Madison Ewins

SCIENCE FICTION AND THE QUESTIONS CONCERNING HUMANITY

The genre of Science Fiction (Sci-Fi), as stated by Isaac Asimov is the only form of literature
that consistently considers the impact of scientific advance on human beings. Evidently,
the Sci-Fi genre is one which allows its composers to reflect on the questions concerning
humanity in their given context. In order to critically analyse and comment on the concept of
humanity, the composers utilise their circumstantial issues to create, as Ursula K. Le Guin
calls it, a thought-experiment of what could happen for Earths hereafter. Sci- Fi writers
have long been keen observers of society, extrapolating the known and formulating questions
in order to explore the potential impact science has on mankind and its values. To do this,
authors use conventions of the genre to aid in their investigation of humanity such as
cognitive estrangement, alternative worlds, and distortion of time and misrepresentations of
reality. Texts which effectively reflect their contextual concerns through original and relatable
representations of humanity include the foreboding prophesies from Frank Herberts Dune
(1963, Novel) and the familiar dystopian societies formulated by Margaret Atwoods The
Handmaids Tale (1986, Novel), Ridley Scotts Blade Runner (1982, Film, Directors cut) and
Alex Proyass Dark City (1998, Film). These texts enforce that science fiction, through
changing culture and technology, is an effective genre in which concerns for humanity are
reflected.
Through operative use of the genres conventions, in conjunction with literary technique and
extrapolated contextual values, each text is able to present the impacts of scientific
advancement on human beings; they offer perspectives on the future of humanity. Herberts
Dune offers a text which serves as a commentary on the rising consumerism experienced
during the mid-20th century and the concerns subsequent to the shifting social values and
scientific boom. By the 1950s America was advancing rapidly in all fields of technology,
including the creation of the Nuclear Bomb (1945) and the first commercialised computers
(1951). Successively, the 60s presented a time of radical social change. The antiestablishment empowered scepticism among the populace, resulting in culture which was
shifting social concepts around drug use, consumerism, politics, religion and the environment.
Dune particularly focuses on these social aspects of Herberts context, mirroring the
relationships as integral to the depth of Herberts constructed universe. Arrakis serves as the
extrapolated planet on which most of the plot occurs. The desert planet is hostile, without
water but with vicious Sand Worms which produce the most precious commodity of the
universe, Melange (spice). This spice is mined using the Fremen, a race indigenous to the
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planet placed under the strict rule of the Harkonnen government. The Spice, commerce on
Arrakis, is a mirror for the effects of oil on humans and their values. During the 1960s,
America was possessing increased amounts of oil from the Middle East. This oil fuelled the
economy, the expanding petrochemical industry and became the driving force behind
technological advancement, reforming the commercial commodities and, therefore, shaped
the modern values of humankind concerned with material merchandise. The expanding
consumerism contrasted the beliefs of groups of the general populace who were concerned
with the environmental impacts of science and the effects of industry on the ecosystem. The
spice is a natural resource, much like oil, and is imperative to the empire as it signifies wealth
and power, He who controls the spice controls the universe. This was prospect also endured
by Earths western powers that were focused on wealth rather than the health of their
surroundings and the liberation of native peoples.
The most valiant concern of technology within Dune is that of nuclear warfare. Following the
world wars and the subsequent bombings of Hiroshima (1945) and Pearl Harbour (1941),
Herberts novel involves the total banning of nuclear warfare on Arrakis, as Paul uses atomics
against the Houses of Arrakis The language of the Great Convention is clear enough: Use of
atomics against humans shall be cause for planetary obliteration." By introducing this political
intervention in the novel, Herbert expresses the fear of the impacting effects destructive forces
nuclear weaponry would have on international politics and the stability of the future worlds
ecology.
Herbert reinforces the undesirable effects of Western obsession with power and fortune
through the manipulative, undesirable and unpleasant characterisation of the Baron Vladimir
Harkonnen, the ruler of Arrakis. The Baron is presented as an obese and repulsive
homosexual who uses treachery and subterfuge to control Spice, eliminate the threatening
powers of the House Atreides and maintain his political position. Portrayed as the villain to
the Fremen and Paul Atreides, the Baron ultimately represents the concerns those living in the
21st century had with power obsessed rulers.
Contrasting to the actions of the consumerist Harkonnens on Arrakis, Paul uses Spice to serve
his own purpose as a proposed Messiah. Spice, a perception altering narcotic, mirrors the
psychedelic drugs of Herberts context. These drugs were often used as a mechanism to
explore self and the universal perceptions as well as being used to further the Antiestablishment movements of the hippie sub-culture. Similarly, Paul uses the Spice to find his
inward eye and look where others cannot as the Kwisatz Haderach the Bene Gesserit
legend forebodes. In order to become the Messiah Paul must use the Spice as a way explore
