It was his second best kept secret. Michael Crichton died of today at 66 of a cancer he had concealed from the public. The Times Online describes his glittering academic career; Crichton graduated “summa cum laude from Harvard University before tutoring at Cambridge University in anthropology and later registering at Harvard Medical School.” You couldn’t miss him, either in person or in the public debate.
Physically a dominant figure, at 6ft 9in, he found an unlikely ally in President Bush, with whom he shared a sceptical view of global warming. His 2004 novel, State of Fear, was condemned by environmentalists, but Crichton maintained that his conclusions were misrepresented.
He both loved knowledge and mistrusted our belief to completely apprehend it, his works often portraying “scientists and engineers as arrogant and closed-minded to the potential threat a technology represents”.
A notable recurring theme in Crichton’s plots is the pathological failure of complex systems and their safeguards, whether biological (Jurassic Park), military/organizational (The Andromeda Strain) or cybernetic (Westworld). This theme of the inevitable breakdown of “perfect” systems and the failure of “fail-safe measures” can be seen strongly in the poster for Westworld (slogan: “Where nothing can possibly go worng ..” (sic) ) and in the discussion of chaos theory in Jurassic Park.
His theme wasn’t so much “no, we can’t” but that the arrogant and self-satisfied couldn’t. Life was always a surprise, insusceptible to diktat. Perhaps his aversion to hubris was the reason he preferred the parable and the pseudonymous word. As the Times notes, he secretly wrote his first novels during his internship under the pseudonym ‘Jeffery Hudson’. That was his first secret. Now we know his second.
What a great man. His ablity to cut through, and ridicule mans self idolatry was enjoyable and compelling. I have a video of Crichton speaking at a conference with other speakers about science and the global warming scare in particular. He pointed to scientific evidence throughout modern history that seems laughable fantasy today, but taken seriously in its time. He remarked that when asked of all the social, political, scientific, and moral implications of his books, he would reply “Enjoy the book”. That says it all. I enjoyed them all. A storyteller with a magical gift to spellbind. Will miss him.
Crichton wasn’t just a writer of thriller novels. When I was younger, I enjoyed him immensely in only that capacity, because even then I could see that his works were more than simple adventure stories.
When I got a bit older, I discovered his speeches and essays, available at http://www.michaelcrichton.net – and was simply blown away by his deep understanding of the problems modern society faces.
I encourage everyone to take a minute and and peruse some of the writings on his website. An incredible intellect who will be sorely missed in the upcoming chaotic years.
Very sorry to hear that he is gone.
Everyone should read Michael Crichton’s “The Demon Haunted World.” He points out that at one time the general public was convinced that invisible demons explained much of what happened.
But today, in this period of ultimate enlightenment, the demons have been replaced by the claims of scientists, which are not understood by the public and often have about the same basis in truth as do demons.
Hey, RWE:
Something I’d like you to read and explain is Crichton’s description on his website of what went on with the crash landing of the DC-10 in Omaha, or wherever:
Been a while since I’ve read it, so details are blurry, but he makes mention of the real story never making it’s way to the public on that one.
You’ll no doubt be able to translate it into something more understandable to we poor humans of lesser intellect.
“The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark” by Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan (Paperback – Feb 25, 1997)
RWE’s a Rocket Scientist, not a professional book reviewer!
What a loss. What a great mind gone. Makes me feel so small.