Stephenson and Mill
Mar. 14th, 2006 10:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sawylIn one of the very early chapters of The Diamond Age, Neal Stephenson describes the initial meeting between Lord Alexander Chung-Sik Finkel-McGraw and John Percival Hackworth. Upon discovering that Hackworth is an engineer, Finkel-McGraw decries the apathy and mediocrity of the second generation of Neo-Victorians and, in an attempt to save his granddaughter from the same fate, commissions Hackworth to create The Primer, a book designed to encourage independent thought.
Rather impressively, despite having read both The Diamond Age and On Liberty several times over the last five years, I'd totally failed to notice the way that Finkel-McGraw's views exactly mirror those of John Stuart Mill. I mean, the parallels are obvious: both are speaking from the same point in their history, Mill as a Victorian and Finkel-McGraw as a Neo-Victorian; both are concerned about the oppressive power of public opinion; both are concerned by the apathy that results from selecting a life on the basis of custom; and both are determined to do something to liven up society before it becomes too fragile to survive a shock from outside.
Like I said, it's obvious.
Rather impressively, despite having read both The Diamond Age and On Liberty several times over the last five years, I'd totally failed to notice the way that Finkel-McGraw's views exactly mirror those of John Stuart Mill. I mean, the parallels are obvious: both are speaking from the same point in their history, Mill as a Victorian and Finkel-McGraw as a Neo-Victorian; both are concerned about the oppressive power of public opinion; both are concerned by the apathy that results from selecting a life on the basis of custom; and both are determined to do something to liven up society before it becomes too fragile to survive a shock from outside.
Like I said, it's obvious.
