Socratica Reads

Kimberly Hatch Harrison (co-founder of Socratica) hosts this podcast that celebrates the power of reading to inspire. In this episode, Kim presents a surprising vision of the future from a celebrated novelist of manners and society, E.M. Forster (author of A Room With a View, A Passage to India, etc.). 

If you would like your own copy of this story, it is available here:

The Machine Stops, The Celestial Omnibus, and Other Stories by E.M. Forster

https://amzn.to/48C22Os

Recommended by Bookpilled

https://www.youtube.com/@Bookpilled

Kim’s book: How to Be a Great Student

ebook: https://amzn.to/2Lh3XSP

Paperback: https://amzn.to/3t5jeH3

Kindle Unlimited: https://amzn.to/3atr8TJ

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Transcript:

Welcome Everybody! To Socratica Reads. My name is Kimberly Hatch Harrison, and I’m the co-founder of Socratica. We make beautiful futuristic educational videos. That means we’re often inspired by science fiction, as it treads a fine line between celebrating new discoveries and inventions, and showing us a picture of how it could all go wrong if you forget your humanity along the way. Today I’d like to share with you an unexpected source of one of these stories!

But first, I’m going to interrupt myself here to say—there won’t be any more interruptions, because this podcast has ZERO ads. No ads! That’s because we’re sponsored by The Socratica Foundation. And the Socratica Foundation is sponsored by—you. The Socratica Foundation is an educational nonprofit dedicated to the three timeless pillars: Literacy, numeracy, and critical thinking. We have a Literacy Campaign to spread the love of reading and share its enormous power. This includes reading lessons, book donations, and a little PR for reading in the form of this podcast, Socratica Reads. You can learn more at socratica.org

Now I was telling you that I was surprised to learn about this episode’s book. I heard about it from a BookTuber I’d like to recommend—a channel called BookPilled—that features all kinds of classic sci fi in my favourite form, the inexpensive used bookstore paperback, preferably with a lurid cover. I spend almost every episode saying Never Heard of It. NEVER heard of it! And I have my phone open and I’m looking up these books. There’s very often an auction associated with the episodes so if you really want to get your hands on that exact copy you can place a bid. I’ll include a link to bookpilled in the shownotes. The channel is great fun, and it helps me expand my understanding of this art form, so I consider it an educational channel. I started reading scifi before the internet existed, and I only really knew about the books that were on the shelves of my local library—which was truly excellent, but even the best library doesn’t have EVERY book. That was one thing that was a real trip about visiting bookstores in different towns back then, you might actually discover a book you didn’t know existed. 

Like this book. Let me actually start talking about this episode’s book. 

It’s called The Machine Stops. It’s either a very long short story or a pretty short novella. And it’s by EM Forster. The EM Forster I know and love from novels like A Room With a View and A Passage to India and Howard’s End and Maurice and Where Angels Fear to Tread. 

You see, I thought I read everything EM Forster ever wrote. At least, that was everything that was on the shelves of my library and local bookstores. I had no idea he ever wrote any science fiction. But he did, and boy howdy, it’s a doozy. It’s GREAT. I- I- I don’t even understand how I never heard about this so I had to read it and now that I’ve read it I have to tell you that it exists and it’s great and you should read it too, and tell people about it and get them to read it. 

So I know EM Forster as a sensitive, elegant novelist who dissected the intricacies of human relationships, and exposed the hypocrisies of his society, and warned of the dangers of people denying their human nature. A lot of my understanding of early 20th century society comes from reading novels like these. 

But here’s the thing. 

I really SHOULDN’T be surprised that EM Forster wrote SciFi. I’m so glad he saw that he could do the kind of work he always did, but in this different genre. This…POWERFUL genre. Science Fiction can be, when it’s done well, a vehicle for examining human nature and society. In this work, The Machine Stops, we get to consider the impact of technology on a future society where people live underground and are entirely dependent on a vast computer-like MACHINE for their every need. This book is from 1909, but the themes of technology, isolation, and the potential consequences of over-reliance on machines for human life make it so fresh. 

I’m going to read a little from the beginning, and I hope you are moved to get your own copy. If this is your first introduction to Forster, you have some really great works 

Are you ready? Let’s begin.

{Kim reads excerpt}

There’s a lot about this society that Forster imagined that feels familiar. If you read it—I’m going to say WHEN you read it—please read it—I think you’ll find it relevant for our current discussions about the impact of technology on our lives. 

If you want to chat about the ideas in The Machine Stops, our Discord Server is open to all of our YouTube channel members, and our Patrons from Patreon. You can join at patreon.com/socratica. Thanks for listening.