his own consciousness and find his purpose. Although spiritual to the Fremen religion, this
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drug use is primarily about self-exploration of Paul and his discovery of being the Kwisatz
Haderach, who will lead the Fremen into a new world, insubordinate to higher powers. In this
cultural aspect of Dune Herbert reflects a time of discontent where the people began to
question policy-makers and pondered on the purpose of life. This generation turned to drugs
for their enlightenment, much like Paul does to find his purpose as the Kwisatz Haderach.
The last century has shown the exemplary progress humankind has made in the fields of
science and technology and its implications on human existence. Under the subgenre of
cyberpunk, both Blade Runner and Dark City compel us to reassess drastically the ideas of
time, reality, materiality, community and space. (Cavallaro, 2000). In these texts, the
contemporary ideas of humanity are extrapolated diversely, representing beings which seem
to harbour little to no idea of what the concept of morality and ethics are. Memories act as
central metaphor in the texts, constituting the authenticity of an individuals humanity. In
Blade Runner Nexus 7 replicants, namely Rachael, have memories implanted in order to
control their emotional wellbeing and convince them that they are human. Whereas in Dark
City, humans are the ones who have artificial memories embedded in their subconscious.
They have characters which are imposed on them much like the replicants. The texts question
whether humans are more than the sum of their memories (Brooker, 2012) and if artificial
humans will exceed the morals withheld by humans.
The concept of a prosthetic memory (Landsburg, 1996) is one which seems plausible and
easily achievable with current technologies. Both Blade Runner and Dark City employ the
use of prosthetic memories as a way to authenticate technological alterations to humanity
through the replicants and the humans, the fake being tricked into thinking they are real,
therefore the texts question what it means to be human. Both films are set in moody,
claustrophobic cities with high rises and bad weather, created in similar times, both represents
the future outlook of the cities which was expected in their context. Los Angeles in 2019 and
the unnamed dark city fulfil Ehrlich and Browers Population Bomb (1968) speculations, the
degradation of the natural environment due to industry and the mass consumerism. In Blade
Runner, Rachael is the primary example of prosthetic memories and their effects. Rachael
believes she is human due to her memories of childhood, which in actuality are those of
Tyrells niece, and bases her identity upon these memories. Due to Rachaels emotional
stability she is easier to control then the Nexus 6 replicants, as Tyrell says if we give them a
past we create a cushion for their emotion and consequently we can control them better.
Although Rachael has photographic evidence, her existence as a human is falsified by her
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lack of past memories. Similarly, John Murdoch in Dark City believes his own existence
through his memories. As he traces these memories back in order to authenticate his true
identity Murdoch discovers that his memories are prosthetic and implanted to create a fake
past for his reality to seem reliable. These memories, also created via scientific developments,
are used by the Strangers, like Tyrell, to control their creations.
The ever-expanding realm of digital technology was developing rapidly in the 1980s and 90s.
The western world was continuing to consume the newest technologies and implement them
into everyday life. Although these technologies improved life, they also transgressed the
morality of human beings, further dividing the social classes based on material wealth. The
concern of technology as posing a threat to humanity became increasingly apparent to
composers, especially with the feat of IBM computer, Deep Blue, which defeated the worlds
chess champion Garry Kasparov in 1996. Through the interrelation of technology and
humanity, both Scott and Proyas suggest that technology is convoluting and has the potential
to retrogress the moral instruments of humanity.
Blade Runner is a text which explores several concerns focusing primarily on the greed and
corruption invoked by mindless consumerism. Scott uses this background to contrast his
human, living in a densely populated and unnatural film noir inspired city of Los Angeles in
2019 , Rick Deckard, with the replicant Roy Batty, to explore the dehumanising effects of
consumerism. Deckard is a moody drunkard detective who retires cyborg humans for a
living, whilst Batty is an enslaved replicant who escapes the Off-world colony in order to
remove his limited lifespan. It seems as if Deckards existence is almost pointless being
human, whilst all Batty wants is to be human. These juxtaposing characters imply that the
Tyrell motto of more human than human becomes true through the incorrupt nature of the
replicants form of humanity, contrasting to Deckards greedy, and consumerist lifestyle.
The female role within society is a common concern explored in many texts throughout the
scope of literature. In Sci-Fi, a male dominated genre, the common place of females is reliant
on the composers context. Within Sci-Fi, the roles of the female are generally representative
of the ideologies of the time of creation- some are strong and independent, others are
subordinate and weak. The differences of these ideal female roles can be realised through the
exploration of Scotts replicant Rachael, Ursula Le Guins androgynous society and Atwoods
objectified Handmaid, Offred.

