October 15, 2020

 Greetings Everyone!

The things of the world exist, but only for as long as we see, feel and sense them.

There is the old philosophical question about the tree falling in the woods and the sound of the tree being heard if there was no one in the woods to hear.

Definitely, the tree makes a sound, whether or not there is anyone in the forest, because we are all here on the earth, seeing, feeling, sensing. It doesn’t matter where we are on the earth; it matters only that we are, somewhere. 

The atmosphere of humans makes it all real: the forest, the tree, the listener.  And that same atmosphere, in turn, makes possible the posing of silly questions such as these.

But, of course, the fact that we even need to pose questions at all illustrates how far we are from actually seeing, feeling, or sensing.

JLS

By the way, if you purchase my new book on Amazon, you can leave a review- do this if you can; I'd love to hear from my friends & colleagues if they liked the book- it sure was a fun book to write!

https://www.amazon.com/Virtual-Reality-Science-Fiction-Lovecraft/dp/178904510X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw5p_8BRBUEiwAPpJO68rXl8SuZTAcfLNkXwtSINyVJ7YJU9HIsJMh0aO5AzS3ncRqab6hOhoChlMQAvD_BwE&hvadid=241612661701&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1019404&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=8113492486830330731&hvtargid=kwd-138625086320&hydadcr=22534_10353872&keywords=john+l+steadman&qid=1602769397&sr=8-1&tag=googhydr-20

October 6, 2020

Greetings !

Initiation is a passage from one type of life to another type of life, and the movement is always presumed to be from a lower to a higher level.

But there is no up or down in the universe & the spiritual voyager often finds herself in a hell rather than a heaven.

Consider Balberith, ex-princess of the heavenly Cherubim & now, after the Fall of Satan, high priestess & mistress of ceremonies in the infernal realms.

Balberith is spoken of as an evil demoness, inciting men & women to murder.  But this is not so. Balberith is an initiator; she oversees the transition as the human being moves from one type of life to the next. 

And Balberith, perhaps, will be with you if you summon her to protect & guide you on your quest.  Not from this life to Hell, but from this life to Heaven & and then to whatever lies beyond.

Check out  my new book, by the way; it is filled with insights such as the above.  Pre-order it now from any online source that sells books!

JLS

https://www.amazon.com/Virtual-Reality-Science-Fiction-Lovecraft/dp/178904510X/ref=pd_lpo_14_t_1/135-4123950-1425408?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=178904510X&pd_rd_r=4584b672-6363-4b34-ab42-8da5e154901a&pd_rd_w=lr20H&pd_rd_wg=sQwKe&pf_rd_p=7b36d496-f366-4631-94d3-61b87b52511b&pf_rd_r=074J01NCD3M0HK43PBYZ&psc=1&refRID=074J01NCD3M0HK43PBYZ

September 30, 2020

 

Greetings to my friends & colleagues !

In Aliens, Robots & Virtual Reality Idols in the Science Fiction of H. P. Lovecraft, Isaac Asimov and William Gibson, I argue that artificially intelligent robots cannot help but  evolve into human beings over the course of their existence (which is very long, much longer than our own).

And that, in turn, these robots cannot help but evolve into alien beings.  And alien beings are usually not our friends.  Their goals & their purposes tend to work against our interests.

So, ask yourself: is this is okay?  Are our interests something that should, perhaps, be rejected for the great good of the cosmos?  There is much talk of systemic racism & other evils that are attributed to human-kind.  Is it time for humans to be retired?

Let's have some thoughts about this.

JLS

https://books.google.com/books/about/Aliens_Robots_Virtual_Reality_Idols_in_t.html?id=OuG6zAEACAAJ&source=kp_author_description

 

September 29, 2020

Greetings Everyone!

My new book is coming out on October 30, 2020- at the end of my favorite month!  

It is a fun, enjoyable read!

You can pre-order it as a print copy or as an e-book right now.  Please check it out! It is available everywhere on-line: Amazon, Google Books, Walmart.com, etc., or order it directly from my publishers- Zero Books.

If you liked my first book, H. P. Lovecraft & the Black Magickal Tradition, you will really love this new one; as Professor Carl H. Sederholm writes about it: The book ..." is an insightful and interesting read that offers a new perspective on each author while also focusing on what it means to be human in an increasingly strange world.” 

JLS

https://books.google.com/books/about/Aliens_Robots_Virtual_Reality_Idols_in_t.html?id=OuG6zAEACAAJ&source=kp_author_description

September 23, 2020

Greetings Friends!

I have received several wonderful reviews for my new book Aliens, Robots & Virtual Reality Idols in the Science Fiction of H. P. Lovecraft, Isaac Asimov and William Gibson.  These are from leading scholars, academics & writers who deal with the same deliciously dark themes & topics as I do, and I think, as all of you do as well.

Here is one of the reviews:

“Steadman’s comprehensive guide wrestles with the concept of the ‘alien’, applying cutting edge theoretical and philosophical ideas to the work of some of the greats of Science Fiction to arrive at a set of exciting new discoveries about what the genre says it means to be ‘human’. Reading Aliens, Robots and Virtual Reality Idols guarantees that you will never look at the writing of Lovecraft, Asimov or Gibson in the same way again.” - David Simmons, University of Northampton, Northamptonshire, UK.

Professor Simmons is a great scholar & I am so flattered by these comments. 

I hope that each of you will check out the book & see if you are able, in fact, to “look at the writings of Lovecraft, Asimov or Gibson the same way again.”

But most important, I want you to make up your own mind when you read the book (or, indeed, any book). 

There is nothing better than an objective, independent evaluation on the part of an intelligent reader- this is the ultimate point of departure.

JLS

https://www.bookdepository.com/Aliens-Robots-Virtual-Reality-Idols-Science-Fiction-H-P-Lovecraft-Isaac-Asimov-William-Gibson-John-L-Steadman/9781789045109

September 16, 2020

Greetings!

A truism among educators is that the only stupid question is the question that remains unasked.  And this is true for the most part, but only when the questions are small questions.

When it comes to the larger questions, the things that we really want to know about and understand, when we ask our question, by the time we get an answer it is always too late.

It is late, and hopes, often, have died, and love, frequently, has been lost, and death has come quietly or harshly, as it often does, and taken away the things that we love to a place where we will never see them again. 

We should get in the habit of not asking the larger questions, but instead, seeking out the answers for ourselves. By doing this, we free ourselves from time and the constraints that come with it. 

And when we get our answers, hopes are fulfilled and love regained and the dead things that we loved are suddenly alive in a place of life everlasting which is easily reached when we are eventually allowed to join them.

JLS

September 2, 2020

My new book: Aliens, Robots & Virtual Reality Idols in the Science Fiction of H. P. Lovecraft, Isaac Asimov and William Gibson can now be pre-ordered.

It is available from my publishers, and also, on Google Books, Amazon, Waterstones, Thrift Books and Walmart.com.

Please pick up a copy- it was fun to write & you will enjoy reading it (books that are fun to write are always fun to read).

In the book, I demonstrate that there is ultimately little difference between alien indifferentism & alien inclusionism in the fictional works of these three great writers; the robots and the VR idols evolve into monsters whose actions bring about outcomes which are every bit as terrifying as anything in Lovecraft’s work.

Best wishes everyone!

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Aliens-Robots-Virtual-Reality-Idols-in-the-Science-Fiction-of-H-P-Lovecraft-Isaac-Asimov-and-William-Gibson-Paperback/664496939