BRAINWASHED - Dystopia 01
The Future of Humankind – H. G. Wells (1)
“The Time Machine” (Oxford World's Classics) (1895) by H. G. Wells
(sponsored by Amazon)
Surprisingly, H. G. Wells (1866–1946) wrote this monumental, very impressive science fiction at the end of the 19th century (1895). It's yet a decade earlier than Albert Einstein (1879–1955) published the special relativity in 1905, and then the general relativity in 1915.
First of ALL, H. G. Wells’ visualization of time traveling is marvelous in the age without television, personal computer (PC), let alone special effects (SFX) and George Lucas…
“I am afraid I cannot convey the peculiar sensations of time travelling. They are excessively unpleasant. There is a feeling exactly like that one has upon a switchback — of a helpless headlong motion! I felt the same horrible anticipation, too, of an imminent smash. As I put on pace, night followed day like the flapping of a black wing. The dim suggestion of the laboratory seemed presently to fall away from me, and I saw the sun hopping swiftly across the sky, leaping it every minute, and every minute marking a day. I supposed the laboratory had been destroyed and I had come into the open air. I had a dim impression of scaffolding, but I was already going too fast to be conscious of any moving things. The slowest snail that ever crawled dashed by too fast for me. The twinkling succession of darkness and light was excessively painful to the eye. Then, in the intermittent darknesses, I saw the moon spinning swiftly through her quarters from new to full, and had a faint glimpse of the circling stars. Presently, as I went on, still gaining velocity, the palpitation of night and day merged into one continuous greyness; the sky took on a wonderful deepness of blue, a splendid luminous color like that of early twilight; the jerking sun became a streak of fire, a brilliant arch, in space; the moon a fainter fluctuating band; and I could see nothing of the stars, save now and then a brighter circle flickering in the blue.” (Chapter 3, The Time Machine)
H. G. Wells grounded “The Time Machine” in his contemporary late-Victorian scientific theories, rather than relying on supernatural or magical methods. That's why his “The Time Machine” is called the pioneering work of modern ‘science’ fiction.
H. G. Wells utilized principles of mathematics, physics, and evolutionary biology. Specifically, he treats time as the fourth dimension analogous to 3 spatial dimensions—length, breadth, and thickness.
“Really this is what is meant by the Fourth Dimension, though some people who talk about the Fourth Dimension do not know they mean it. It is only another way of looking at Time. There is no difference between Time and any of the three dimensions of Space except that our consciousness moves along it.” (Chapter 1, The Time Machine)
Fourth Dimension
H. G. Wells adopted the emerging idea that time is a fourth dimension a decade before Albert Einstein’s Special Relativity (1905).
H. G. Wells thought that just as one can move in 3 spatial dimensions, a machine could technically allow travel along the fourth temporal axis. Time is just another way of looking at a fourth dimension, similar to the 3 dimensions of space, but our consciousness moves along the fourth dimension of time.
At that time, in the late-Victorian era, the concept of the fourth dimension was already being discussed in scientific circles, as the Time Traveler mentions “Professor Simon Newcomb” (1835–1909) and fourth dimension geometry in “The Time Machine” (Chapter 1).
While contemporary scientists viewed the fourth dimension as another spatial dimension, H. G. Wells proposed the fourth dimension as a temporal axis in “The Time Machine.”
The protagonist Time Traveller argues that any real physical existence MUST have extension in 4 directions – length, breadth, thickness, and duration. And time is a solid, measurable dimension on equal footing with the other 3 spatial dimensions.
H. G. Wells suggests that our existence is a four-dimensional (4D) solid that spans from birth to death. And our perception of a flowing present is merely a subjective limitation, NOT an objective reality.
Block Universe – Eternalism
H. G. Wells' “The Time Machine” is a foundational Sci-fi work that presents a block universe perspective of time. In the novel, time is treated NOT as a flowing river, but as a rigid fourth dimension, similar to the 3 spatial dimensions – length, breadth, and height. In the 4 dimensions, ALL moments in history – past, present, and future – co-exist.
The block universe is a philosophical and physical model of time linked to relativity. It proposes that ALL past, present, and future events coexist simultaneously in a four-dimensional block of spacetime. Time does NOT flow, and the future is already fixed. The perception of time passing is considered a subjective feature of human consciousness.
Likewise, eternalism argues that ALL points in time—past, present, and future—are equally real and exist simultaneously. Eternalism also posits that time is the fourth dimension, similar to the other 3 spatial dimensions. ALL moments are fixed, rather than constantly passing.