Madison Ewins

The 1980s, subsequent to the waves of feminism, created a Western culture which catered to
the changing role of the working woman. Women were beginning to become accepted into
the workforce, they could control their sexuality, which enabled them to pursue careers and
become successful without male aid. The sultry role of the female is characterised through the
replicant Rachael. Rachael conforms to the ideal female stereotype of the sexual, attractive
and passive character that is easily controlled through emotion, much like the other females
of the film, which were all created by and desired by men. Due to the fact all females in the
film are replicants, Blade Runner implies that females are being cast in the realm of the
other, not only symbolizing slavery to the consumerist Americans but also slaves of a
patriarchal society. Rachael is the only female replicant who survives at the hands of
Deckard, as she acquiesces to the assigned role as Other to Deckards masculine
subjectivity (Cornea, 2007), unlike Zhora and Pris.
Le Guins depiction of the female role within society opposes that of most Sci-Fi texts, using
the genre to explore the concept of androgyny and the implications of this on the constituting
values of humanity. In her essay, Is Gender Necessary, Le Guin writes that The Left Hand of
Darkness (Le Guin, 1969) was a thought experiment in which she removes gender to
uncover the area shared by men and women alike (Le Guin, 1976). Described as feminist
science fiction, The Left Hand of Darkness incorporates the belief that all humans are equal,
despite gender. It was during the 1960s when people began to question gender, what is it? Is
it completely physiological? How much of it is socially constructed? (Le Guin, 2013). Le
Guin explores this concept of a genderless society, particularly through the sexual physiology.
Chapter 7, A Question of Sex, describes the Gethenian society as a whole with no division
of humanity into strong and weak halves, protective/protected, dominant/submissive,
therefore the burden and privilege are shared out pretty equally among Gethenians,
dissimilar to Earth (p.100). This idea of equality and balance is what gave The Left Hand of
Darkness its distinctive feminist quality, by using these beings ,as a result of an abandoned
experiment, and making their society into one which is not dominated by men and therefore
has no wars, no rape and moves slowly, focusing on the core beliefs of humanity. The
concern reflected by Le Guin is that Earth may never have a society as stable as that on
Gethen due to the simple socio-sexual constructs which continue to convolute the morals and
ethics of society.
The Handmaids Tale offers a much bleaker view on the female role in society based on the
repressive regimes against women echoed throughout history. The classic feminist dystopia
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depicts an alternate history in which women have been reverted into objects rather than
humans. Under the system based on a 17th Century Puritan New England, women are
subjected to being classified by their ability to procreate due to mass scale infertility caused
by excessive industry in western society. Atwood wrote in the 80s when the concept of
equality was questioned and explored by many composers. Atwood explores the implications
of a society which exists under the rule of Right Wing Conservatives who believed men
have greater rights than women (Atwood, 2012), grew immensely in popularity, which
rejects those progressive movements made by the feminists of the period as they threatened
the traditional patriarchal structure of society. Women, in Gilead, are the social group which
is disempowered by having their political, legal, economic and human rights stripped away
(Stanners, 2009) in order to control them. Women are demoralised and placed into the
traditional role of the female to be a possession of men and the lack of purpose for the
female, This kind of touch they like: folk art, archaic, made by women in their spare time,
from things that have no further use. A return to traditional values. This control effectively
strips away the feminist gains of females throughout modern history and in turn, restores the
traditional position of the male in society in which females are for reproduction and
possession only; they have little purpose within a mans world. Atwood bases her vision of an
alternate history on the fragility of the structures of society, concerning the commonplace of
the female and the difficulty of altering traditional thought into one of social change which
accepts women to be equal to men despite the physiological differences.
The genre of Science Fiction is one which not only assumes the future but attempts to predict
the future and how altered circumstances will change the current perceptions of humanity. The
composers of Sci-Fi make the genre concurrent with issues which face humans and illustrate
the potential impacts of science on society and the individual. As stated by Arthur.C Clarke it
is the only genuine consciousness expanding drug used by humans to broaden not only their
creative mind but also their philosophical ideologies interconnected with human existence
(1986) Therefore Sci-Fi will continue to endure as a necessary genre as it considers the human
condition whilst creating creative predictions which test the fortitude of humanity and its
qualities using science.
References:
Atwood, M. (2012). Haunted by The Handmaid's Tale. Australia: The Guardian.

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Brooker, W. (2012). The Blade Runner Experience: The Legacy of a Science Fiction
Classic. : Columbia University Press.
Cavallaro, D. (2000). Cyberpunk and Cyberculture: Science Fiction and the Work of William
Gibson. : The Athlone Press.
Clarke, A. C (1986) Introduction to The Sentinel, Penguin Group (USA). Retrieved 20
July,2016 from http://www.thestargarden.co.uk/Why-society-needs-science-fiction.html#Ref3
Cornea, C. (2007). Science Fiction Cinema: Between Fantasy and
Reality. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Knight, W. (2016). Will Machines Eliminate us? Article retrieved 18 July,2016 from
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/546301/will-machines-eliminate-us/
Landsburg, A. (1996). Cyberspace/Cyberbodies/Cyberpunk: Cultures of Technological
Embodiment. : Sage Publications.
Le Guin, U. (1979). The Language of the Night. : Ultramarine Publishing.
Le Guin. (2013) Retrieved 17 July, 2016 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=tm4AGbJWSTE
Owen, J. (1974). Idea and Imagery in Herbert's Dune. Extrapolation, 152(129), Retrieved 22
June, 2016, from
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Stanners, B. (2009). Exploring Genre: Science Fiction. Australia: Phoenix Education
Australia.