Bill McLean was not a writer, nor was he prepared to face a barrage of skepticism. Proof of the visitor’s encounter was not possible and only the fans of Star Trek would accept the social direction that was described. The special interest groups of society are in complete control of our institutions. People do dislike change. Still, in spite of what the visitor claimed that the encounter was only academic, Bill felt a strong obligation to do something.
To avoid direct criticism he should be anonymous. After considerable thought that a ghostwriter could convey the message and thus both he and the prospective writer would be able to avoid an amused or disrespectful reaction. Bill did his research and came upon two sources of information that presented strong support for the evolution of science. The first was from an article written by a forgotten author that went something like this.
In the beginning there was only religion. All natural and personal events were determined and controlled by many Gods. Eventually one god replaced the many gods. God sent his only son to planet earth to deliver morality and salvation. There were rules and regulations (taught by priests and preachers, under the name of God) which controlled social institution. The church politicians enforced these regulations as moral obligations to society.
Science gradually became an alternative that contradicted religious interpretations of nature. Science began as philosophy, then gradually developed into natural philosophy. Natural philosophy and mathematics merged to explain the mysteries of nature and became known as Science.
Science, as an educational subject gradually entered into the public school system. Science then began to influence the development of attitudes and behavior toward nature as being natural, logical, controllable, and predictable rather than the miraculous control by an invisible God. Belief was no longer accepted as knowledge. Knowledge is a search for truth, and demands proof. Faith that your belief represents knowledge was no longer acceptable. Religion and science evolved into separate institutions.
Science continued to expand into the social fabric of civilization. Institutions of higher learning made room for this new upstart that was bold enough to criticize religious faith. From the universities of higher learning, science then evolved into the sanctuary of government. Government then realized that in new science there were economic value and wartime technological advantages. When science evolved into economics and business the standard of living for citizens of industrial societies accelerated into our present life styles.
Science continued to evolve within Government. Departments of science have direct influence on presidential decisions. Governmental decisions are now made by a combination of business, economics and science.
The last evolutionary stage is when government becomes science. Science leaders rather than political or religious leaders will advise and guide social institutions into the future. The scientific society will be in complete harmony with nature and democracy will become a true democracy rather than a republic. Citizens will elect leaders who are the most qualified and respected within their specialized areas. For the first time in history evolution will be understood and appreciated as constructive change.
When Bill read this revolutionary description for the future he realized that there was strong support for the knowledge that he gained from his experience with his visitor from the future. His reasoning was that if there was one vision, which he had experienced, then there could probably be others with similar predictions for the future. He decided to try and find a second person and try to convince him that the story must be told.
Bill McLean must remain anonymous. He refuses to be confronted with the acquisitions of overly imaginative fictitious story telling for such a serious subject. He could not prove his encounter with the visitor. There are no witnesses that he knows. His message would be ignored and possibly could be ridiculed. Ideas are what matter; nothing else.
Bill made contact with a friend of a friend who had graduated years ago from a University in Minnesota. This person had been part of an alumni group who had evaluated master’s graduation theses on education. The thesis was titled “A Research Into The Evolution Of Contemporary Economics “. To shorten the story Bill was able to trace the present location of this friend, and discovered to his surprise that the author of these theses was now living on the West Coast.
Bill phoned the author of the thesis and briefly explained his contact with their mutual friend. He mentioned that he would appreciate hearing a review of the thesis since there appeared to be a correlation between the conclusion of the thesis and some new and startling information. This could be of great value to education everywhere. Out of great curiosity I agreed to meet with Bill. When Bill discovered that I was also a cyclist we agreed to meet at Cattle Point to discuss our mutual information.
Bill and I met at Cattle Point in the early morning of a beautiful clear day. Cyclists have a common interest that instantly makes friends out of strangers. We spoke of the healthy value of “spinning”, a bicycle term for fast distance riding that all serious cyclists enjoy. Bill was then anxious to hear about the conclusion of the thesis.
I said that the conclusion was about social change. The reason for change was due to America’s exponential growth of extraneous energy in the form of industrial modernization, which would eventually result in the production of an abundance of manufactured products. Abundance will be impossible to distribute using negotiable currency called the “Price System’. The reason being, money has value in proportion to its scarcity and a scarcity token can not distribute abundance. It is for that reason artificial scarcity conditions are created to maintain values for all manufactured products and produce. As industrial modernization continues to grow, artificial scarcity breaks down and the Price System comes to a natural end.
An electronic bookkeeping system then replaces the Price System. With this new bookkeeping replacing the Price System a dynamic equilibrium will maintain productive-consumption balance and a new society with greatly upgraded institutions will emerge.
This was the analysis that Bill was hoping for. Here was an analysis originating from the present that confirmed the information from the future. Direct influence from an advanced civilization would cripple our incentive for using our own imagination and inventive abilities. Now we realize our own educators using our own data can successfully influence a smooth transfer from the money system to the energy system.
It was now Bill’s turn. He described his amazing encounter with the visitor from the future. I was understandably skeptical but the detail and logic was so profound that simple truth could not be denied and therefore it was totally believable.
Bill said that he would like me to combine his information with my thesis and present a basic educational learning package for interested educators. The one condition that Bill requested was anonymity. He could not prove his experience with the visitor and he was afraid that the criticism and ridicule would be more than he could live with. I on the other hand would be able to add an extension to my thesis without having to prove the source of my information. It is the message not the messenger that is important. He wanted me to relieve him of this important social burden.
Now finally, here I am alone with this responsibility. I am a retired educator, financially comfortable, living in the most wonderful city in the world, and with no desire for notoriety. Why, I ask myself, should I assume such a responsibility? I explained my concern to Bill and confessed that I do feel some latent fire that at one time was of intense concern to me and that I would give serious thought to his request
I decided that since I had the time and a growing interest, why not attempt a start? I could write a paper and organize this fascinating information which I accept as being true because it answers so many profound questions.