Fans aren't Slans!

[bnewman]

Okay, we knew that already. But why?

For those who are confused, Slans are superintelligent, telepathic mutants from the science fiction novel Slan by A. E. van Vogt. Once upon a time, there was a "Fans are Slans" meme in fandom. This meme was subsequently rounded up and defanged on account of being chauvinistic.

But really, it's just wrong. Fans are superintelligent, alright — we're just not telepathic. In fact, it might be more accurate to say that mundanes are telepathic. Who exactly has trouble parsing social signals?

So now I want a science fiction novel about a culture with two races, of which one is superintelligent and the other is telepathic.

Comments

[sammka.livejournal.com]

That science fiction novel would totally be favorably reviewed by Simon Baron-Cohen, backer of the "some people (mostly men) systematize and are good at math, and some people (mostly women) empathize and... aren't good at math." Aside from the gender essentialism and lack of really good empirical backing, it's a cool concept.

[q10.livejournal.com]

weren't you at one point or another telling me that there's a disease that's sort of like inverse autism - incredible social empathy covering for cognitive limits in other areas, or something like that?

[sammka.livejournal.com]

Most likely, I was making fun of the idea that, despite the fact that such phenomena are rarely observed, it has to exist to the same extent that autism does. Baron-Cohen believes it, though!

But there's also Williams Syndrome, a rare disease that mainly affects connective tissue but also causes serious cognitive defects, but leaving social abilities intact. They in particular have horrid spacial abilities.

But if you read the wikipedia entry, you realize that people who have this disease are kind of mythical-sounding and in fact would make a really great race in Ben's novel.

[q10.livejournal.com]

yeah, that Williams thing is the one i was remembering.

[sammka.livejournal.com]

The thing is, it's sort of like inverse autism, but only if you just look at certain axes. Sort of like how, I dunno, calcifying connective tissue disorders are the opposite of osteoporosis.

[q10.livejournal.com]

i tried to frame the original question in a way that singled out those axes.

[sammka.livejournal.com]

I'm not whining about your question. I'm just trying to make it clear to other readers.

[q10.livejournal.com]

well, naturally, the empathic people, who were better at organizing, would keep the smart people isolated in little boxes, and exploit them to produce beneficial ideas for their own benefit. i think there's a comic strip based on a premise something like this.

[sammka.livejournal.com]

This sounds scarily kinky.

[q10.livejournal.com]

i think that for that angle to work the art in the comic in question would need to be better.

[sammka.livejournal.com]

BABY JESUS IS CRYING RIGHT NOW.

[q10.livejournal.com]

it's your own fault. i thought it was pretty clear what i was talking about, but you had to twist it around. not all parasitic oppression and exploitation is erotic, you know.

the members of the empathic caste populate Marketing, you see.

[sammka.livejournal.com]

It kinda wasn't clear what you were talking about.

[mneme]

Was not clear.

[q10.livejournal.com]

even if it wasn't clear, there was still no need to infer anything kinky.

and isn't the ‘stuff us in little boxes’ description of the cubicle experience pretty commonplace?

[mneme]

There's nearly always a need to infer something kinky.

The "stuff us in litle boxes" description of the cubicle experience is not unusual, but nor is it that dissimilar to Boxing Helena or various other things.

[q10.livejournal.com]

boxing who now?

[checks Wikipedia]

oh.

very much not that.

i think yours is significantly more obscure, but, since i didn't know about it until you mentioned it, my intuitions here aren't worth much. in any case, i think the ‘exploiting them for ideas’ line makes a lot more sense in the cubicle context.

unless there's some kind of ‘kinky geek farm’ meme, that is. and there probably is one. [shrugs.]

[god-of-belac.livejournal.com]

Oh, I thought you meant the Dilbert one with the monk in the barrel.

[q10.livejournal.com]

i meant Dilbert in general, i just linked to the frontpage.

[q10.livejournal.com]

oh, just to clarify ‘their own’ meant the benefit of the empaths, not the smart people. sorry for that editorial error.

[orawnzva.livejournal.com]

Hey, the smart people get benefits! At least, those that are emplyed full-time get benefits. Plus, they get paid.

[nightengalesknd.livejournal.com]

You know, I've always referred to that uncanny ability of mundanes as a sort of group telepathy. . . and thought it was the utmost in irony that they had it and I/we didn't.

[creed-of-hubris.livejournal.com]

I don't think the superintelligent people survive. The empathetic people wipe out the other folks.