Some Things We Know about Aliens
2007; Modern Humanities Research Association; Volume: 37; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/yes.2007.0011
ISSN2222-4289
Autores Tópico(s)Utopian, Dystopian, and Speculative Fiction
ResumoThe alien is one of SF's core motifs, often discussed as the Other of the Human. One might think, then, that the very idea would allow SF artists limitless creativity, with an opportunity to imagine anything at all that is 'not human'. However, at least since the publication of Stanislaw Lem's "Solaris", the question is continually raised: is it truly possible to imagine the not-human, or does anthropomorphism subtly shape every attempt to escape the human image? SF has been the niche of culture where philosophical questions about the alien, and the possibility of escaping anthropocentrism, have been explored most thoroughly. An examination of its vast literature reveals that this supposedly freely imagined strangeness of most aliens is modelled on terrestrial beings whose marginalized status is a cause of deep anxiety about rights and claims regarding property, animals, machines, women, children, and non-Western peoples.
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