Michael Crichton: A Devout and Honest Skeptic
Crichton was often accused, I think unfairly, of being a bit of a Luddite: his novels often drew conflict from experiments or technology gone wrong. The Andromeda Strain was based on the idea of a deadly plague from space, probably sparked by the initial concern about the Apollo 11 crew possibly bringing back alien diseases from the Moon; Andromeda Strain was actually released the same week as the first moon landing. Westworld, a “robot revolt” in which malfunctioning robots in a fictional amusement park turn on the park guests; Jurassic Park, of course, based on bioengineered recreations of dinosaurs who get loose in another theme park; and Prey, built around the “grey goo” scenarios of nanotechnology speculation, all were based around this notion of the undesirable side effects of technology caused by human error.
I think the Luddite charge, however, is unfair. Crichton himself saw science and technology as essentially good. In his speech “Aliens Cause Global Warming,” he says explicitly, “even as a child I believed that science represented the best and greatest hope for mankind.”
What Crichton saw instead was that new situations lead to new problems, not just in technology but socially. Rising Sun is built around the conflict between Japanese and American culture; Disclosure, around the unexpected effects of changing ideas of what is appropriate at work. He had the brilliant fiction writer’s eye for the essential conflicts, and he built his fiction around them.
Instead, I think Crichton was a devout and honest skeptic. In Travels, his collection of short autobiographical essays, he describes going to a professional psychic; he goes in with an open mind but determined to not fall for a “cold reading,” and left impressed. Even though it contradicted his worldview, he had to admit the experience was convincing.
One of those areas in which Crichton was a notable skeptic was in the area of global warming. In several speeches, and eventually in testimony to the Senate, he examined the actual data behind theories of anthropogenic — “human caused” — global warming, and he found them wanting. This led to his being denounced as a “denialist” — but he honestly evaluated the evidence, and honestly gave his opinion.
He never seemed to think of himself as anything but an entertainer; in Ronald Bailey’s own obituary of Crichton, he quotes Crichton as being honestly surprised that his skeptical take on technological or scientific topics might have any effect other than whiling away a few hours. More important, I think, was that Crichton never saw problems as insoluble or humanity as impotent in the face of them. In his movies and novels, humans overcome the unexpected bad effects of new technologies, one way or another.
Humans survive. So too, I think, will Crichton’s work.
All these years my absolute #1 favorite book has been “The Andromeda Strain”.. Read it over and over and OVER as a kid sitting under a pine tree by a quiet neighborhood canal.. Somehow managed to miss that I’ve recognized his name whenever I saw it on the tube because of that very book.. Discovered that “minor” detail while tracing his works backwards when I heard he passed away the other day..
Thank you for such a really nice tribute to him.. Enjoyed it very much..
One of those few writers whose next book I looked forward to with great anticipation.
A few years ago Crichton was a guest speaker for the Skeptics Society in Pasadena, he ridiculed them about their ridiculous closed mindedness about such things a psychics. After attending a meeting of that group I observed for myself how the founder Michael Shermer and other “professional” pseudo skeptics such as the failed magician who calls himself “Amazing Randi” all had an agenda that seemed more akin to the mentality of medievil monks rather than true open minded critical thinkers. Crichton in his book “Travels” in the last chapter writes that if he had a chance to address a group such as that at Cal-tech he would do and say exactly what he did. I am so glad he had the opportunity to fulfill one of his wishes.
Bill, that’s exactly what I thought. I have a number of devout atheists and devout skeptics as friends, and their religious fervor has always amazed (and rather amused) me.
I liked reading Michael Crichton.
An excellent mind.
Watch out, if you don’t buy into fat “I personally waste more resources than the entire city of Memphis” Al Gore’s version of anthropogenic GW, you might find yourself in the politically correct cold.
BBC SHUNNED ME FOR DENYING CLIMATE CHANGE
He made a speech at some think tank (maybe Heritage?) and I watched it on CSpan. His book on global warming was being published at the time, and the speech was mainly about the lack of science regarding climate change.
