The Futurological Congress story
The Futurological Congress (Polish: Kongres futurologiczny) is a 1971 black humour science fiction novel by Polish author Stanisław Lem. It details the exploits of the hero of a number of his books, Ijon Tichy, as he visits the Eighth World Futurological Congress at a Hilton Hotel in Costa Rica. The book is Lem's take on the common science fictional trope of an apparently Utopian future that turns out to be an illusion.
13 total · 4 choice · 5 major · 4 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| drugged up dystopia | choice | benignizers and all sorts of other drugs keep people content and controlled |
| lawless anarchy dystopia | choice | The present time that Tichy inhabits is so accustomed to violence that people barely shrug. |
| overpopulated dystopia | choice | the future Tichy experiences ends up being overpopulated but we get the impression that his present is as well |
| what if I found myself in the future | choice | Tichy woke up in the future after a stint of cryogenic suspension. |
| government secrecy | major | In Tichy's future, the powerful were using drugs to conceal from people their impending doom. |
| overpopulated world | major | Tichy's future is about the end because of concealed overpopulation |
| past point of view | major | Tichy sees the future from his past point of view and doesn't much like it |
| security vs. freedom | major | in Tichy's present the need for security very much impeded on peoples' liberties |
| terrorism | major | The perpetual violence was due to the government fighting terrorists. |
| brain transplant | minor | Tichy and others had their brains put into various different bodies |