sometimes the simplest stories are the most important the easiest to digest think about
take value from back during the Golden Age of Science Fiction right before everything
started getting really weird during the new wave era one author penned a story that really
seemed to stick for some reason I mean hardly anyone's probably heard of it now but at the
time this sort of simple unassuming piece was voted the fourth best short story published
before 1965 by the science fiction Hall of Fame Anthology it's called microcosmic God
written by Theodore sturgeon and you know it really doesn't break a lot of new ground
which is weird because that's usually sort of the prerequisite for beloved science fiction
this story is simple straightforward some of the characters even just feel like stock
archetypes but I think there's something going on with this piece I think through the haze
of technological Marvels in Cosmic speculation this piece of Science Fiction touches on something
embedded deep within me as a creative and probably within most of the people who love
it I think quietly through the lens of its genre it speaks to creatives about their passion
and all the ways in which the world seeks to pervert it foreign
[Music]
before I go on I should say we will be spoiling a lot of this story so if you want to read
what a lot of writers consider to be one of the best pieces of sci-fi ever written before
we get into the details I can actually help you with that you can listen to this story
for free by visiting thetalefoundry.com audible or by clicking the link in the description
fans of the show who sign up using that link now will get a whole month of audible and
one whole audiobook for free once you're in go grab a copy of the science fiction Hall
of Fame volume 1 1929-1964. not only will you get to hear microcosmic God in full you'll
get over 20 other sci-fi Masterworks as well it's basically a small education in the Golden
Era of the genre definitely worth the listen and it's nice because it's all on audio too
audible really lets you soak in your favorite stories while you work or drive or create
whatever art it is that you create it's what we use to do almost half of the research we
do and hey it's a free trial costs you absolutely nothing and we get paid with every sign up
so if you love what we're doing here it's also a fabulous way to support the show again
that's the tailfoundry.com audible go get your free book listen to it and then come
back and watch the rest of this video now on to the story here is a story about a man
who had too much power and a man who took too much but don't worry I'm not going to
get political on you the man who had the power was named James Kidder and the other was his
Banker these are the first few lines of the story James Kidder always called Mr Kidder
not Professor not doctor Mr Kidder is a scientist he like many creatives is obsessed with his
work all he wants to do is spend his days in his lab on his remote island learning and
creating his Banker Conant is happy to let him do so as kitter regularly sends him plans
for wonderful Creations such as a virtually unbreakable cord made from banana fibers an
aluminum alloy stronger than steel a new method for dirtless farming a cure for the common
cold and a new form of uranium these inventions naturally make the bank and of course content
a lot of money but Mr Kidder has a secret he did not invent all of these remarkable
things Kidder a biochemist without a degree college education was too slow for his intellect
in Curiosity has something else which invents all these things for him or more accurately
many some things Kidder it turns out has created a new form of life his reason just like his
college education he found human technological advancement too slow his genius is in making
things but he recognized his own limitations as a human being so he made a species of diminutive
creatures to come up with his ideas for him he calls these little life forms neoterricks
in a lot of ways they're like human beings but there are some very meaningful differences
mainly they are very short life spans only about 15 days which means that they evolve
and develop much faster than humans ever could passing through several Generations in a matter
of months as they grow and progress they rapidly outpace human knowledge and achievement enabling
them to model all of kitter's fabulous inventions for him Kidder does genuinely love these little
people his creation but as this story title suggests he is also technically their God
kept in his lab in a carefully controlled atmosphere he gives them problems to solve
on a screen in their enclosure if they deviate from the path he thinks is appropriate he
uh well he kills half the tribe like the judeo-christian god of the Old Testament he has rules that
must be obeyed it's a a pretty Draconian form of love the neoterricks even make their own
Creed promising to Dole out their own harsh punishment on those who threaten the safety
of the tribe by deviating Kidder probably wouldn't get his experiments past an Ethics
Committee today but ethical questions aside this method of creation works extremely well
for him until of course it doesn't with this tiny civilization at his command Kidder has
enormous power he also isn't very interested in doing very much with it he's content he
loves what he's made and watching them develop his ideas over their brief lives Conant on
the other hand he has other more ambitious plans ambitious in the vein of all traditional
mustache twirling villains he tricks Kidder into creating an immensely powerful super
weapon for him and forces the hapless scientists to let him set it up on his beloved research
Island to avoid government interference Conan's goal world domination of course not very original
but with the money and power he's achieved through kidder's work it's actually at his
fingertips there's only one real catch for Content here he's a little scared of Kidder
in the words of the author tanence one great fear was that Kidder would someday take an
interest in world events and begin to become opinionated because of course what could possibly
be more terrifying to a suit than someone equally vicious with actual creativity you
can probably guess how the story unfolds from here Comet makes his move and attempts to
force the president to comply with his demands Kidder meanwhile races to find a solution
some way to protect himself and his beloved invention but of course as always it's his
little neoterricks who find the answer they engineer an impenetrable force field to protect
their little world after all is said and done we don't even quite know what happens to Kidder
but we can assume this little civilization continues to thrive long after advancing far
beyond anything Humanity could dream up on its own like I said but for a few creative
wrinkles it's a pretty simple story so why does this piece make top five her greatest
science fiction stories of the early 20th century sci-fi author Gene Wolff once wrote
the first SF story I read was microcosmic God by Theodore sturgeon it has sometimes
occurred to me that it has all been downhill from there I don't know that I necessarily
agree with that entire Point there's plenty of great s app out there but I do love this
