Clarke's three laws

Arthur C. Clarke has as part of his works, the following three, as " laws" referred, established axiomatic predictions:

Of these three "laws" in particular the third - accomplished the character of a proverb - not only within the science-fiction literature. Thus, the three clark eschen laws of the genre are compared in significance to the three Laws of Robotics of Isaac Asimov.

Origin

The ash clark law, which later became the first of the three laws, is by Arthur C. Clarke in 1962 in the essay Hazards of Prophecy: The Failure of Imagination in the former edition of his book Profiles of the Future: on the limits of possibility (English Profiles of the Future ) was presented.

The second law is set up in the same essay as a simple observation of the state as the second law was later assigned to him by others. In a review of the book from 1973 Clarke won the second law then also described himself as such while the third proposes to round the number of laws. He wrote: " As three laws were sufficient for Newton, I have modestly decided also to leave it at that number. " From Clarke's three laws is the third the most popular and most frequently quoted.

The third law may provide the most significant contribution Clarkes to the genre of fantasy literature dar. as a model for other authors of hard science fiction postulated Clarke so highly developed technologies, without engaging faulty technical engineering concepts to use ( as did Jules Verne partially ) to provide explanations on scientifically false foundations ( a trademark for "bad" science fiction ) or to pick up clues from current trends in research and development ( an aspect which leaves some novels by Larry Niven appear outdated ).

In novels such as The Seven Suns and stories such as The Sentinel ( on the 2001: A Space Odyssey is based ) Clarke goes even further: he presents the reader with ultra - advanced technology, which is limited only by the fundamental laws of physics. In the seven suns a human civilization is described, for example, has regressed after a billion years to the extent that it is no longer able to understand the surrounding technology. She looks roads over which the surface flow like rivers there, and " eternity machines" which hold the physical structure of buildings and machines to the arrangement of the individual atoms with a stored model into line and prevent their decay. Just to explain how such technology works, however, would only be distracting to the reader and would have nothing to do with the actual content and the intended message of the story ( Just imagine, one would explain the detailed operation of radio equipment to a stone age people to make events of the Second world War of course). Clarke's third law is the source of wonder in our own limitation and not in the impossibility of art shown. Thus, in his works, the monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey ( and the later sequels ) dar. also the ultimate example of the third law

Effect in literature and popular culture

• Isaac Asimov has a corollary to the first written law, which says: " However, if the uneducated public cheered an idea that is rejected by distinguished senior scientists, and this idea then defended with great zeal and a lot of emotion - then have the distinguished senior scientist probably still right. "
• Larry Niven wrote in the context of his discussion of the fantasy genre: " Any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology." This is sometimes referred to as Niven's law, but is not part of his published list titled Niven's laws.
• Dave Lebling put it in a similar form in his published 1986 computer game Trinity: " Any sufficiently arcane magic is indistinguishable from technology."
• Terry Pratchett can cite reversal of the third law in his Discworld novels, the figure Ponder Stibbons Nivens. In addition, he leaves in the novel True Heroes from the same series, the genius of Leonard Quirm say that he had no use for craftsmen, " which the limits of possibility already know " works, as this at the first ( non-magical ) flying machine.
• In the episode The traveler of the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation noted an engineer to the advanced technology of the stranger: " You're asking us to believe in magic. " Then responds that designated as the traveler strangers: " Yes, I think, from their perspective it works well like magic. " In the episode who Watches The Watchers is the technology which is used by Captain Picard, also interpreted by a more primitive culture than magic. The situation is reversed if in a subsequent episode of the series Star Trek: Voyager is explained, previously appearing always as all-powerful, god-like super-beings "Q" are not omnipotent and the people appeared only so, how these itself with its technology a less advanced civilization would appear divine.
• In the first, not written by Asimov band of the Foundation - cycle explains the Imperator " If technology is distinguishable from magic, it is not progressive enough. " This is a paraphrase of Gehms corollary to the third law, which states " Any technology which of Magic is distinguishable, is insufficient progressive. "
• In Superman Returns Lex Luthor quoted in terms of technology Krypton twice the third law.
• In The Box - the experiment is quoted as the third law.
• In the novel, death rain from Dean Koontz, the narrator also cited several times the third law. She also says that a reversal is also possible: In a time in which the faith is increasing more and more in science, supernatural phenomena can also be confused with advanced technology.
• In the webcomic Freefall is one of the main characters is another corollary to the third law to: " Any technology no matter how primitive, is magic in the eyes of those who do not understand. "
• The television series Stargate SG -1 uses the third law as one of the key issues for action. The advanced Goa'uld use disguised as magic technology to conquer and enslave people.
• In the series Stargate Universe episode 2x09 the third law is quoted verbatim.
• In the television series Babylon 5, there is a mysterious group called techno-mages. In the 23rd century, this careful though openly admit that their "powers " are based on technology, but live according to the principle of Clarke's third law and consequently behave more like magicians. One of them explained this by a parable. Just like a space station primitive cultures must appear as magic, is a similar distance ahead of their technique to that of the space-faring people of the 23rd century, and this in turn must appear as magic.
• Charles Sheffield can be one of the characters in his series Heritage Universe cite an alien phrase that reads. " Any sufficiently ancient technology is indistinguishable from magic" His book The Proteus trilogy; Volume 2: The Unbound Proteus includes in the introduction to Chapter 21 on page 216 the following: " Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Arthur C. Clarke ".
• In Neal Stephenson's The Baroque Cycle Jack Shaftoe says to Enoch Root: " You can use the thread is not from this distance may see and believe that you practice a form of magic. " He replies: " Any sufficiently advanced technology is not of a Yo- Yo indistinguishable. "
• A practical demonstration of the third law can be found in (some decades earlier published ) book A Yankee at the court of King Arthur by Mark Twain, in which the protagonist successively a little astronomy and some applied chemistry used to appear as a powerful wizard, and so manages to outdo the poor Merlin's magic tricks.
• Scott Adams, the author of the comic strip Dilbert, complained publicly that in his house "any sufficiently advanced technology is broken, and no one knows how to fix it. "
• The title of the book indistinguishable from Magic by Robert L. Forward relates directly to the third law. The three laws are listed in the Preface.
• In the song Beyond Mirrors on the album Pocket Universe in the band Yello following line of text appears: "According to Arthur C. Clarke Sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from any from magic. "