Michael Crichton died yesterday of cancer at age 66. Crichton was a favorite while I was growing up and was probably a big influence in my decision to pursue science as a career. I blazed through The Andromeda Strain
, Jurassic Park
, Eaters of the Dead
, Prey
, and others. I thought Prey was pretty cool in terms of exploring emergent behavior, though the level of suspension of disbelief was especially high.
A couple of years ago, I read State of Fear
. It really played off my cynicism and I started looking into the possibility that the whole global warming thing was bogus. The more I looked, though, the more it became clear that it was Crichton’s points that were bogus. At that point, I lost respect for him. Thinking back now, it’s clear that one of Crichton’s most common themes was the danger of science unhindered by morality and pursued without caution. That’s a good goal, I think. Despite the fact that he went overboard railing against environmentalism, he managed to educate readers about science while keeping them entertained.
On balance, I think it is a good legacy.
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