The best thought, though, was when he noted that if one sells fake goods, one can be sued. And he believed that there would be a time when IDEAS (like global warming, etc) would be susceptible to the law: ie, if a company is forced to spend $$$ to comply with anti- CO2 regulations, and those regulations are based on fake/mistaken science, then the PEOPLE who promulgated that fake/mistaken science could be sued!!
And this makes great sense, as so many people are now employed in the so-called
knowledge” industries.
It is a great pity he has passed on.
I’ll just say that Red Sun Rising was not his best.
Thanks, Charlie; Michael’s speech to the Commonwealth Club has been influential in my religious beliefs. One of those beliefs is that we are cooling; for how long even kim doesn’t know.
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Unlike Al Gore and others, Crichton understood that using technology is not the same as doing science. The Wall Street Journal reprinted a piece by Crichton explaining that the SETI project was really a religious exercise. I heartily agree. I have never understood devout atheists who are completely sure that life must exist somewhere else in the universe. At some level, it seems like a reasonable assumption. In fact, it is no more or less reasonable than assuming the existence of a supreme being.
Charlie Rose has many interesting interviews with Michael Crichton and a nice tribute/retrospective.
Crichton was intelligent and rational to a degree that most people are not capable of. Combine his intelligence and rationality with impressive creativity and a very strong work ethic and sense of integrity, and you get a person of improbable uniqueness–Michael Crichton. Being without fear, Crichton faced and overcame obstacles that would have turned away almost everyone else. Mortality finally overcame him, as it will us all.
The way he lived is his legacy, in addition to his many works of fiction, television, cinema, and prose. The dream is alive and will be reborn in the flesh again and again. Let’s make sure we provide a society of opportunity that let’s the future Crichtons thrive in their dreams.
I’ll just say that Red Sun Rising was not his best.
Combined with the cognomen “Amphipolis” I can tell if that’s a mistake or a purposeful joke.
(I *think* you mean Red Sun, but you’re confusing it with Red Star Rising, which is Tom Clancy.)
I’ll just say that Red Sun Rising was not his best.
Combined with the cognomen “Amphipolis” I can tell if that’s a mistake or a purposeful joke.
(I *think* you mean Red Sun, but you’re confusing it with Red Star Rising, which is Tom Clancy.)
Tom Clancy’s second novel: Red Storm Rising.
Michael Crichton’s 18th novel (including those written under pen names): Rising Sun.
C’mon people, is it that hard to get these details right? There is this thing called Wikipedia, you know.
Um…how many charlatans, and snake oil salesmen, did “The Amazing Randi” expose as frauds by replicating their “astonishing” feats? What’s “paranormalist” Uri Geller up to these days?
Who’s claimed his million dollar bounty to
“prove” him wrong?
Open Minded “critical” thinkers indeed!
Furthermore,
I thought it was ” ..that can’t simply bury their incompitance…”
*shesh*
…incompetence…
CaptDMO ….Uri Geller has a T.V show in Europe, he also participated in a T.V. show here in the U. S. he is doing very well….. Ask Randi why he runs from the “Honesty Challenge. Randi and his million dollar offer has been proven to be nothing but a less than honest publicity stunt. He was offered ten thousand dollars by myself if I can not prove in less than one minute that his offer is just a false publicuty stunt. He runs from the offer, ask him why. Also ask any professional pseudo skeptic why they won’t take my ten grand, I have also made this offer publicly to all professional pseudo skeptics and yet not one will take the money. Why, because if they can’t then it casts all their movement into jepordy. I realize this is something some folks will have a problem dealing with, but that’s life.
This is a late comment, but I just came across this thread while searching for someone else who spoke at that conference. I saw Crichton’s speech and he let ‘em have it right between the eyes. I can’t opine on Randi one way or another. I haven’t followed his work. But I got the distinct, and distinctly ironical, impression of skepticism as a religion and I am glad to see that I wasn’t the only one.