Childhood's End

Childhood's End is a 1953 science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke. It features a peaceful invasion by alien 'Overlords' with a mysterious agenda. It was adapted into a 2015 mini series.

Transhumanist elements

Certain libertarian ideas are explored when a minority of the humans on earth reject the alien's 'utopian' interventions, instead preferring to live in a separate city of 'New Athens' with many down sides, but increased feeling of freedom and creativity.

The Overlords themselves are humanoid in form, representing a familiar transhuman manifestation in contrast to the incomprehensible posthuman Overmind.

Transhumanist technologies features included suspended animation, life span and healthspan interventions, the possibility for the mind of someone dying to enter an extended dream-world of perceived endless duration, accelerated species-level evolution, and the formation of a group consciousness, as well as more science fiction level human augmentations. Futurist ideas include climate engineering, seasteading, rapid molecular-scale manufacturing, and space exploration.

The overall themes deals with the existential risks associated with alien super intelligence and mankind's limited ability to understand or resist such forces. Should humans welcome or oppose a higher level of intelligence that appears to be benevolent but might harbour darker intentions? Might a higher level of intelligence itself be a prelude to further level of intelligence (such as the Overmind) with intentions that are even more unfathomable?

External links

• Childhood's End on Wikipedia