The block universe model suggests a solid reality that the universe is a static, unchanging block or fixed matrix containing ALL time. The Time Traveller’s ability to move through time suggests that the future and past are already set, rather than being created in the present moment. Within the block universe model, the flow of time is viewed as an illusion, similar to a film reel. In the eternalistic view, the entire film a priori exists at once, but we experience time sequentially.
Mechanisms of Time Machine
The machine, the Time Traveller’s invention, is made with a complex, delicate mechanism of ivory, crystalline substance, and brass, designed to navigate the fourth dimension. It operates via 2 main levers, one for forward travel and one for backward travel, along with locking studs, which allow the user to accelerate through time.
The machine’s components are simple and imagination-provoking:
● The 2 levers and studs are the primary interface for controlling the machine’s direction and speed. The Time Traveller moves them to initiate travel, as he described experiencing a feeling of falling like “a helpless headlong motion.”
● The saddle, the operator's seat, keeps the traveler in position during the violent sensation of moving through time.
● The machine’s materials are described as constructed with ivory, crystalline substance, and brass. This construction gives the machine an image-provoking, yet functional appearance.
According to the fourth dimension theory, the machine moves through time, yet somewhat clumsily, skipping like a stepping-stone across the surface of time. About the chronal navigation, the Time Traveller states that by applying a force, he can increase his velocity through time, effectively moving faster than the regular flow of time.
While NOT detailed in specific modern engineering terms, the machine's design and functions rely on the idea of the fourth dimension, manipulating time like a physical, navigable space, allowing the traveller to skip over vast periods.
Evolution of Humankind – Eloi and Morlocks
By AD 802,701, Humankind has evolved, diverging into 2 distinct species representing the fractured Victorian class system, the Eloi and the Morlocks.
“It was not for some time that I could succeed in persuading myself that the thing I had seen was human. But, gradually, the truth dawned on me: that Man had not remained one species, but had differentiated into two distinct animals: that my graceful children of the Upper-world were not the sole descendants of our generation, but that this bleached, obscene, nocturnal Thing, which had flashed before me, was also heir to all the ages.” (Chapter 5, The Time Machine)
● The Eloi
The Eloi are descendants of the 19th-century upper class. They are small, weak, unintelligent, and lack curiosity. The Eloi fear the darkness and the Morlocks.
● The Morlocks
The Morlocks are descendants of the working class. They have adapted to live underground with white pale skin, large eyes, and hair on their backs. The Morlocks are industrial, mechanical, and hunt the Eloi at night.
Relationship – Perverted Symbiosis
The Morlocks keep the palaces and large white buildings for the Eloi's housing, protecting them from the elements as a shelter.
The Eloi live in large communal ruinous palaces in AD 802,701, described as dilapidated massive structures similar to museums or sanitariums. Among them, the Palace of Green Porcelain is a decaying museum on a hillock, still containing remnants of specimens of human history, technology, and natural history.
The Morlocks provide the garments, too, such as soft silk clothing for the Eloi. Still more, the Morlocks tend to the landscape and cultivate fruits and vegetables that form the strict vegetarian diet for the Eloi.
While providing ALL necessities for the Eloi's sustenance, in fact, the Morlocks treat the Eloi similarly to how humans treat livestock. The Morlocks raise the Eloi in a state of idle luxury, and then harvest the Eloi for their primary food, as the unidentified raw ‘meat’ the Time Traveller witnessed underground implies...
“Then I thought of the Great Fear that was between the two species, and for the first time, with a sudden shiver, came the clear knowledge of what the meat I had seen might be. Yet it was too horrible!” (Chapter 7, The Time Machine)
The Time Traveller suggests this chilling relationship is a horrific reversal of Victorian industrial society. The then pampered elite became so feeble, helpless the Eloi who now rely on their former servants for sustenance, but ironically, ONLY to be consumed by the Morlocks…
Weena’s Death – the Last Ray of Humanity
Weena is a gentle, lovely Eloi woman. Since he saved her from drowning, Weena was always standing by the Time Traveller, forming a deep, loving relationship with him. Weena represents the last remaining ray of humanity in AD 802,701.
Unlike other Eloi, Weena showed the Time Traveler gratitude and affection and became his good companion. Weena brought him flowers, showing the last spark of humanity that had probably remained in her DNA even in a degenerate future.
