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This is an article I am quickly writing before my camping trip. So, I won't be able to edit it. Therefore, I would like to invite Jay and the others to edit it themselves, while I'm gone.
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While the purpose of Holy Worlds may be writing fantasy stories, creating fantasy worlds comes in a close second. And I know that I, at least, find world building my primary purpose, and story writing my secondary (but equally important) purpose.
I imagine that many of us have often wondered what the point of world building is, aside from the story angle. It might surprise you to know that many world builders never write stories at all. Is the world building wasted?
Hardly.
I see world builders as explorers. We travel to uncharted terrain. Why? For many of us, it is an irresistible desire to create. <insert another possible reason> But, regardless of our intentions, our explorations provide an avenue for scientific study.
Case in point: Conlanging.
For those of you who don't know, conlanging is the invention of a language. Some conlangs (the results of conlanging) have tangible value: logic languages, for example, are languages which constrain the speaker to obey the rules of a theory of formal logic. Clear and precise communication is the result.
However, many made-up language don't seem to posses value. But these languages have already begun (and will continue) to provide linguistics a way to explore concepts and examine theories, and may one day actually be used (as logic languages are beginning to be used) as tools for situational communication. But the most tangible value of these languages is the greater understand of language that the inventor will gain.
Another example is the exploration of fictional histories, which may allow historians to improve their understanding of cultural phenomena. Many fantasies explore very simple themes with profound results. For example, what effect will a little boy throwing a rock through the window of an unknown middle-class widower have on national politics two hundred years later? Historians (or at least the ones who are worth something) enjoy these concepts, and we can all find them useful for remembering the big picture.
I have referenced language and history in world building because these are the most developed aspects of world building. Other aspects, such as the effects of local geography on the biology of a given race, are more limited because of limited knowledge of genetics we currently posses. However, as genetic science advances, a wonderful alternative to genetic experimentation is to host the experiments in made-up worlds. The ability to alter variables would be limitless, and the scope of experiments far less ethically restricted.
What is our place in all of this? Well, as I have demonstrated, world building will be very useful to science in the future. But we don't live in the future, so we must be satisfied with being the foundation layers. We are learning how world building works, so that future world builders can concentrate on using world building.
We are experimenting to invent the processes that future world builders will use to invent their own worlds. The inventors of fantasy were the trail-blazers. We are the cartographers. Soon, the people who will use the treasures of the vast land - which we are opening up - will come.
Possibly, some of you may be wondering what the point of advancing science is. Well, aside from the obvious things like using genetic science to end cancer, or using historical theory to learn how we can prevent future societal disasters, there is also a verse, inspired by God, which says something like this: "It is the glory of God to hide a thing, and the glory of kings to reveal it."
Science has uncovered many things. Science has helped reveal logic (arguably a science in and of itself) as the human expression of God's thought process. And Science has always helped us do what God has commanded us to do: help the needy.
So, we can continue our small scale world building, knowing that we lay the foundation of a useful tool, both to fiction, and to science, which in turn will help improve world building.
Build on!
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If Jay feels that this idea is worthy of the blog, then feel free to edit this as much as you want. You can put it up without me, if you can edit it fast enough. If not, I'll be back in a little more than a week to help with the finishing touches.
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I am Ebed Eleutheros, redeemed from slavery in sin to the bond-service of my Master, Jesus Christ.
Redemption is to be purchased, to have a price paid. So I was redeemed from my master sin, and from justice, which demanded my death. For He paid the price of sin by becoming sin, and met the demands of justice by dying for us.
For all men have a master. But a man cannot have two masters. For he will love one and hate the other. You cannot serve God and sin. So I die to the old, as He died, and I am resurrected to the new, as He was resurrected.
Note: Ebed is Hebrew for bondsman, Eleutheros is Greek for unrestrained (not a slave).
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