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Feminist Philosophy and Science Fiction: Utopias and Dystopias
This accessible and provocative collection of science fiction acquaints readers with cutting-edge gender controversies in moral and political philosophy. By imagining future worlds that defy our most basic assumptions about sex and gender, freedom and equality, and ethical values, the anthology’s authors not only challenge traditional standards of morality and justice, but create bold experiments for testing feminist hypotheses.
Selections are grouped under four main themes. Part 1, "Human Nature and Reality," concentrates on whether there is an intrinsic difference between males and females. Here the authors inspect opposing views on five related questions: What does it mean to be human? What are women and men really like? How significant is the reproductive difference? How do we define the concepts of "woman" and "nature"? Why is language important?
Part 2, "Dystopias: The Worst of All Possible Worlds," first portrays misogynistic societies uncomfortably familiar to the early 21st-century reader. Chilling stories of future possibilities follow, including worlds where women and men separate into armies to fight a literal war of the sexes.
Part 3, "Separatist Utopias: Worlds of Difference," assembles stories that scrutinize both the virtues and vices of separatism, in order to address the questions Why should women want to separate from men? and What would and should these all-female worlds be like?
In Part 4, "Androgynous Utopias: Worlds of Equality," the authors create intriguing worlds that anticipate the consequences, good and bad, of perfect sexual equality in education, intelligence, capability, and reproduction.
With selections from such noted writers as Octavia Butler, Marion Zimmer Bradley, James Tiptree Jr., and many others, plus chapter introductions, discussion questions, and recommended reading list, this stimulating collection offers fresh insights on troubling issues by weaving controversial utopian and dystopian designs from the separate threads of opposing positions.
Selections are grouped under four main themes. Part 1, "Human Nature and Reality," concentrates on whether there is an intrinsic difference between males and females. Here the authors inspect opposing views on five related questions: What does it mean to be human? What are women and men really like? How significant is the reproductive difference? How do we define the concepts of "woman" and "nature"? Why is language important?
Part 2, "Dystopias: The Worst of All Possible Worlds," first portrays misogynistic societies uncomfortably familiar to the early 21st-century reader. Chilling stories of future possibilities follow, including worlds where women and men separate into armies to fight a literal war of the sexes.
Part 3, "Separatist Utopias: Worlds of Difference," assembles stories that scrutinize both the virtues and vices of separatism, in order to address the questions Why should women want to separate from men? and What would and should these all-female worlds be like?
In Part 4, "Androgynous Utopias: Worlds of Equality," the authors create intriguing worlds that anticipate the consequences, good and bad, of perfect sexual equality in education, intelligence, capability, and reproduction.
With selections from such noted writers as Octavia Butler, Marion Zimmer Bradley, James Tiptree Jr., and many others, plus chapter introductions, discussion questions, and recommended reading list, this stimulating collection offers fresh insights on troubling issues by weaving controversial utopian and dystopian designs from the separate threads of opposing positions.
412 pages, Paperback
First published October 30, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 28, 2008
This book had a lot of really great selections in it. It also had lots of discussion questions for clueless readers after each of them.
Also, in trying to present a broad range of fiction, the editor used some excerpts from novels which required a hurried introduction presenting need-to-know info in a very condensed form. I did get a list of authors to try out that is 2 pages long! Going happily now to attack the library catalog.
Also, in trying to present a broad range of fiction, the editor used some excerpts from novels which required a hurried introduction presenting need-to-know info in a very condensed form. I did get a list of authors to try out that is 2 pages long! Going happily now to attack the library catalog.
August 14, 2013
Great stories by some of the most well-known female science fiction writers. Besides getting an interesting tale featuring robots, different worlds, different cultures and the like, different elements of feminist issues are raised including the right for women to have an education, abuse of women in many different forms, and relationships.
January 13, 2012
This anthology is wildly interesting. It's heavier on the ideologies than the stories, and it made me think. I appreciated how many different POV's there were, especially in the last couple of stories!
August 12, 2017
Not an uplifting read.
March 10, 2021
Grave intéressant !! J'ai découvert plein plein d'autrices de science fiction + pris plein de notes sur les concepts de dystopie / utopie.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews