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Exploring the Future through Science Fiction

Delve into the world of sci-fi predictions, from space travel to alien encounters. Learn about dystopian societies, future technologies, and the art of forecasting. Discover how fiction can shape our reality.

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Exploring the Future through Science Fiction

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  1. A Brief Survey of Science FictionSession 2: the Future Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Winter 2013 Dr. Agatha Taormina

  2. Session Overview: The Future • The Future on Earth • The Future in Space • Alien Encounters

  3. Imagine Greater • Science fiction as prediction • Gernsback wanted accurate predictions of the future • Campbell wanted scientific plausibility • Science fiction as inspiration • Science fiction as preparation for the future

  4. Some Good Guesses • Jules Verne • Moon shot in From the Earth to the Moon (trans. 1873): close to Cape Canaveral, FL • H. G. Wells • “The Land Ironclads” (1903); use of tanks in warfare • The War in the Air (1908): aerial bombing • Robert Heinlein • “Waldo” (1942): remote controlled devices • Multiple predictions of nuclear bombs

  5. Self-fulfilling Prophecies • Space flight • Moon landing • SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence • Medical devices • Hypnospray • Sight visors • Prosthetics

  6. Compare • Star Trek communicator and flip cell phone • Star Trek tricorder and smart phone

  7. Futurology • Term coined 1943 by Ossip K. Flechtheim, German refugee, professor of sociology • Forecasting the near future with extrapolation from current trends • Uses statistical analysis and computer simulations

  8. Psychohistory • Term coined by Isaac Asimov in his Foundation Trilogy • Refers to a science of predicting the future with statistical analysis of human behavior in the mass • Requires that humans be unaware of the analysis

  9. The Future on Earth Thematic purposes: • To speculate about technology and life styles • Glorification of science and technology • Colonization of solar system • To reflect on current events • To warn of disturbing trends

  10. Future Societies • Utopia: an ideal society • Generally moral or political in intention • Not really science fiction • Dystopia: the opposite of utopia • rigid governmental oversight and control • downtrodden society • totalitarian government

  11. Origins • Plato (c. 427-c. 348 B.C.) wrote The Republic, the first utopia • Thomas More coined the term "utopia" from the Greek meaning "not a place," or "nowhere“ • More'sUtopia was published first in Latin (1516) and later in English (1551)

  12. Subsets of Future Societies • Totalitarian societies • Societies after natural disasters • Feminist societies

  13. Types of Dystopia • Totalitarian government • Breakdown in government • Nuclear war • Environmental disaster • Plague • Examples • THX-1138 • The Hunger Games • The Day After Tomorrow • The Walking Dead

  14. Feminist Socieites:The Martin Scale • Developed by Diane Martin, editor of Aurora, a fanzine • Tool for measuring feminist content of a work

  15. Levels of the Martin Scale • 1) Doubts about patriarchy; women escape victimization • 2) Men and women as equals • 3) Women better than men on some levels • 4) Women uniformly better than men • 5) Can’t live with ‘em/can’t live without ‘em • 6) Men are tragically flawed and pitiable • 7) Men as slaves • 8) Separatism necessary for survival • 9) Positive depiction of lesbian/feminist utopias • 10) Parthenogenesis and/or scenes of castration

  16. The future in space • The solar system • Space opera • Galactic civilizations and governments

  17. Common Themes • Exploration • Often marked by emphasis on realistic technology • Colonization • Revolution • Examples from film • Moon • Sunshine • John Carter

  18. The Galaxy and Beyond • Lots of work goes into world-building • Start with a galactic civilization; write stories that fit into that civilization and its history • Tell a large story on a large canvas • Fans enjoy the familiar • Series • Non-sequels set in a familiar universe

  19. Space Opera • Originally derived from references to soap operas and horse operas, i.e. westerns. • Refers to colorful action-adventure stories of interplanetary or interstellar conflict • Typically • Unfold on a galactic scale • Involve spaceships, space battles, and lots of action and adventure

  20. Galactic Empires • Galactic empire as framework • Robert A. Heinlein’s Future History • Galactic empire as sociopolitical entity • Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series • Lots of episodic science fiction television is space opera • Star Trek • Stargate SG-1

  21. Alien Encounters • Stories spurred by two key scientific developments: • Darwin’s theory of evolution leading to the perception that different environments required different kinds of beings • The proof of existence of other life-capable planets

  22. Major Categories • First Contact • Co-existence • Alien Invasion • Future War

  23. Types of Stories • War with aliens • Reconsideration of our own planet and society • Comments on contemporary human behavior and events

  24. Thematic Concerns • Contact with aliens is a way of illuminating our human interactions, our biases, and our cultures • The exploration of alien languages is a way to discuss methods of communication and the difficulty of communication