While Weena does NOT speak English, she communicates affection through actions, such as giving the Time Traveler garlands of flowers, rather than through spoken language. Their bond was emotional, affectionate, but non-verbal. Weena relies on gestures, touches, and affection to communicate, showing the Time Traveler more sincere gratitude and fondness rather than words.
But despite Weena’s innocent, lovely companionship, here is the saddest, most heartbreaking consequence in the story…
During a battle with the Morlocks on the exploration for his lost Time Machine, the Time Traveller created a fire with his precious matches for protection. But he found Weena becoming lost in the spreading blaze…
“I walked slowly, for I was almost exhausted, as well as lame, and I felt the intensest wretchedness for the horrible death of little Weena. It seemed an overwhelming calamity. Now, in this old familiar room, it is more like the sorrow of a dream than an actual loss. But that morning it left me absolutely lonely again — terribly alone. I began to think of this house of mine, of this fireside, of some of you, and with such thoughts came a longing that was pain.” (Chapter 9, The Time Machine)
Weena has left the Time Traveller with 2 white flowers in his pocket, which he brought back home in the 19th century.
Lovely Weena symbolizes innocence, childlike ingenuousness, and the emotional capacity without verbal language that the Eloi have lost after 800,000 years, as the white flowers that she left…
As a former student of biology under Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–1895) (Aldous Huxley's grandfather) at the Normal School of Science (later the Royal College of Science in South Kensington), H. G. Wells, as a scientific journalist, used his contemporary scientific knowledge to create a grounded, realistic, but imaginative narrative.
H. G. Wells’ “The Time Machine” is the first to use a mechanical device to navigate the fourth dimension. As it's called the pioneer of modern Sci-fi, Wells anchored time travel in a scientific framework for the first time.
Further reading (sponsored by Amazon):
● Claire Tomalin (2021). The Young H. G. Wells: Changing the World. 269 pages. Penguin Press.
(sponsored by Amazon)
As in “The Young H. G. Wells: Changing the World” depicts, from his impoverished childhood in a working-class English family, and determination to educate himself at any cost to his complicated marriages, love affair with socialism, and the serious ill health that dominated his twenties and thirties, H. G. Wells's extraordinary early life would set him on a path to become one of the World's most influential writers! In this remarkable, empathetic biography, “The Young H. G. Wells: Changing the World,” Claire Tomalin paints a fascinating portrait of a man like NO other, driven by curiosity and desiring reform, a socialist and a futurist whose NEW and imaginative Worlds continue to inspire today!
● Claire Tomalin (2021). The Young H. G. Wells: Changing the World. 269 pages. Penguin Press.
(sponsored by Amazon)
As in “The Young H. G. Wells: Changing the World” depicts, from his impoverished childhood in a working-class English family, and determination to educate himself at any cost to his complicated marriages, love affair with socialism, and the serious ill health that dominated his twenties and thirties, H. G. Wells's extraordinary early life would set him on a path to become one of the World's most influential writers! In this remarkable, empathetic biography, “The Young H. G. Wells: Changing the World,” Claire Tomalin paints a fascinating portrait of a man like NO other, driven by curiosity and desiring reform, a socialist and a futurist whose NEW and imaginative Worlds continue to inspire today!
Illustrations
Preface
1: Two Accidents
2: “What else can you do?”
3: Uppark
4: “A bright run of luck”
5: Blood
6: “For a young man to marry…”
7: More Blood
8: The Time Machine
9: “Uncommonly cheerful and hopeful”
10: A House by the Sea
11: Fabian Friends
12: Joining the Club
13: Pressure
14: America in 1906
15: Webb and Wells
16: Amberissima
17: Heroines
18: Tono-Bungay
19: Friends and Enemies
20: “I warmed both hands before the fire of Life”
Photographs
Bibliography
Books by Wells 1893–1911
Notes
Index
Illustrations
Preface
1: Two Accidents
2: “What else can you do?”
3: Uppark
4: “A bright run of luck”
5: Blood
6: “For a young man to marry…”
7: More Blood
8: The Time Machine
9: “Uncommonly cheerful and hopeful”
10: A House by the Sea
11: Fabian Friends
12: Joining the Club
13: Pressure
14: America in 1906
15: Webb and Wells
16: Amberissima
17: Heroines
18: Tono-Bungay
19: Friends and Enemies
20: “I warmed both hands before the fire of Life”
Photographs
Bibliography
Books by Wells 1893–1911
Notes
Index
