Talk:Plausible Worlds

IMPLAUSIBLE WORDS

Who wrote this entry, and why? We really do need to know such information: who wrote the entry, if not the author (or his subordinate)? This entry is no more than a blurb for a book: if this book, then why not an entry for all the millions of books published annually? The use of Wikipedia by academics for self-promotion is now rife. Wikipedia must really tighten up its act, since it is in danger of becoming an electronic form of advertising (‘buy my product, make me famous’). 13 September 2007. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.133.178.85 (talk) 09:00, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

The claim that this book is the first academic foray into ‘counterfactual’ history is nonsense, and overlooks the many academic studies about the major prefiguring form of ‘counterfactual’ history: science fiction in the field of literature. 20 September 2007

There is a memorable scene towards the end of the film Spartacus, directed by Kubrick, when, after the final battle, the victorious Crassus offers not to crucify the captured slaves if they reveal to him the identity and whereabouts of Spartacus himself. They all rise and shout, with one voice, ‘I am Spartacus’, the object of the scene being to portray the principled solidarity and nobility of the captured slaves. On wikipedia, however, a similar process is now in evidence, but with a very different and less noble purpose. Instead of slaves claiming the same identity as Spartacus, nowadays it is obscure academics who stand up and proclaim – also with one voice, but each about him/herself – ‘I am famous’. A case, perhaps, of from pathos to bathos? Another point: is this the same Geoffrey Hawthorn who, after the collapse of communism, announced that the end of the Cold War meant that henceforth peace would reign throughout the world? That was one rather important version of the future that he got completely wrong….. 21 September 2007