one and I think it's because as someone who loves to create I sort of see myself in Mr
Kidder and suspect many other creatives do as well sturgeon makes it clear that he is
not just some mad scientist the usual vocation for a genius in many early science fiction
Tales Kidder wasn't some dwarf Little Gnome of a mad scientist you read about his hobby
wasn't personal Prophet but he wasn't a megalomaniac with a Russian name and no Scruples he wasn't
Insidious and he wasn't even particularly subversive Kidder is a pleasant little man
who simply wants to do his work in peace unlike Conant he has no power fantasies other than
to acquire ever more knowledge yes his method of corralling the neoterics is questionable
but his goal is never power if you think about it he's a pretty good embodiment of artistic
dedication he doesn't care about anything but his work as long as he gets to learn and
create he can forgo everything else even sleep how many creatives get in the zone while working
and wish they like Mr Kidder had a way around the need for sleep that waster of time even
more Mr Kidder is a massive unrepentant nerd he lives the dream of every science fiction
pen that was ever bullied for being passionate about their interests how many kids wished
they could dedicate their lives to their passions without fear of social ridicule how many still
do today it is a relatable problem something most human beings have gone through sometime
or other in their lives and if we want to get very close to home for some people kidder's
character goes far beyond passions and preoccupations and straight into Neurology in his book neo-tribes
author Steve Silberman dedicates a whole chapter to the relationship between early sci-fi communities
and autism he notes that in these communities personality quirks were less important than
one's passion for the subject and perhaps those quirks were more common among the fan
base anyway I am certainly no expert on the matter but I imagine that to many on the Spectrum
and many who simply don't fit in Mr Kidder lives a somewhat idyllic existence one of
solitude and passion with no concern for the difficulties of social interaction in this
story Kidder is truly very powerful and that power comes not from strength social status
or even money although Kidder does technically have a lot of it it comes from Passion sturgeon
wanted this to be the story Central Point quote a Superman need not be a powerful commanding
person and with passion and dedication at the core of his superpowers Kidder is for
many of us a truly relatable Superman Superman mind you not necessarily superhero passion
is beautiful but it doesn't always make right does it Kidder may be relatable in most ways
but there was that unethical streak which his dedication to the craft sort of blinded
him too and that wasn't the only thing he was blind to as in rapturing as his work was
as dreamy as it may seem to be wrapped up in nothing but the thing you care about most
it prevented him from seeing what was truly happening until it was nearly too late what
enabled his work what was he serving current the bank the drive for profit and Power to
approach kitter's lifestyle to live out their passions many creatives have to sort of rely
on these power-hungry individuals and institutions food and shelter don't just materialize before
you when you create art or do science usually you have to find an application that seems
profitable to the people with the money you need someone to publish it Market it distribute
it make a product out of it you can of course do this on your own but the more time you
dedicate to producing a product the less time you have the actual process of creation and
the further you drift from that idyllic creative life so mostly you sort of turn a blind eye
to the industry you feed because in turn it feeds you and lets you live the dream now
full stop there is absolutely nothing wrong with artists getting paid artists should be
paid for the value and worth they bring to The Human Experience or at the very least
enabled to do it securely even tail foundries a channel makes most of its money from you
guessed it video sponsors but that doesn't have to ruin the art it doesn't have to pervert
The Act of Creation itself although sadly I do think that is what ends up happening
to a lot of creatives kitter is just one example of this an extreme example yes not every corporate
fat cat wants actual world domination with powerful super weapons and most creatives
can't deliver that but in general this is a pretty widespread Dynamic the majority of
the world's career artists are beholden to their patrons and platforms the Integrity
of The Craft is always on the line advertisers have the big bucks and are happy to shovel
out for your endorsement of whatever poison they're peddling today nfts are free money
in the artist's pocket if you can turn a blind eye to the environmental impact if you're
desperate enough work is work propaganda Mills like prageru needs someone to animate and
produce their disinformation campaigns and bottom line even if it's not what you want
to make as an artist at all hey there's always money in adult content as Fabulous As kidder's
passionate lifestyle may seem it's also that very same detached aloof willfully ignorant
attitude that almost leads to the World's End in the story a stark reminder that it's
not only what we make that matters but why we make it regardless of Conan's designs in
kittus fixations remember it's the thing Kidder initially created for his own purposes the
invention of the neoterricks which makes any of this possible and in the end it's the neoterics
that Outlast everything else the pure creation not made for profit or power or even sustainability
but to benefit the Creator and the world he occupies that according to the story is what
lasts I don't necessarily think this is what the author was trying to say more likely I
guess this piece is about technology in the Threshold at which it supersedes the human
ability to master it but I also think it's interesting to find such a deeply artistic
message buried in a piece like this and incidentally I think that's part of what makes this one
feel so Timeless despite its simplicity speaking of Art and trying to make a living I just
want to let you know that there's actually a small team of humans helping me make this
show I'm just the talent but it's really these amazing people who make what we do here possible
and there is so much there chomping at the bit to create on this channel from weird experimental
videos to extremely Niche topics to animations to interactive video game experiences there's
so much they'd love to try making and if just one percent of our viewers were to contribute
one cup of coffee's worth on our patreon or here on YouTube memberships I mean at that
point our humans could pretty much make anything they wanted to visit patreon.comtailfoundry
or click the join button right beneath this video thanks so much to everyone who does
you have our love now get out there and keep making stuff up but you know for the right
reasons thanks for watching I'll see you next time bye
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[Music] thank you