  25. Nature of Alien Encounters • In some of these stories aliens come to Earth; in others humans travel to alien planets • In some of these stories the encounters are peaceful; in others either we or the aliens are aggressors and invaders • In some of these stories the encounters are public; in others, aliens attempt to keep their existence secret from all or most of the population

  26. First Contact • First contact • Term popularized by Murray Leinster’s novelette “First Contact” (1945) • Close encounters • First categorized by astronomer J. Allen Hynek in 1972 • 1st: visual sighting of a UFO • 2nd: visual sightings with visual effects on objects • 3rd: visual sighting of UFO occupants

  27. Sources of first contact • We receive communication from outer space • Aliens arrive with or without warning • We travel to outer space and encounter aliens

  28. Types of Co-existence • Mutually beneficial • They conquer us • We enslave them • Examples from film and television • E.T., the Extraterrestrial • Close Encounters of the Third Kind • Alien Nation • V • District 9

  29. Alien Invasion • Thematic concerns • Xenophobia • Threats to our way of life • Examples • Independence Day • Invasion of the Body Snatchers • War of the Worlds

  30. Future War • Focus on • The nature and training of the military • Military weapons and tactics • The nature of the enemy

  31. Alien Encounters Subsets • A focus on religious belief and the question of whether Christ is the savior of alien civilizations as well as humans • A focus on the difficulty of communicating with aliens • A focus on interspecies mating

  32. Examples of Alien Language • Gort! Klaatubaradanicto • From The Day the Earth Stood Still • First example of alien language in film • “ You have not experienced Shakespeare until you have read him in the original Klingon”—Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

  33. What to Read: Dystopia • We (trans. 1924) by YevgenyZamiatin • Brave New World (1932) by Aldous Huxley • 1984 (1949) by George Orwell • Fahrenheit 451 (1953) by Ray Bradbury • The Hunger Games Trilogy (2008-10) by Suzanne Collins

  34. What to Read: Feminist Societies • “When It Changed” (1972) by Joanna Russ • Herland(magazine publication, 1915; book 1979) by Charlotte Perkins Gilman • about an island inhabited by a race of parthenogenic (i.e., able to reproduce by themselves) females. • The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) by Margaret Atwood • The Gate to Women’s Country (1988) by Sheri S.Tepper

  35. What to Read: Post-Disaster Societies • “The Machine Stops” (1909) by E. M. Forster • On the Beach (1957) by Nevil Shute • A Canticle for Leibowitz(1960) by Walter E.Miller, Jr • Lucifer’s Hammer (1977) by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle • The Postman (1997 )by David Brin • Life as We Knew It (2006) by Susan Beth Pfeffer

  36. What to Read: The Solar System • The Moon • The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (1966) by Robert Heinlein • Mars • A Princess of Mars (1912) by Edgar Rice Burroughs • The Martian Chronicles (1950) by Ray Bradbury • Man Plus (1976)by Frederik Pohl • The Mars Trilogy (1993-96) by Kim Stanley Robinson

  37. What to Read: Galaxies • Space Opera • The Vorkosigan Saga • Shards of Honor (1986) • The Warrior’s Apprentice (1986) • The Culture novels of Iain M. Banks • Consider Phlebas(1987) • Galactic Empires • The Foundation Trilogy (1952-58) by Isaac Asimov • Dune (1965) by Frank Herbert • The Hainish novels of Ursula K. Le Guin The Left Hand of Darkness (1969) The Dispossessed (1974)

  38. What to Read: First Contact • “A Martian Odyssey” (1934) by Stanley Weinbaum • Childhood’s End (1953) by Arthur C. Clarke • Rendezvous With Rama (1972) by Arthur C. Clarke • The Sparrow (1996) by Mary Doria Russell

  39. What to read: Future War • The War of the Worlds (1898) by H. G. Wells • The Dorsai novels of Gordon R. Dickson • Soldier, Ask Not (exp. 1967) • The Honor Harrington novels of David Weber • On Basilisk Station (1992)

  40. Heinlein and His Followers • Starship Troopers (1959) by Robert A. Heinlein • The Forever War (1974) by Joe Haldeman • Cobra (1985) by Timothy Zahn • Old Man’s War (2005) by John Scalzi

  41. More to Read • Religion • The Perelandra trilogy (1938-45) by C.S. Lewis • A Case of Conscience (1958) by James Blish • Stranger in a Strange Land (1961) by Robert Heinlein • Language • Babel-17 (1966) by Samuel R. Delany • Native Tongue (1984) by Suzette Haden Elgin • Embassytown (2011) by China Mieville • Interspecies Mating • Lilith’s Brood (Xenogenesis trilogy) by Octavia Butler (1987-9)

  42. Coming Next Week:Identity • Medical Interventions • Genetics • Mutations • Cloning • Artificial intelligence • Computers • Robots • Androids • Cyborgs

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