William P Stodden

The Practical Effects of Time Travel: A Memoir William P Stodden

Based on Edward Bellamy's 1887 classic, "Looking Backward: 2000-1887," this book updates the foundational work that served as one of the early texts of American socialism. "The Practical Effects of Time Travel" is a science fiction memoir of a woman, Julia Bennots, who accidentally travels through time and ends up more than 100 years in the future. The United States has become a utopia, where need is eliminated through a universal basic income, jobs are guaranteed though a strong public sector, and practicality and efficiency have replaced waste and accumulation. Experiencing great abundance and ease, Bennots discovers not only how her new society works, but also realizes just how wasteful and corrupt her former home and time truly was. While on its surface, "The Practical Effects of Time Travel" is a science fiction story, it is also a work of political theory. It offers a glimpse into the future where abundance is turned to the benefit of the entire society, rather than just a small part of it, social inequality is eliminated, and the institutions of society are designed to ease life rather than enrich the elite. It posits that policy which is oriented to the benefit of the entire society is more moral than society which entrenches the wealth and privilege of a small segment of it. The society which is correctly ordered can ensure that no person does without those things which are essential for life and comfort.
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