NATURE VERSUS NURTURE
Comment made- 6/11/2025 to Starbound Chronicles on HFY Best Sci-Fi Stories 'Galaxy’s Rulers Frozen In Fear—As Humans Walked Away From Peace'

An excellent variant on the Us (human) versus Them (alien) theme and one that strikes me as being the most plausible so far of the current crop of copycat tales!

I know nothing of the authors or origins of these short sci-fi themes but it strikes me that their common denominator must be some sort of AI because of their obvious similarities.

However I'd like the opportunity to make a few observations of my own on the provenance of their themes because I suspect its a case of Nature versus Nurture and whether subconscious or not it provides plenty of evidence in support of science fictions importance in stimulating ideas.

Please contact me if this intrigues you and thankyou for the enjoyment.

NATURE VERSUS NURTURE
From a scientific perspective, “nature” refers to the biological/genetic predispositions that impact one's human traits — physical, emotional, and intellectual. “Nurture,” in contrast, describes the influence of learning and other “environmental” factors on these traits

The reason I mention this theory with regard to writing is because I believe it plays an important part in the analysis of the writer's motivation.

However rather than delve any deeper into the murky waters of psychological speculation, let me try again!

I was always an avid reader from a very young age, I devoured anything I could get my hands on, encyclopedias, dictionaries, classics and at about the age of 16, I discovered science fiction at my local library which was a couple of bus stops away from home. So I would select a book and walk home reading it and usually be ready for the next one, the following day.

There's no doubt that these books had an immediate and tremendous impact on my way of thinking, apart from the greats like Jules Verne, John Wyndham, Arthur C Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Brian Aldiss et al plus many less well known authors made just as much a contribution in helping me to adopt a broader mind than most of my contemporaries who either didnt read at all, except under duress or were lacking in curiousity about learning what made their world tick.

Curiousity is the important factor because it makes you ask questions and seek answers on almost everything from "I wonder how a car engine works?" thru "why do dock leaves stop nettle stings?" up to and including "what the hell is politics about and why should I show any interest in obvious liars only out to empower themselves."

Besides they're such obvious prats, just look at the Young Conservatives, what a bunch of chinless wonders (but I digress.)

Hang on dear reader, we're getting to the point, since politics has already insinuated itself into the dialogue as well it might considering the times we currently live in here in the USA's idiocracy.

This ghastly State of affairs (no pun intended) is the result of over 40 years worth of underhanded Republican scheming, is equally the fault of the Opposition (the somewhat misnamed democrats) who lacked the gumption to take on the Republicans at every level, if necessary spiking their guns with pre-emptive legislation to prevent farc
es like the current dictatorship supported by spineless sycophants willing to suck any dick.

My theory, the point of this rambling essay, is that these short sci-fi stories can be thought of as metaphorical reflections on the current geo political circumstances,

You can easily use them to draw parallels between the war in Ukraine, Trumps tariffs and a lot more which doesn't need to be spelled out because its so bloody obvious.

What intrigues me is how much is the result of Nature or Nurture? Are the authors doing this on purpose or are they unaware of the similarities?

Because in my youth those sci fi books taught me to examine and compare even though some stories like Aldiss' 'Hothouse' were a bit of a stretch predictively speaking unless you had read Rachel Carsons 'Silent Spring' and could extrapolate from that.