Emrah Goker <e077543@ORCA.CC.METU.EDU.TR> asked:
> There is a paper in my head to write about ecologist utopias in science
>fiction and their cultural, ideological, or who knows, political-economic
>implications. I consider criticizing the "gaiaist" position in ecology
>which holds that the human species is a point -rather a big one- in the
>organic continuum of Nature, being no different than, say, an old oak tree
>or a pretty badger.
Since there is no evidence that oak trees have a culture, the argument is
false. A guy doesn't get up in the morning and say, "What a beautiful day!
I think I'll go clear cut some old growth forests, and if it's still nice
this afternoon, I'll dump some mine tailings in the stream!" He gets up
and says, "What a beautiful day! And I have to go to that lousy job!"
> I plan to analyse first the theoretical aspects of "Mother Earth" kind
>of ecological thinking, relating to the deconstructionist and metaphysical
>touches on the paradigm. Next, I think, I will use the SF texts to hold my
>point.
> Specifically, though I have made up a long list of ecological SF books
>and stories, I ask to those who are interested to help building on my
>list.
Please be careful. Many ecological stories are not technically possible.
A good example is _Ecotopia_ which depends on imaginary, impossible
technology.
> And for my argument here.
> I believe what Theodor Sturgeon has told us is true: 95% of all SF is
>junk (or has he said "thrash"?).
In response to the comment that 90% of science fiction is crap:
"Ninety percent of *everything* is crap."
>The majority of SF books, stories, films,
>computer games, journals, zines, etc. have successfully been integrated
>into the capitalist market for culture.
Which connects to my implication above that much of the damage humanity
does is mediated by culture.
<snip>
>Or take the wonderful _The Dispossessed_, Le Guin's masterpiece (by the
>way, is she still an anarchist, or an utopian socialist?):
At the 1975 WorldCon (where _The Dispossessed_ later win its Hugo), I asked
her if she called herself an anarchist, and she gave me an evasive answer
to the effect of "Can a housewife and homemaker be an anarchist?"
Neil Rest
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu May 25 2000 - 19:06:37 PDT