human fault.
• That mostly male legislators with their vast knowledge of female bodies vote to limit a woman’s right to make her own decisions.
• That the Supreme Court assigned to oversee the laws of our land itself has no formal and approved code of ethics.
• That while democracies laud voting, some in power seek to limit or repress voters.
• That some praise Russia for seizing land from its neighbor by force and any means possible.
• That some so-called “institutions of higher learning” offer courses that have little to do with education and more to do with getting more students to apply.
• That some states suppress knowledge of our own history, while substituting its own limited versions.
• That so many go hungry, homeless, or sick while a few get greedier.
Regardless of whether it was actually said on “Star Trek,” an alien spy sent to earth might conclude: “Beam me up Scotty, there’s no intelligent life down here.”
John C. Morgan is an author and teacher who once taught a course on philosophy and science fiction. His weekly columns appear at www.readingeagle.com
