[Perry] Sci Fi Exploring Humanity

Do you know what I’ve found?

A lot of science fiction tends to explore the question of what it means to be human.

A lot of stories tackle the issue, to be sure. I know that it’s hardly the the sole dominion of science fiction to deal with the question…but I tend to see it in science fiction more than I do in other genres.

…Of course, that might be because of the genres I tend to read and spend my time with.

In any case, in all of my readings, I’ve never been as profoundly impacted by the question of what it means to be human as I have when I read certain bits of science fiction.

It’s a question that’s echoed throughout the genre.

What I’ve found interesting about it, is that largely speaking, it’s a question that’s explored through the use of external influences.

Things like Asimov and his robots, and the Three Laws of Robotics and all that. By exploring the idea of how a robot can approach being human (a question prominently featured in The Positronic Man), we are taken on a trip that forces us to look at our own deeply held, almost ingrained prejudices when it comes to conferring humanity upon others.

Other writers, like Carl Sagan, approach the issue by looking at how we respond as a species to the knowledge that we are not alone in the universe.

Still others takes a hard look at how we imagine we’ll treat aliens and uses that as a mirror, or a parallel to how we treat ourselves (an idea that John Scalzi takes a hard look at).

Fantasy has dealt with non-human creatures and all as well, don’t get me wrong. But generally speaking, it tends not to have that same philosophical and emotional oomph as a lot of science fiction does.

 

Am I crazy? Am I dead wrong? What is it about science fiction that seems to echo this question?

If anyone out there’s read a book called Vacuum Diagrams, by Stephen Baxter, you’ll know the feeling I’m talking about.

It’s generally not a topic that’s dealt with overtly, but you can feel it all throughout the story. It doesn’t really bring up the question of what it means to be human, but you can feel the echoes of the question nudging against the edges of your mind as you read.

It’s a weird question to ponder, I know. And I’m afraid this post doesn’t really have a point to make.

It’s just a question that I’ve found myself grappling with these past few weeks and I felt like getting it out in the open.

Anyone else have similar experiences regarding broad question that tend to be brought up or handled better in one specific genre than another?

 

Related posts:

[Perry] The Future of Science Fiction
[Perry] The Delicate Art of Fanfiction
[Perry] Magic Systems: Arbitrary Versus Rules