What If?: Religious Themes in Science FictionWho am I? Why am I here?Where am I going?What if . . .?Science fiction delights in asking old questions in new ways. Rather than being primarily about advanced technology and the imagined future, science fiction novels and films are more fundamentally about issues of human nature and destiny. They provide a unique perspective on the same questions that have dominated theology and philosophy throughout history. In this fascinating book, Mike Alsford aims neither to give a history of science fiction, nor to systematically identify specific religious motifs within the genre, but to create an interdisciplinary, exploratory space where we can engage with the primal themes in new ways. Whether we are already well-versed in science fiction, or have had only the briefest encounters with Frankenstein’s monster and Doctor Who, this book will provide exciting insights into questions of identity, the human condition, our relationships and our destiny. |
From inside the book
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Page 12
In his most famous work, the Critique of Pure Reason, Kant seeks to establish
confidence in the capacity of human reason via a careful definition of its limits. In
essence Kant maintains, following Locke, that all true knowledge is dependent ...
In his most famous work, the Critique of Pure Reason, Kant seeks to establish
confidence in the capacity of human reason via a careful definition of its limits. In
essence Kant maintains, following Locke, that all true knowledge is dependent ...
Page 16
It is for this reason that SF ought properly to be seen both as a product of the
Enlightenment, in that it seeks to engage with these questions, but also as
transcending the Enlightenment, in that it is the questions themselves that are
central ...
It is for this reason that SF ought properly to be seen both as a product of the
Enlightenment, in that it seeks to engage with these questions, but also as
transcending the Enlightenment, in that it is the questions themselves that are
central ...
Page 79
Since modern Christian democratic man has become so unsure of his various '
idols' (e.g. natural right, the state, humanity, science, reason), or unwilling to deal
with what is emerging as the disintegration of the justification traditionally ...
Since modern Christian democratic man has become so unsure of his various '
idols' (e.g. natural right, the state, humanity, science, reason), or unwilling to deal
with what is emerging as the disintegration of the justification traditionally ...
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Contents
What Are We? | 26 |
Aliens We | 49 |
Where Are We Going and How Do We | 82 |
Copyright | |
1 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
Aldiss alien android argues Arrakis attempt Augustine become Blade Runner body Borg Brian Aldiss century Christian concerning context created creation creature culture cyberpunk define Descartes destiny divine Earth Emmanuel Levinas encounter Enlightenment environment episode essence ethical example experience explored fear film Frankenstein genetic genre of SF Gernsback human condition human existence human nature humanity's Ibid individual Invaders Invaders from Mars issues Kant Karl Barth Klaatu Levinas live Machine Mars Attacks Martians Masterpiece Society Matrix means Merleau-Ponty mind motif movie Neuromancer notion of human novel ourselves Pannenberg particular person perspective philosopher physical planet post-modern potential present question rational reason relationship religion religious Relph science fiction scientific seek seen sense SF writers significance simply sisko Snow Crash social society space speaks species Star Trek theme theologian theology things tradition ultimately understanding utopia virtual reality virtual world William Gibson Wolfhart Pannenberg world-view
References to this book
Bibliographic information
| Title | What If?: Religious Themes in Science Fiction |
| Author | Mike Alsford |
| Publisher | Darton, Longman & Todd, 2000 |
| Original from | the University of Michigan |
| Digitized | 27 Feb 2008 |
| ISBN | 0232523479, 9780232523478 |
| Length | 164 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |