Fantastic Metropolis

On the second occasion, a concrete question was posed to the Overlord connected with the traditional dichotomy of the culture of mankind-the dichotomy between art and science—which concealed an intention to discover if, from the perspective of the Overlord, all artists actually represent abnormal individuals embodying “the childish aberration of the human race.” The Overlord avoided giving a direct reply, making use of an ambiguous syllogism: “So if all artists are abnormal, and all men are artists, we have an interesting syllogism…”

The residents of the utopian commune could only guess at the real meaning of this syllogism, which simultaneously implied a judgment on the value of New Athens. In this respect, the readers of Childhood’s End are in a somewhat more favourable position. They have the opportunity of attending the submission of the report by the Overlord who carried out the inspection of New Athens—a report which introduces directly, for the first time, a cosmic perspective in the process of assessing Man’s attempts to safeguard the artistic form of expression in his creative spirit, something which had never been endangered in the past—at least not in Earthly frameworks. Tantalterresco said that no action should be taken in connection with the colony. Also, “It is an interesting experiment, but cannot in any way affect the future.”

Now it is completely certain that the axiological judgment, condensed in the adjective “interesting”, was really pronounced from the standpoint of “an anthropologist taking part in some primitive rite.” From the perspective of the future, or the manifold cosmic usefulness of the human race, the utopian experiment called New Athens, which viewed the highest creative values of mankind in artistic expression, actually represents only “a childish aberration of the human race.”

However, from this standpoint, any other type of Utopia—which represents the end and not only the means for universal cosmic development—is equally ephemeral and has no real impact on the future. Its lack of value follows from the static, non-progressive character of the mythical motif of “Paradise Regained” or the “Golden Age” which lies in the basis of any Utopia.

In Childhood’s End, only the Overlords possess an awareness of transcience and instability of Utopia. At the end of the second part of the book, which quite intentionally carries the title “The Golden Age,” the Earth Supervisor, Karellen, brilliantly summarizes the whole tragedy of this myth. “They would never know how lucky they had been. For a lifetime, mankind had achieved as much happiness as any race can ever know. It had been the Golden Age. But gold was also the colour of sunset, of autumn: and only Karellen’s ears could catch the first wailings of the winter storms. And only Karellen knew with what inexorable swiftness the Golden Age was rushing to its close.”

The easily overlooked issue of the last philosophers again pierce to the forefront in all its monumentality: “Where do we go from here?”

The cosmic dimension of the development of intelligent races—according to Clarke’s concept—does not recognize Utopia. Those who have cast their lot with the Golden Age, regardless of whether this is founded on science, art or a third element, lose all importance in the order of the universe, turning into being which inexorably sink to stagnation and decadence. In order to reach higher levels of all—cosmic evolution—, Utopia should be accepted only as a means and not as a final meeting of goals. On the other side of all Utopias, petrified in the ephemeral ideals from the period of mankind’s “childhood,” there are new dimensions of existence. The road to them sometimes stands in opposition to any altruism or the final end of each Utopia: self-satisfied prosperity.

Of course, nature always creates a prodigal abundance which permits for the prevalence of those races which could not muster up courage to confront this challenge and surpass the level of Utopia. “They have turned back while there was still time, avoiding both the danger and achievement. Their worlds had become Elysian islands of effortless content, playing no further part in the story of the Universe.”

Translated from the Serbian by Irene Mirković.