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Science fiction genre of superhuman

 

Science fiction genre of superhuman

One of the most significant types of science fiction story derives from the concept of mutation. It's that a human being would mutate into a being that either has powers as yet not exhibited by humans, or else motivations entirely different from those human beings, or both.

One of the problems with the concept is that it is dominated by a misunderstanding of the theory of evolution. Mutation takes place, but it is only a summation of the interactions with the environment which leads first to a new species, and then some time has to occur before one species becomes extinct while another, not necessarily the mutated species, survives. And it is only a value-judgement by humans which declares that the differnt characteristic of new species is "superior". But the notion of progress is inherently built into this genre of stories.

Slan, by A. E. van Vogt, features two types of beings, one with psychic powers.


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