What If? What 2020 Looked Like to the Writers of 1974...

[Husky_Khan]

In 1974, Avon published a book called 2020 Visions which featured the musings of the future in 2020 from the viewpoint of eight science fiction writers. These writers were Poul Anderson, Larry Pournelle, Harlan Ellison, Larry Niven, Ben Bova, AE Vogt, David McDaniel and Dian Girard.

A digital magazine recently did a bit of a story on the book (which was re-released recently) and the predictions held within.

Here’s What 2020 Looked Like to the Sci-Fi Writers of 1974

In the early 1970s, eight science-fiction writers tried to imagine what the far-flung year of 2020 would look like. They ended up being both wrong and right.

melmagazine.com

Some of the visions seem spot on:

communicate via pocket phones in a world in which actors and other artists have to compete with “part-time amateurs who work for nothing.” “Everything on the screens is done by a couple thousand people, with a million more talented hopefuls trying to cut themselves in,” a character complains. What’s more, a flip of a switch can change any user’s image. McDaniel, who died in 1977, didn’t live long enough to use Snapchat or TikTok, but he saw them coming.

Others were a bit off base:

“The Pugilist” concerns the undercover adventures of John Reed, an American colonel planning to participate in a coup against the Soviet-controlled People’s Republic of the United States and prevent a war with China. Before he can act, however, he’s taken prisoner by the government and forced to work as a triple agent thanks to a remarkable bit of leverage: They’ve cut off his penis and promised to return it to him only when the job is done. “I believe the removed part is still in the alcohol in the laboratory,” his captor tells him. “Would you like to see it?” (Reed declines.)

Still a fun look into the future, from the past, which is actually our present and ultimately, 2020 seems a lot better then many of the science fiction visions from fifty years ago.

Information on the 50th Anniversary Edition of the book can be found here:

2020 Vision 50th Anniversary Edition by Poul Anderson, Ben Bova, Harlan Ellison, Diane Girad, Dave McDaniel, Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Norman Spinrad and AE van Voyt

2020 Vision 50th Anniversary Edition by Poul Anderson, Ben Bova, Harlan Ellison, Diane Girad, Dave McDaniel, Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Norman Spinrad and AE van Voyt - book cover, description, publication history.

www.fantasticfiction.com

 

[Zero]

At one time people predicted flying cars and life on the moon.if only in 1974 a science fiction writer predicted corona virus and people got ready.no one in 1974 could imagene.

 

[Zyobot]

At one time people predicted flying cars and life on the moon.if only in 1974 a science fiction writer predicted corona virus and people got ready.no one in 1974 could imagene.

I'm wondering if the butterfly effect would ensue and render 2020 different than what we actually got, though? It may seem absurd to think that government policy would be swayed by the imagination of some sci-fi writer, but given enough time, little initial changes can produce some big and fundamental divergences over forty-six years.

 

[WolfBear]

I think that the book Camp of the Saints would hold significant relevance in the 2020s:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Camp_of_the_Saints

It was, of course, written back in 1973 but it's pretty prophetic and spot-on. White nationalists love this book, of course.

 

[WolfBear]

I think that the book Camp of the Saints would hold significant relevance in the 2020s:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Camp_of_the_Saints

It was, of course, written back in 1973 but it's pretty prophetic and spot-on. White nationalists love this book, of course.

The author of this book, Jean Raspail, died in 2020 at the age of 94:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Raspail

So, he actually got to see the start of the 2020s. Lucky him!