Sensawunda
I recently had the pleasure to hang out with some Sci-Fi fans, people who are very much full of what the genre calls “Sensawunda”, or the sense of wonder. This happened at the Albacon Science Fiction Convention in Albany, NY, an event I attended to flog my new book, Cyberchild (available as a free eBook on my personal site at www.smartalix.com).
Do you still think technology is cool? Did you ever?
Like many of you, I got into the tech field because I was enthralled with the wide vistas of the future, the potentialities, places, and achievements that science and technology would eventually bring into reality (although I am still waiting for my flying car). A freewheeling discussion about the future with people who still passionately think that way reminded me how I got into this business.
When was the last time you were excited about electronics? I still get goose bumps when I see a cool new device or technology, and I know many of you still feel the same way. The floodgates of imagination fly open when creative people are confronted with challenging ideas that force their minds to travel down new and interesting paths.
That “sensawunda” ranges in intensity from open-mouthed awe to a simple sensation of “Gee, that's cool!” The key aspects are an appreciation of the new vistas provided by the revelation, recognition of the application areas affected, and pleasure at having discovered it.
Does a loss of wonder represent a reduction in creativity? If a person isn't excited by the new, does it mean they can't be an effective innovator?
Many would say that this fascination with technology is no longer as strong among our youth. Depending on whom you ask, this lack of “sensawunda” is either a fault of our success in technology, or the current issues of science and religion in our society.
Are our kids so spoiled by the widespread realization of many geek dreams that they have a hard time mustering emotion about a mature field of endeavor? Do we need to rekindle that feeling in order to save engineering as a field of development in the USA? How should we go about it?
Our society's current debate on religion and science stems from what I would call misapplied wonder, the attempt to inject religious spirituality into scientific issues. By confusing the nature of the mystery and de-emphasizing science in the process of understanding the world around us, are we preventing our children from being able to function in a rapidly developing technological world?
The possibility also exists that the loss of wonder is a perception based on popular culture stereotypes. Maybe most of us still look at the new and interesting in the world around us and still think “Cool!” but are just afraid of saying so as to not look like a neophyte.
How about you? Do you still think tech is cool? Do you feel that “sensawunda” is a requirement for creativity? Do you think that a person needs to have it to be a good design engineer? Drop me a line and let me know.
Alix L. Paultre
Executive Editor, Special Projects
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