 and there's no reason to assume that change over time is going to be progressive change. No, it could just be random, or it could even be a kind of degeneration. Of course, some science fiction stories are told that way, too. Science fiction doesn't tell just one story. But what I was noticing is that there's a kind of peculiar and unexpected consensus that was starting to emerge that really, if you think about it, becomes a kind of counterfeit, redemptive hope.