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Le Zombie, v. 5, issue 4, whole no. 51, January 1943
Page 17
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17 Yeah, I know. The solutions dreamed up by science fictionists won't get anywhere. They'll be read and appreciated only by confirmed addicts, and the official peace-makers won't even hear about 'em. But they'll be nice to look at, if the die-hard isolationists manage to mess up this peace the way they did the last one. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Incidentally, how would you start to solve the problem of winning the peace? Here is a brief outline of the way I should like to see it attacked: 1. Get acquainted with the history of previous attempts at a "just peace." 2. Discard completely all blind, unreasoning convictions; convictions which are based on nothing but habit. 3. Consider the World as a whole, and decide questions on a basis of pure reason. 4. Temper the decisions by a liberal application of what is commonly known as "human understanding" using it as an emotional leavening to soften the hard edicts of reason. The above outline affords no place for strong nationalistic aspirations. It does not, however, require the abandonment of existing ways of life in any region. It doesn't solve the problems of persecuted peoples, but it provides a framework into which they might fit themselves, if they would but try. As a specific example, it provides no "place" for the Jews, as such; but if, as a famous American wrote several years ago, "the Jews would forget they are Jews, and remember that they are people, many of their troubles would be over." The same thing applies to many other religious, national, and racial groups, although not to all. So, I ask again, how would you attack the problem? I'm not interested in any cut-and-dried ready solutions such as might be offered by a Technate, or a Communist World State, or any other sure-fire cure-all involving radical changes in the way of life of a vast majority of the Earth's population. They might be good, but the problem isn't that simple. We're dealing with PEOPLE. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Have you read the last issue or two of Super Science Stories and Astonishing Stories? You should, if for no other reason than to find out what sort of magazines are put out by the company which has rescued[[?]] FFM, and if reviving the "old" Argosy, the magazine in which so many old-time fans first read the classics of science and fantasy fiction. But that isn't the only reason, nor the best. The best reason is that you will find there some very excellent, "off-trail" fiction. You will, of course, find some very insipid stuff, too; but there will be enough "good" stories to make up for the poor ones. I have a theory to explain the appearance of these good stories in the Popular Pubs; a theory that takes into account the low rates paid by the company. The system started with Fred Pohl, in the first days of Astonishing , and has continued, with many ups and downs, to the present. Fred accepted stories of high quality, written by established writers, which had been rejected by other editors. There is nothing strabge in that ; it happens every day.
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17 Yeah, I know. The solutions dreamed up by science fictionists won't get anywhere. They'll be read and appreciated only by confirmed addicts, and the official peace-makers won't even hear about 'em. But they'll be nice to look at, if the die-hard isolationists manage to mess up this peace the way they did the last one. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Incidentally, how would you start to solve the problem of winning the peace? Here is a brief outline of the way I should like to see it attacked: 1. Get acquainted with the history of previous attempts at a "just peace." 2. Discard completely all blind, unreasoning convictions; convictions which are based on nothing but habit. 3. Consider the World as a whole, and decide questions on a basis of pure reason. 4. Temper the decisions by a liberal application of what is commonly known as "human understanding" using it as an emotional leavening to soften the hard edicts of reason. The above outline affords no place for strong nationalistic aspirations. It does not, however, require the abandonment of existing ways of life in any region. It doesn't solve the problems of persecuted peoples, but it provides a framework into which they might fit themselves, if they would but try. As a specific example, it provides no "place" for the Jews, as such; but if, as a famous American wrote several years ago, "the Jews would forget they are Jews, and remember that they are people, many of their troubles would be over." The same thing applies to many other religious, national, and racial groups, although not to all. So, I ask again, how would you attack the problem? I'm not interested in any cut-and-dried ready solutions such as might be offered by a Technate, or a Communist World State, or any other sure-fire cure-all involving radical changes in the way of life of a vast majority of the Earth's population. They might be good, but the problem isn't that simple. We're dealing with PEOPLE. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Have you read the last issue or two of Super Science Stories and Astonishing Stories? You should, if for no other reason than to find out what sort of magazines are put out by the company which has rescued[[?]] FFM, and if reviving the "old" Argosy, the magazine in which so many old-time fans first read the classics of science and fantasy fiction. But that isn't the only reason, nor the best. The best reason is that you will find there some very excellent, "off-trail" fiction. You will, of course, find some very insipid stuff, too; but there will be enough "good" stories to make up for the poor ones. I have a theory to explain the appearance of these good stories in the Popular Pubs; a theory that takes into account the low rates paid by the company. The system started with Fred Pohl, in the first days of Astonishing , and has continued, with many ups and downs, to the present. Fred accepted stories of high quality, written by established writers, which had been rejected by other editors. There is nothing strabge in that ; it happens every day.
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