User:JayTheDaniels/sandbox

What is the article Transhumanism in fiction missing?


 * History of transhumanist themes in writing: extension of life/improving humans in a drastic biological way through the use of technology
 * Try and figure out the history yourself -> track the lineage of short stories and books, then onto shows, films, etc
 * Brief touch on cyberpunk portraying a dark future of humans augmented by machines
 * Whether or not Frankenstein counts as a transhumanist book/character-> it does
 * Pursuing an "elixir of life" to cheat death; on his first attempt, using electricity and assembled body parts, accidentally creates a monster
 * Fictional allegory for man playing God through use of technology, cautionary depiction of transhumanist themes
 * Frankenstein and the Law read through the research paper, grab what you can to prove Frankenstein is indeed an early transhumanist work
 * Add Shadowrun series: table-top game as well as the video games
 * Citation for writers on which of their works include transhumanist themes -> Edgar Allan Poe's The Man That Was Used Up for example
 * MANY MANY Citations needed still, only 3 on the page -> what can be cited for this? Are citations from media works (books, film, etc) sufficient to prove transhumanist messages? Does authorial intent matter (perhaps interviews with authors)?
 * Add bullet list of Transhumanist books under authors section
 * What is the literary significance of transhumanism? Is transhumanism portrayed positively, negatively, or both/neither in fiction?
 * Examine Transhumanism main page and see what information could be useful to add to the article from there

The current issue with the Transhumanism in Fiction article is that it only lists off notable authors and works but doesn't explain how they are transhumanist works (or portray transhumanist values). The body of the article should contain the history of noteworthy works and how they fit into the theme. Even if all of my notes can't be incorporated in, at least establishing the subheading and discussing the early history will allow further editing to fill in the gaps that I miss.

JAY: Professor Robinson here! