Social Science Fiction: It’S Importance in the Works of Isaac Asimov
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A Very Short History of Cyberpunk
A Very Short History of Cyberpunk Marcus Janni Pivato Many people seem to think that William Gibson invented The cyberpunk genre in 1984, but in fact the cyberpunk aesthetic was alive well before Neuromancer (1984). For example, in my opinion, Ridley Scott's 1982 movie, Blade Runner, captures the quintessence of the cyberpunk aesthetic: a juxtaposition of high technology with social decay as a troubling allegory of the relationship between humanity and machines ---in particular, artificially intelligent machines. I believe the aesthetic of the movie originates from Scott's own vision, because I didn't really find it in the Philip K. Dick's novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (1968), upon which the movie is (very loosely) based. Neuromancer made a big splash not because it was the "first" cyberpunk novel, but rather, because it perfectly captured the Zeitgeist of anxiety and wonder that prevailed at the dawning of the present era of globalized economics, digital telecommunications, and exponential technological progress --things which we now take for granted but which, in the early 1980s were still new and frightening. For example, Gibson's novels exhibit a fascination with the "Japanification" of Western culture --then a major concern, but now a forgotten and laughable anxiety. This is also visible in the futuristic Los Angeles of Scott’s Blade Runner. Another early cyberpunk author is K.W. Jeter, whose imaginative and disturbing novels Dr. Adder (1984) and The Glass Hammer (1985) exemplify the dark underside of the genre. Some people also identify Rudy Rucker and Bruce Sterling as progenitors of cyberpunk. -
The Fundamental Articles of I.AM Cyborg Law
Beijing Law Review, 2020, 11, 911-946 https://www.scirp.org/journal/blr ISSN Online: 2159-4635 ISSN Print: 2159-4627 The Fundamental Articles of I.AM Cyborg Law Stephen Castell CASTELL Consulting, Witham, UK How to cite this paper: Castell, S. (2020). Abstract The Fundamental Articles of I.AM Cyborg Law. Beijing Law Review, 11, 911-946. Author Isaac Asimov first fictionally proposed the “Three Laws of Robotics” https://doi.org/10.4236/blr.2020.114055 in 1942. The word “cyborg” appeared in 1960, describing imagined beings with both artificial and biological parts. My own 1973 neologisms, “neural Received: November 2, 2020 plug compatibility”, and “softwiring” predicted the computer software-driven Accepted: December 15, 2020 Published: December 18, 2020 future evolution of man-machine neural interconnection and synthesis. To- day, Human-AI Brain Interface cyborg experiments and “brain-hacking” de- Copyright © 2020 by author(s) and vices are being trialed. The growth also of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven Scientific Research Publishing Inc. Data Analytics software and increasing instances of “Government by Algo- This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International rithm” have revealed these advances as being largely unregulated, with insuf- License (CC BY 4.0). ficient legal frameworks. In a recent article, I noted that, with automation of http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ legal processes and judicial decision-making being increasingly discussed, Open Access RoboJudge has all but already arrived; and I discerned also the cautionary Castell’s Second Dictum: “You cannot construct an algorithm that will relia- bly decide whether or not any algorithm is ethical”. -
The Cyborg Prophecy: Reading Between Isaac Asimov's Lines
The Cyborg Prophecy: Reading between Isaac Asimov’s Lines Rudrani Gangopadhyay Jadavpur University, Kolkata Abstract: Donna Haraway’s “Cyborg Manifesto” describes the Cyborg as a conjunction of technology and discourse. It argues that a prosthesis becomes a cyborg element when it is integrated with the identity of an individual, and a cyborg is created by the almost symbiotic union of robotic and organic elements. Isaac Asimov, in his short story “The Bicentennial Man” for example, narrates the story of such a remarkable union of robotic and human parts and asserts, at the end, that the resultant system is, essentially, human. A cyborg, therefore, is ‘meta-human’, being somewhat enhanced (by the use of technology) in certain ways in comparison to a human being. There isa mass cyborgization of the global population taking place today. The kind of blurring of boundaries between exogenous and endogenous parts within the system of a human being that one had, so far, only come across in science fiction, is fast coming to life. The obvious example of prosthetics aside, gadgets like cellphone headsets, touchscreen phones and similar electronic devices have been rendered extensions of the human system, merging seamlessly with the organic identities and consequently, making cyborgs out of everyone. The relevance of literature featuring cyborgs, which have, in a way, acted as prophecies for human civilization, therefore cannot be emphasized enough. This paper explores the cyborg identity in select works of Isaac Asimov and reflect on the fast occurring cyborgization of the (meta-)human race in reality. Keywords: Science Fiction, Isaac Asimov, Cyborg, Cybernetics, Body Studies Donna Haraway, in the famous “Cyborg Manifesto,” describes a cyborg as a conjunction of technology and discourse (Haraway 149). -
May 2018 Baumanrarebooks.Com -800-97-Bauman (1-800-972-2862) Or 212-751-0011 BRB @Baumanrarebooks.Com
B A U M A N R A R E B O O K S may 2018 BaumanRareBooks.com -800-97-bauman (1-800-972-2862) or 212-751-0011 [email protected] New York 535 Madison Avenue (Between 54th & 55th Streets) New York, NY 10022 800-972-2862 or 212-751-0011 Monday - Saturday: 10am to 6pm Las Vegas Grand Canal Shoppes The Venetian | The Palazzo 3327 Las Vegas Blvd., South, Suite 2856 Las Vegas, NV 89109 888-982-2862 or 702-948-1617 Sunday - Thursday: 10am to 11pm Friday - Saturday: 10am to Midnight Philadelphia (by appointment) 1608 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 215-546-6466 | (fax) 215-546-9064 Monday - Friday: 9am to 5pm all books are shipped on approval and are fully guaranteed. Any items may be returned within ten days for any reason (please notify us before returning). All reimbursements are limited to original purchase price. We accept all major credit cards. Shipping and insurance charges are addition- al. Packages will be shipped by UPS or Federal Express un- less another carrier is requested. Next-day or second-day air service is available upon request. www.baumanrarebooks.com/blog twitter.com/baumanrarebooks facebook.com/baumanrarebooks no. 15 may 2018 no. 28 no. 36 no. 116 americana 4 ✴ literature 26 { science fiction 64 } ✴ travel & exploration 68 architecture, art & illustration 74 ✴ history & thought 85 ✴ sport & leisure 100 on the cover: CHAGALL, Marc, “Der Strauss. 1955,” lithograph from Volume V of the first edition, German language issue, of Lithographs of Marc Chagall, a catalogue raisonné, offered complete with all six volumes. -
Postcoloniality, Science Fiction and India Suparno Banerjee Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, Banerjee [email protected]
Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2010 Other tomorrows: postcoloniality, science fiction and India Suparno Banerjee Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the English Language and Literature Commons Recommended Citation Banerjee, Suparno, "Other tomorrows: postcoloniality, science fiction and India" (2010). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 3181. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/3181 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. OTHER TOMORROWS: POSTCOLONIALITY, SCIENCE FICTION AND INDIA A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy In The Department of English By Suparno Banerjee B. A., Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, West Bengal, India, 2000 M. A., Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, West Bengal, India, 2002 August 2010 ©Copyright 2010 Suparno Banerjee All Rights Reserved ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My dissertation would not have been possible without the constant support of my professors, peers, friends and family. Both my supervisors, Dr. Pallavi Rastogi and Dr. Carl Freedman, guided the committee proficiently and helped me maintain a steady progress towards completion. Dr. Rastogi provided useful insights into the field of postcolonial studies, while Dr. Freedman shared his invaluable knowledge of science fiction. Without Dr. Robin Roberts I would not have become aware of the immensely powerful tradition of feminist science fiction. -
Inhuman Power: Infrastructural Modernism and the Fiction of Social Form
University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations 2019 Inhuman Power: Infrastructural Modernism And The Fiction Of Social Form Natalie Amleshi University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Part of the Modern Literature Commons, and the Other History Commons Recommended Citation Amleshi, Natalie, "Inhuman Power: Infrastructural Modernism And The Fiction Of Social Form" (2019). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 3442. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/3442 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/3442 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Inhuman Power: Infrastructural Modernism And The Fiction Of Social Form Abstract E.M. Forster’s imperative to “only connect” has long been read as modernist slogan for the rarefied depth of authentic interpersonal intimacy. Reframing the historical co-emergence of literary modernism and modern social science, this project tells a different story—not of connections between exceptional humans, but of connections between persons and environments. The prevailing canons of modernism have not yet grasped the internal complexity of early-twentieth-century debates regarding the interdependence of human and nonhuman agency. Early-twentieth-century sociologists like Émile Durkheim grounded both the autonomy of human culture and the disciplinary authority of sociology on the premise of species exceptionalism—the independence -
A Linguistic Discursive Analysis of Techno-Colonialism Through the Post-Cyberpunk Literature
International Journal of English Linguistics; Vol. 8, No. 6; 2018 ISSN 1923-869X E-ISSN 1923-8703 Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education A Linguistic Discursive Analysis of Techno-Colonialism Through the Post-cyberpunk Literature 1 2 1 1 1 Saba Zaidi , Mehwish Sahibzada , Saman Salah , Anisa Tul Mehdi & Durdana Rafique 1 English Department, SBK Women’s University, Quetta, Pakistan 2 English Department, Baluchistan University of Information Technology Engineering and Management Sciences, Quetta, Pakistan Correspondence: Mehwish Sahibzada, English Department, Baluchistan University of Information Technology Engineering and Management Sciences, Quetta, Pakistan. E-mail: [email protected] Received: June 15, 2018 Accepted: July 7, 2018 Online Published: July 29, 2018 doi:10.5539/ijel.v8n6p131 URL: https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v8n6p131 Abstract Technological advancement has made the world a complex arena of day to day transforming phenomenon. In such a complex and technologically progressive world nothing is static instead things have become technology oriented. The socio-historical phenomena like orientalism and imperialism are also not free from technological progress. Similarly, literature of the contemporary times has become Postmodernist for it now aims to represent the current human experiences. The quality of the Postmodernist literature is to represent and dismantle the socio-cultural constructions that use to perpetuate control and power. The objective of this research is twofold; it has projected the world of technological progress and innovation through the analysis of the selected Post-cyberpunk novel Accelerando (2005) by Charles Stross, The Windup Girl (2009) by Paolo Bacigalupi and The Rapture of the Nerds (2012) by Cory Doctorow and Charles Stross. -
Downloadhs4030 Social Science Fiction
COURSE CONTENT Course Code / Title : HS4030 Social Science Fiction Pre-requisites : HS1001 Person and Society HS2001 Classical Social Theory HS2002 Doing Social Research HS3001 Contemporary Social Theory HS3002 Understanding Social Statistics No. of AUs. : 4 Contact Hours : 52 Course Aims Sociologists of everyday life study how people create, share, and use aspects of popular culture. Sociologists are often interested in the significance of popular culture in terms of themes such as gender, sexuality, inequality, social problems, social relations, environmentalism, self and identity, economy, social control, and so on. However, sociology is dominated by the study of historical and contemporary lived reality, often in search of ‘truth.’ Science fiction as a genre often deals with the same themes, but through fictional and imaginative content, including futuristic or alternative visions of science and technology. Science fiction is simultaneously critical and innovative in its focus on lived reality. Its imaginative elements are often plausible within current scientific paradigms, and many genre writers explore the potential consequences of social, scientific, and technological changes in society. This course will deal critically with the intersection between social science theory and science fiction literature, thereby offering an alternative approach to the study of everyday life. Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO) By the end of this course, you should be able to: 1. Identify and discuss of the connections between science-fiction texts -
Asfacts Oct19.Pub
doon in 2008. His final story, “Save Yourself,” will be published by BBC Books later this year. SF writers in- Winners for the Hugo Awards and for the John W. cluding Charlie Jane Anders, Paul Cornell, and Neil Campbell Award for Best New Writer were announced Gaiman have cited his books as an important influence. August 18 by Dublin 2019, the 77th Worldcon, in Dub- Dicks also wrote over 150 titles for children, including lin, Ireland. They include a couple of Bubonicon friends the Star Quest trilogy, The Baker Street Irregulars series, – Mary Robinette Kowal, Charles Vess, Gardner Dozois, and The Unexplained series, plus children’s non-fiction. and Becky Chambers. The list follows: Terrance William Dicks was born April 14, 1935, in BEST NOVEL: The Calculating Stars by Mary Robi- East Ham, London. He studied at Downing College, nette Kowal, BEST NOVELLA: Artificial Condition by Cambridge and joined the Royal Fusiliers after gradua- Martha Wells, BEST NOVELETTE: “If at First You Don’t tion. He worked as an advertising copywriter until his Succeed, Try, Try Again” by Zen Cho, BEST SHORT STO- mentor Malcolm Hulke brought him in to write for The RY: “A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendi- Avengers in the ’60s, and he wrote for radio and TV be- um of Portal Fantasies” by Alix E. Harrow, BEST SERIES: fore joining the Doctor Who team in the late ’60s. He Wayfarers by Becky Chambers, BEST GRAPHIC STORY: also worked as a producer on various BBC programs. He Monstress, Vol 3: Haven by Marjorie Liu and illustrated is survived by wife Elsa Germaney (married 1963), three by Sana Takeda, sons, and two granddaughters. -
Faith, Fallout, and the Future: Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction in the Early Postwar Era
religions Article Faith, Fallout, and the Future: Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction in the Early Postwar Era Michael Scheibach Independent Researcher, Miami, FL 33179, USA; [email protected] Abstract: In the early postwar era, from 1945 to 1960, Americans confronted a dilemma that had never been faced before. In the new atomic age, which opened with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in August 1945, they now had to grapple with maintaining their faith in a peaceful and prosperous future while also controlling their fear of an apocalyptic future resulting from an atomic war. Americans’ subsequent search for reassurance translated into a dramatic increase in church membership and the rise of the evangelical movement. Yet, their fear of an atomic war with the Soviet Union and possible nuclear apocalypse did not abate. This article discusses how six post-apocalyptic science fiction novels dealt with this dilemma and presented their visions of the future; more important, it argues that these novels not only reflect the views of many Americans in the early Cold War era, but also provide relevant insights into the role of religion during these complex and controversial years to reframe the belief that an apocalypse was inevitable. Keywords: atomic age; atomic bomb; atomic war; apocalypse; evangelism; faith; faith in the future; postwar; cold war; social science fiction; Fahrenheit 451; nineteen eighty-four; the shrinking man; shadow on the hearth; on the beach; a canticle for Leibowitz Citation: Scheibach, Michael. 2021. Faith, Fallout, and the Future: Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction in 1. Introduction the Early Postwar Era. Religions 12: 520. -
Dr. Asimov's Automatons
Dr. Asimov’s Automatons Take on a Life of their Own Twenty years after his death, author Isaac Asimov’s robot fiction offers a blueprint to our robotic future...and the problems we could face by Alan S. Brown HIS PAST April, the University of Miami School These became the Three Laws. Today, they are the starting of Law held We Robot, the first-ever legal and point for any serious conversation about how humans and policy issues conference about robots. The name robots will behave around one another. of the conference, which brought together lawyers, As the mere fact of lawyers discussing robot law shows, engineers, and technologists, played on the title the issue is no longer theoretical. If robots are not yet of the most famous book intelligent, they are increasingly t ever written about robots, autonomous in how they carry out I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov. tasks. At the most basic level, every The point was underscored by day millions of robotic Roombas de- Laurie Silvers, president of Holly- cide how to navigate tables, chairs, wood Media Corp., which sponsored sofas, toys, and even pets as they the event. In 1991, Silvers founded vacuum homes. SyFy, a cable channel that specializ- At a more sophisticated level, es in science fiction. Within moments, autonomous robots help select in- she too had dropped Asimov’s name. ventory in warehouses, move and Silvers turned to Asimov for ad- position products in factories, and vice before launching SyFy. It was a care for patients in hospitals. South natural choice. Asimov was one of the Korea is testing robotic jailers. -
MG 545 – Allan Cushon Collection
MG 545 – Allan Cushon collection Dates: ca.1790 – 2006 (inclusive) ; 1880-1960 (predominant) Extent: 260 cm graphic and textual materials; 4 black and white photographs Biography: For many years, Allan Cushon was the owner of Saskatoon’s most recognizable locksmithing shop, Burnett’s Key’s. Allan was a University of Saskatchewan Alumnus, and an avid collector of books, magazines, and other things with particular focus on mysteries, Sherlockian works, and anything to do with locks and keys. Allan passed away in 2014. Scope and Content: This collection contains books, magazines, and a variety of ephemera associated with themes of Canadiana, advertising, keys, locks, and locksmithing, mysteries, socialism, sex and gender, science fiction, western living, adventure. Arrangement: This collection contains books, magazines, and a variety of ephemera. Much of the material consists of advertising (dating from the Victorian era to the present), and Canadiana. Other themes include socialism, sex and gender, science fiction, western living, and adventure. In line with Cushon's interests as a locksmith, there are also a variety of materials relating to locks, keys, and locked room mysteries. Series I: Saskatchewania/ Canadiana Collecting Series II: Advertising and Souvenirs Collection Series III: Keys, Locks and Locksmithing collection Series IV: Magazines Collection Series V: Mysteries/Sherlockian Series VI: Miscellaneous Collections Series VII: Personal Restrictions: There are no restrictions on access. Finding aid by Stevie Horn, 2015. Edited for formatting by Lisa Carpenter and Amy Putnam, 2018. Box 1 Series I: Saskatchewania/ Canadiana Collecting 1. Bladon Family Scrapbook – ca. 1884-1889, 1999 Includes 1999 article “In A Prairie Attic: Bladon Family Toys” describing the acquisition by the WDM of 1700 artifacts from a local family who settled in the area around 1920.