Recently, I revisited C.S. Lewis’s 1945 novel, “That Hideous Strength,” the final book in his Space Trilogy. After writing about aliens last weekend, it feels like a fitting time to discuss the novel’s contemporary relevance. “That Hideous Strength” is a unique blend of dystopia, supernaturalism, and science fiction, reminiscent of works by George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, and Madeleine L’Engle.
The story takes place in a near-future Britain that succumbs to the control of the National Institute of Coordinated Experiments (N.I.C.E.), a scientistic technocracy resembling Huxley’s “Brave New World” in its infancy. However, as one character delves deeper into N.I.C.E.’s inner circle, he discovers that the most powerful technocrats are actually supernaturalists. They seek to communicate with the dead, contact dark supernatural entities, and even awaken the ancient Merlin to aid in their plans.
Without revealing too much about the plot, the novel boldly navigates the line between the sublime and the ridiculous. From this brief summary, a couple of points emerge regarding the book’s relevance to our own times.
Firstly, the idea that technological ambition and occult practices could have a closer relationship than expected resonates in our current era. We are witnessing Silicon Valley rationalists embracing “postrationalism,” embracing hallucinogen-induced spiritual experiences, and reintroducing U.F.O. sightings and alien encounters into cultural discussions. In this context, the concept of secret groups within influential digital-age enterprises attempting to commune with the spirit world seems less far-fetched. These individuals may perceive their actions as high-level science, pushing the boundaries of our understanding or unlocking the human mind’s hidden potential.
Secondly, the novel’s portrayal of a contested and imperfect totalitarian dystopia differs from the absolute control depicted in Orwell’s “1984” or Huxley’s “Brave New World.” Lewis presents a disguised tyranny plagued by internal rivalries, contradictions, blunders, and failures. This mirrors our reality, where powerful institutions seeking global dominion frequently encounter blowback and face unexpected social, political, and psychic forces. Our elites are often unprepared for the consequences of their actions.
Moreover, the novel’s exploration of the limitations of a secret government connects to the current discourse on U.F.O.s. While a government whistle-blower claims knowledge of a long-standing conspiracy, it is challenging to envision such a vast conspiracy remaining hidden. The secrets involved would be too significant, tempting individuals to reveal the truth. The complexity and political turmoil of our world would likely lead to numerous revelations. Thus, if there were an alien cover-up, it would more closely resemble the hidden machinations of N.I.C.E. Most individuals in Lewis’s organization remain unaware of their contact with dark powers, mistakenly believing they work toward humanitarianism and progress.
In the case of U.F.O.s, a comparable scenario would involve a secret program within the U.S. government possessing alien technology or means of communication with extraterrestrial beings. However, only a select few would be privy to this information, while the rest involved would assume they were working on entirely different classified projects. This differs from the claims made by the supposed U.F.O. whistle-blower and other anonymous leaks, where it appears that a significant number of individuals up the chain of command possess knowledge of alien ships. Such a scenario raises doubts about the stability and longevity of a conspiracy that relies on so many individuals being in the know.
Conspiracy theorizing can be a legitimate form of speculation, acknowledging that conspiracies and hidden secrets are part of our world. However, a common folly among conspiracists is to establish a scenario that assumes everyone not only knows the truth but also actively participates in the plot. Lewis’s “That Hideous Strength” presents a more nuanced and plausible approach, where a small elite holds the secret, while the majority involved remain oblivious to the hidden reality.
As we consider the future of language generation models (LLMs) like GPT-3 and GPT-4, it’s essential to reflect on the impact they will have on online content. While humans have largely written the text online until now, LLMs are increasingly playing a role in generating content. This raises questions about the future of these models and the potential loss of unique human perspective. Additionally, the influence of LLMs extends beyond text to other forms of media, such as music. The continual training and evolution of these models may lead to a degradation in quality as each generation loses the original sparkle and uniqueness.
In our recent paper, we explore the irreversible defects caused by using model-generated content in training LLMs. The original content distribution begins to disappear, leading to garbage-like text as Gaussian distributions converge and even potentially become delta functions. These findings raise concerns about the future of language and media generated by LLMs and the need to ensure a balance between the capabilities of these models and the preservation of human creativity and perspective.
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