different dimensions of a future world: techno-
logical, environmental, social, psychological, and
religious. A science fiction writer creates a futur-
ist scenario and narrative where all the different
pieces and parts of human existence (or an alien
world or alternative reality) are described and
connected with some level of detail and synthe-
sis.
But “everything” can also mean the “big picture”
of it all—of existence and reality as a whole or
totality. “Everything” can mean the universe, the
cosmos, or the “multi-verse” (if one believes in
multiple universes). “Everything” in this sense
implies a “cosmic perspective.” A science fiction
writer may talk about the future of the universe; a
science fiction writer may delve into the ultimate
nature of reality. And given that science fiction,
as narrative, places specific characters within
its imaginative settings, we may find ourselves
(through the eyes of the characters) contemplat-
ing our place (or role) in the big picture of things.
Part of the depth of science fiction—of profoundly
challenging and engaging our minds—is that it
provokes within us states of “cosmic conscious-
ness,” of pondering the nature of the universe and
our place within it.
Consider, as a second superb example of a nar-
rative provoking cosmic consciousness, the story
“Surface Tension” (1952) by James Blish, another
tale voted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.
The setting is a puddle of water on a distant
planet, sometime in the future. In this puddle live
genetically engineered microscopic water-breath-
ing humans. (Read the story to understand how
this biological transformation occurred.) As far
as these tiny humans can ascertain, who are un-
46 HF |
April 2019
aware of their origins, their puddle of water, which
is filled with a variety of other microscopic living
creatures, is the entire universe. The surface
tension of the puddle has prevented them from
breaking out of it, to see if anything exists on the
other side; the upper boundary of their puddle is
their “sky.”
A number of these tiny humans though have
decided to construct a “space ship” to blast
through the surface of their puddle and see what
lies beyond. Many of the other humans feel this
is a foolhardy idea; the puddle is the universe,
and why attempt such a dangerous mission to
venture beyond? (Metaphorically, it is like sailing
off the presumed edge of the world.) The adven-
turesome group, though, remain undaunted and
tenacious through various setbacks. Finally, pro-
pelled by microscopic organisms, they travel in
their wooden ship upward from the bottom of the
puddle, eventually break through the surface of
the water, and find themselves on the surround-
ing ground encircling the puddle. Looking through
the windows of their ship they see a rocky terrain
and the sun that their planet orbits in a more dis-
tant “new sky” overhead. After their sun sets, they
observe the night sky and the brilliant panorama
of stars within the heavens. Who would have
believed? They are bedazzled—the universe ex-
tends vastly beyond anything they had previously
believed. They even discover that there are other
“universes” around them—other neighboring pud-
dles of water—populated by other tiny humans.
They experience the awe and wonder and excite-
ment of expanded cosmic consciousness.
* * * * *
“Surface Tension” is an allegory because we are
the tiny human creatures living in our metaphor-
ical puddle of water that we incorrectly identify
as the entire universe. How far and to what depth
does the undiscovered “beyond’ reach? Moreover,
many of us are comfortable and protected in our
limited world and worldview, and have no wish or
inclination to extend ourselves, reaching out with
our bodies and our minds to what may lie be-
yond. (“Surface Tension” refers to the constraints
within conscious minds, as well as the physical
dynamics of puddles of water.) Yet, some of us
(the adventuresome ones) develop the necessary the upper boundary of the “sky”—the courageous
and imaginative ones see themselves more
accurately and deeply and place themselves in a
truer, more encompassing big picture of things.
“Surface Tension” is an allegory on the nature
of cosmic consciousness—of what prevents us
(in thought, feeling, and perception) from real-
izing it and what it means to achieve it. Science
fiction provokes such deep, transformative, and
transcendent states of mind. (“Surface Tension”
is also a richly drawn depiction of an alternate
reality—an aquatic ecology—of alien microscopic
life forms, which further amplifies the range of
courage and imagination and attempt to reach
beyond—to transcend the limitations of the nor-
mal and the immediate here and now. In breaking
through the veil of appearance—what seems like the reader’s own consciousness.)
Robert Heinlein—one of the most popular science
fiction writers of all time—wrote a similar kind
of story (allegorical in nature) about breaking
HF | Human Futures 47