Science fiction and the moral imagination : visions, minds, ethics / Russell Blackford.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Blackford, Russell, 1954- author.

Series:

Science and fiction (Springer (Firm))

Science and fiction, 2197-1188

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Science fiction--History and criticism.

Science fiction.

Physical Description:

xi, 204 pages ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Cham, Switzerland : Springer, [2017]

Summary:

In this highly original book, Russell Blackford discusses the intersection of science fiction and humanity's moral imagination. With the rise of science and technology in the 19th century, and our continually improving understanding of the cosmos, writers and thinkers soon began to imagine futures greatly different from the present. Science fiction was born out of the realization that future technoscientific advances could dramatically change the world. Along with the developments described in modern science fiction - space societies, conscious machines, and upgraded human bodies, to name but a few - come a new set of ethical challenges and new forms of ethics. Blackford identifies these issues and their reflection in science fiction. His fascinating book will appeal to anyone with an interest in philosophy or science fiction, or in how they interact. "This is a seasoned, balanced analysis of a major issue in our thinking about the future, seen through the lens of science fiction, a central art of our time. Everyone from humanists to technologists should study these ideas and examples. Blackford's book is wise and savvy, and a delight to read as well." Gregory Benford, author of Timescape.

Contents:

A Note to Readers; Acknowledgments; Contents; 1: Introduction: Science and the Rise of Science Fiction; Change and the Future; Science Fiction and the Wellsian Imagination; What Is This Thing Called Science Fiction?; Science Fiction Meets the Moral Imagination; A Roadmap; Concluding Remarks; References; 2: Science Fiction: A Short History of a Literary Genre; Emergence; The Rise of Genre Science Fiction; Isaac Asimov: Science Fiction as Problem Solving; After the Golden Age; Cyberpunk and Beyond; Science Fiction in Other Media; Concluding Remarks; References

3: Morality, Science Fiction, and Enabling FormPhilosophy and Philosophical Questions; A Very Brief Introduction to Moral Philosophy; Theories of Ethics: Deontology, Consequentialism, Virtue Ethics; Science Fiction as Enabling Form; Science Fiction and Moral Philosophy: Ideas and Examples; Human Nature in Lord of the Flies and Tunnel in the Sky; James Blish: A Case of Conscience; Mary Doria Russell and the Ways of God; The Cultureś Conundrum; Concluding Remarks; References; 4: Future and Alien Moralities; Engaging with Ethical Theories; Whoś Afraid of the Brave New World?

The Ethic of DestinyWar and Warś Alarms; The Exotic and the Erotic; Science Fictionś Critique of Gender Roles; Delanyś Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand: Science Fiction as Subversion; Concluding Remarks; References; 5: Technophiles, Technophobes, and Renegades; Technology and the Uses of Power; Science Fictionś History with Technoscience; Science Fiction Meets Bioscience; Frankensteins, Promethean Figures, and Galilean Scientists; Gregory Benford: Nigel Walmsley and Other Renegades; Cixin Liu: Renegades with Responsibilities; Concluding Remarks; References

6: Aliens, Robots, Mutants, and OthersScience Fictionś Intelligent Others; The Aliens Are Everywhere!; Aliens and Social Comment; The Anxiety of Interference; Robots and Others, and the Frankensteinian Tradition; Beyond the Frankenstein Complex; Mutated Life and Homo Superior; Watch for the Mutants; Concluding Remarks; References; 7: Going Inward: Science Fiction and Human Enhancement; Change and the Human Future; Rejecting the Superhuman; Human Destiny and the Future of Mind; Imagining Immortality; Reshaping the Human; Concluding Remarks; References

8: Conclusion: Great Power and Great ResponsibilityBroad New Canvas; The Sense of Wonder and Its Debasement; The Trouble with Terrans (and Terraforming); Science Fictional Societies; Concluding Remarks; References; Chronological List of Works Discussed; Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

3319616838

9783319616834

OCLC:

988285483