Voyage from Yesteryear

= Voyage from Yesteryear is a 1982 science fiction novel by the author James P. Hogan. It explores themes of anarchism and the appropriateness of certain social values in the context of high-technology. [1]

Description

Suggested by Paul D. Fernhout:

"Since the availability of power from fusion reactors [solar panels :-) ] and cheap automated [robotic] labor has enabled them to develop a post-scarcity economy, they do not use money as a means of exchange, nor do they recognize material possessions as symbols of status. Instead, competence and talent are considered symbolic of one's social standing-resources that cannot be counterfeited or hoarded, and must be put to use if they are to be acknowledged. As a result, the competitive drive that fuels capitalist financial systems has filled the colony with the products of decades of incredible artistic and technical talent - and there are no widespread hierarchies." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyage_from_Yesteryear)

Discussion

Paul Fernhout:

"James P. Hogan is an author of hard science-fiction, as well as some non-fiction. He is controversial about some topics. In general though, he has a theme about abundance and self-reliance and peer networks in some of his books, like "Voyage from Yesteryear". That specific book has a lot of peer-to-peer themes. He later said maybe he went too far with it, but in any case, it is a picture of our current society in collission with a post-scarcity peer-oriented society. If you have not read it, I can be fairly sure you would enjoy it. The first third is a little slow as it sets up our current social form but set onboard a vast spaceship; the conflict starts after that when that spaceship arrives to bring order to the post-scarcity society on another planet.

The author's web site on the book: http://www.jamesphogan.com/books/book.php?titleID=29

An excerpt from Hogan's own summary:

"... In the meantime, Earth went through a dodgy period, but managed in the end to muddle through. The fun begins when a generation ship housing a population of thousands arrives to "reclaim" the colony on behalf of the repressive, authoritarian regime that emerged following the crisis period. The Mayflower II brings with it all the tried and tested apparatus for bringing a recalcitrant population to heel: authority, with its power structure and symbolism, to impress; commercial institutions with the promise of wealth and possessions, to tempt and ensnare; a religious presence, to awe and instill duty and obedience; and if all else fails, armed military force to compel. But what happens when these methods encounter a population that has never been conditioned to respond?

The book has an interesting corollary. Around about the mid eighties, I received a letter notifying me that the story had been serialized in an underground Polish s.f. magazine. They hadn't exactly "stolen" it, the publishers explained, but had credited zlotys to an account in my name there, so if I ever decided to take a holiday in Poland the expenses would be covered (there was no exchange mechanism with Western currencies at that time). Then the story started surfacing in other countries of Eastern Europe, by all accounts to an enthusiastic reception. What they liked there, apparently, was the updated "Ghandiesque" formula on how bring down an oppressive regime when it's got all the guns. And a couple of years later, they were all doing it!

So I claim the credit. Forget all the tales you hear about the contradictions of Marxist economics, truth getting past the Iron Curtain via satellites and the Internet, Reagan's Star Wars program, and so on. ..." (http://www.jamesphogan.com/books/info.php?titleID=29&cmd=summary)

More Information

There is a plot summary with big spoilers here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyage_from_Yesteryear