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Milty's Mag, September 1941

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Milty's Mag Page six

some degree. (As a matter of fact, hasn't someone already discussed the question of just exactly where our own abilities began down in the animal scale? There is a problem for real discussion. What is the smallest mutated step possible? Do the lower animals possess higher powers -- telepathy and extra-sensory perception -- to a greater degree than we do?)

Superman stories must be very careful about their heroes cropping out with habits which you would not think were inheritable. You must be very careful about thinking of a Superman as being born, all alone in a world of homo sap and growing up to be terrific. Because human beings that grow up in the wilderness turn out to be fairly permanent savages. (Tarzan to the contrary.) A Superman that new up among men would remain pretty much of a man -- unless his new trait embodied the ability to be superior despite his environment.

As we examine the story Slan critically, we find that van Vogt was astonishingly faithful to our restrictions. In the first place he recognized the prime requisite of a successful mutation -- that it is able to reproduce. If a mutation involves a change in the number of genes, then the mutation must be in a position to mate with a similar mutation of the opposite sex. In slan, the original mutation very conveniently involved triplets.

Jommy Cross was a product of environment as well as heredity, for he had nine years of training by his parents before he was let loose, not to speak of the hypnotic training whose effects remained in operation for a long time, Jimmy Cross's intelligent quotient was not superhuman. It was above normal, but figures given somewhere in the story indicate an IQ that has been exceeded by many humans -- about 170. However, the fact that he reached maturity at an age well above the human sixteen years gave him the final equivalent of about 300 IQ. What this IQ means exactly is something to be thought upon. Campbell, in his article in Astounding (which appeared after I had written the first draft of this) speaks of thinking rapidly and with precision. This sounds good, but it is a loose, and rather unscientific manner of putting it, for it ignores the concept of primary abilities with which we started.

A doubtful point is the growing aversion to killing with Jimmy Cross had. That may have been due to hypnotic training, but on the other hand it is intimated that it was common to all of the true Slans. Whether that is an inheritable trait is a point to question. Other improvements that the Slen had, such as fine visual and auditory perception, are purely biological, and need have nothing to do with intelligence.

A Superman mutation need not be a violent change. In fact our parenthesis at the top of this page points to mutations taking place in very small and fine steps. As Campbell believes, this process is probably taking place right now, and we need not fear the sudden appearance of monstrosities in our world, unless we accept the rather metaphysical theory of van Vogt that nature occasionally indulges in orgies of mutations. (For instance, why did the dinosaurs disappear?)

Anyway, you see why it is ridiculous to attempt writing the comprehensive and authoritative treatise I was dreaming of.

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Milty's Mag Page six some degree. (As a matter of fact, hasn't someone already discussed the question of just exactly where our own abilities began down in the animal scale? There is a problem for real discussion. What is the smallest mutated step possible? Do the lower animals possess higher powers -- telepathy and extra-sensory perception -- to a greater degree than we do?) Superman stories must be very careful about their heroes cropping out with habits which you would not think were inheritable. You must be very careful about thinking of a Superman as being born, all alone in a world of homo sap and growing up to be terrific. Because human beings that grow up in the wilderness turn out to be fairly permanent savages. (Tarzan to the contrary.) A Superman that new up among men would remain pretty much of a man -- unless his new trait embodied the ability to be superior despite his environment. As we examine the story Slan critically, we find that van Vogt was astonishingly faithful to our restrictions. In the first place he recognized the prime requisite of a successful mutation -- that it is able to reproduce. If a mutation involves a change in the number of genes, then the mutation must be in a position to mate with a similar mutation of the opposite sex. In slan, the original mutation very conveniently involved triplets. Jommy Cross was a product of environment as well as heredity, for he had nine years of training by his parents before he was let loose, not to speak of the hypnotic training whose effects remained in operation for a long time, Jimmy Cross's intelligent quotient was not superhuman. It was above normal, but figures given somewhere in the story indicate an IQ that has been exceeded by many humans -- about 170. However, the fact that he reached maturity at an age well above the human sixteen years gave him the final equivalent of about 300 IQ. What this IQ means exactly is something to be thought upon. Campbell, in his article in Astounding (which appeared after I had written the first draft of this) speaks of thinking rapidly and with precision. This sounds good, but it is a loose, and rather unscientific manner of putting it, for it ignores the concept of primary abilities with which we started. A doubtful point is the growing aversion to killing with Jimmy Cross had. That may have been due to hypnotic training, but on the other hand it is intimated that it was common to all of the true Slans. Whether that is an inheritable trait is a point to question. Other improvements that the Slen had, such as fine visual and auditory perception, are purely biological, and need have nothing to do with intelligence. A Superman mutation need not be a violent change. In fact our parenthesis at the top of this page points to mutations taking place in very small and fine steps. As Campbell believes, this process is probably taking place right now, and we need not fear the sudden appearance of monstrosities in our world, unless we accept the rather metaphysical theory of van Vogt that nature occasionally indulges in orgies of mutations. (For instance, why did the dinosaurs disappear?) Anyway, you see why it is ridiculous to attempt writing the comprehensive and authoritative treatise I was dreaming of.