Social distancing is a new and perhaps uncomfortable concept for many of those practicing it due to the pandemic this world is going through today. We are all in different places now; most probably where we didn't expect ourselves to be at this point. We are forced to stay isolated from others in our own hole, yet we are connected to everyone through this fantastic invention of mankind: the internet. In my opinion, being isolated has its own perks and even staying off the internet during this time might do you good but that's not really the topic of discussion right now; maybe some other time.
Isaac Asimov's novel "The Naked Sun" features a planet called "Solaria" where the society is shown to have quite an advanced version of "social distancing". Pardon me, if I'm recalling the facts incorrectly; it's been years since I read the book. The state of our world today reminds me a lot about this planet and it's society.
Solaria was inhabited by the descendants of the first wave of colonists that left Earth to find new worlds. Solarians are known to wear nose filters and gloves when interacting with others. People from Earth(who were generally thought as disgusting and diseased by the Solarians) were required to submit to body sterilization before entering their territory.
Solaria had a very small population - about five thousand people. Each person had their own estates assigned to them. Solarians communicated with each other only through holographs. They barely interacted by any other means. Their partners would be chosen by some algorithm and the population was kept in control so as to manage resources effectively. A Solarian would be put to death if they did not adhere to the rules of this society. In fact, they were brought up from childhood as individuals who liked those rules and that way of living - probably because that was the only way that they had lived so far.
This society had evolved in that manner due to disease and robots. Disease prevented people from interacting with each other physically and keeping distance from them. This would create a lot of problems, as we know. The problems in Solaria were overcome by technology. Everything was automated. Manual work was done by robots, and technology replaced humans wherever there was need for contact. They were all so alone. I wonder if they felt lonely. Probably not with all those robots around. Does the absence of affection and intimacy since birth eliminate the need for those feelings?
Though Solarians were restricted in many ways, they had a lot of luxury and safety. A person had their own very vast estate and all their needs and wants were met with(except, of course, those that were not allowed). It was, from one perspective, a heaven with only one person - you.
In the novel, though, Solarian people are not exactly humans. They have been evolved due to their environment after being isolated from Earth people for thousands of years. We, if isolated as babies, would probably develop mental illnesses. But maybe the Solarians' bodies have evolved so much as to overcome the disadvantages of isolation.
If this pandemic continues and increases beyond our control, would there come a point in the future where we become like the Solarians? Can technology evolve so much that it replaces human contact?
If not covid19, maybe the next pandemic would cause this. Maybe some virus to which we can't even find a vaccine at this stage might cause a society like this.
What do you think about Solaria? Would you like to live in that world?