Dimension X: The Vital Factor (Nelson Bond, adapted by Ernest Kinoy)

[james_davis_nicoll]

The Vital Factor

Determined to be the man to conquer space despite the absence of the means to do so, a ruthless billionaire applies the Green Lantern theory of R&D to the problem of space travel. Amazingly, this actually works but the results are not entirely to his liking.

The ending he gets is amusing enough (and the ones he narrowly escapes ditto) but some day I'd like to read one of these where the limits of the Green Lantern model are what brings the villain-protagonist down.

Comments

[yhlee]

May I ask what the Green Lantern theory of R&D is? (Assuming it's explainable succinctly.)

[kithrup.livejournal.com]

Okay, I have to ask: what is the Green Lantern theory of R&D?

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

All you need is sufficient will.

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

It's a very, very popular model amongst the space colonization advocacy community.

[carloshasanax.livejournal.com]

They laughed at me and made jokes but I proved beyond the shadow of a doubt and with geometric logic that space colonization does make sense, and we would have colonized space already if it weren't for those lieberals.

[scott-sanford.livejournal.com]

Ah. But a Green Lantern needs will and a magic ring.

Space travel would be easy if I had a magic ring that would summon anything I could imagine! *grin*

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

I think the phrase "Green Lantern Theory" was coined by Matthew Yglesias in reference to the G. W. Bush administration's approach to geopolitics. It's been applied to many other things since then, always in reference to the idea that any failure is a failure of will, rather than lack of competence or fundamentally unachievable goals.

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

Stanislaw Lem's Fiasco is basically about the Green Lantern theory of communication with an extraterrestrial civilization failing on an apocalyptic scale.

Green Lantern theory

[(Anonymous)]

If you want to lampoon a belief that will is all that is required you can do much better than invoke the Green Lantern - in fact a web search tells me that there is an anniversary coming up -

If freedom is short of weapons, we must compensate with willpower. ~ Adolf Hitler (died April 30)