(ReacTor) Five SF Earths With More Than One Indigenous Intelligent Species

[James Nicoll]

Five SF Earths With More Than One Indigenous Intelligent Species

Imagining a world in which Homo sapiens are no longer (or never were)
the only intelligent tool users on the block...

https://reactormag.com/five-sf-earths-with-more-than-one-indigenous-intelligent-species/

[Michael F. Stemper]

Post by James Nicoll
Five SF Earths With More Than One Indigenous Intelligent Species
Imagining a world in which Homo sapiens are no longer (or never were)
the only intelligent tool users on the block...
https://reactormag.com/five-sf-earths-with-more-than-one-indigenous-intelligent-species/

A significant omission is Clifford D. Simak's _City_ stories, in which not only
dogs, but ants, eventually become intelligent tool-users right here on Earth.

A creepier example is Knight's "Auto-Da-Fé", which has one remaining human, along
with the intelligent dogs that look likely to supplant humanity.

[Lynn McGuire]

Post by James Nicoll
Five SF Earths With More Than One Indigenous Intelligent Species
Imagining a world in which Homo sapiens are no longer (or never were)
the only intelligent tool users on the block...
https://reactormag.com/five-sf-earths-with-more-than-one-indigenous-intelligent-species/

"Hominids: Volume One of The Neanderthal Parallax" by Robert J. Sawyer

https://www.amazon.com/Hominids-Neanderthal-Parallax-Robert-Sawyer/dp/0765392348/

"Out of the Dark" by David Weber
https://www.amazon.com/Out-Dark-David-Weber/dp/076536381X/

Lynn

[John Savard]

Post by James Nicoll
Five SF Earths With More Than One Indigenous Intelligent Species
Imagining a world in which Homo sapiens are no longer (or never were)
the only intelligent tool users on the block...
https://reactormag.com/five-sf-earths-with-more-than-one-indigenous-intelligent-species/

I find your optimism (about the Strange Ones in Day of Judgment)
unwarranted.

If two humans have _returned_ to Earth, then, clearly, they came there
from somewhere else, somewhere which contains a large enough
population of humans to be genetically viable.

So if there are no more than two humans on Earth - and even if they
were both male or both female (of course, two females plus a large
cryogenic sperm bank could be worse than one male and one female, but
let's not waste too much time on this) - that's no ground for
complacency, as they could just be an advance scouting party, with a
larger expeditionary force in Earth's future should retaking Earth be
found desirable after making their report.

And, of course, killing them so they can't report back is likely the
best way to ensure a second visit by a larger and more careful party,
so that simple and obvious solution is out. But convincing them that
Earth is still so badly contaminated as not to be suitable for
resettlement might be a promising approach.

John Savard

[John Savard]

On Mon, 10 Jun 2024 17:33:59 -0600, John Savard

Post by John Savard
If two humans have _returned_ to Earth, then, clearly, they came there
from somewhere else, somewhere which contains a large enough
population of humans to be genetically viable.

Having now found the story, I see that this isn't the situation; the
man and the woman are the last survivors of a colony that it had been
attempted to create on the planet Venus.

At that point, I would hope that, since their intent is not
malevolent, that they could be allowed to live somewhere in peace by
the Clans. However, I fear the story won't have such a happy ending.

John Savard