I need to alternate my reading material a bit. Taking breaks from reading about Iraq and climate change in the newspapers, I have been reading Fugitive Pieces, which is beautiful but full of anguished Holocaust imagery, and Oryx and Crake, which is depressingly plausible, despite probably being intended as an Orwellian satire. One wonders whether any implausible elements included in the latter relate more to the likely course of technological development, or the dynamics according to which technology and society interact.
Having a clear-eyed view of the world, and its future possibilities, is essential for good planning and ethical behaviour. That said, having too much of the heavy cloth of reality wrapped around you can make it awfully hard to swim.
