The Machine Stops
by EM Forster
Podcast Introduction
"Science Fiction can be, when it’s done well, a vehicle for examining human nature and society. In this work, The Machine Stops, we get to consider the impact of technology on a future society where people live underground and are entirely dependent on a vast computer-like MACHINE for their every need. This book is from 1909, but the themes of technology, isolation, and the potential consequences of over-reliance on machines for human life make it so fresh."
~ Kimberly Hatch Harrison
~ Kimberly Hatch Harrison
Socratica Reads Podcast
The Machine Stops
by E.M. Forster
In a distant future, humanity lives underground in isolated cells, relying on a vast Machine to supply all their needs. When Kuno, a rebellious young man, questions the omnipotence of the Machine and ventures to the Earth's surface, he discovers the fragility of their artificial world. Forster's story, a prescient critique of technological dependence, portrays a dystopia where human connection and autonomy have withered.
“I thought I read everything EM Forster ever wrote. At least, that was everything that was on the shelves of my library and local bookstores. I had no idea he ever wrote any science fiction. But he did, and boy howdy, it’s a doozy. It’s GREAT. I- I- I don’t even understand how I never heard about this so I had to read it and now that I’ve read it I have to tell you that it exists and it’s great and you should read it too, and tell people about it and get them to read it.”
Kimberly Hatch Harrison
The Pedestrian
Set in a future where people are glued to their screens, Leonard Mead is the lone pedestrian in a city devoid of outdoor life. His solitary nighttime walks, viewed with suspicion, culminate in a chilling encounter with an autonomous police car. Bradbury's brief but poignant story critiques a society that has abandoned individuality for the numbing comfort of technology.
