← Back to Concept Index
prophetic-technology
The picture-cannon is a device that visually projects future events, blending prophecy with mechanical innovation.
1 chapter across 1 book
This Is the Way the World Ends (1987)James Morrow
Chapter 9
In this chapter, Nostradamus reflects on the nature of prophecy through his paintings and commentaries, revealing his skepticism and complex identity as a former Jew navigating religious persecution. He introduces Jacob Mirabeau to a futuristic device, the picture-cannon, which projects vivid apocalyptic war scenes, emphasizing that humanity's self-destruction will result from advanced weapons rather than divine intervention, thereby blending historical figures, prophecy, and technology to foreshadow a catastrophic future.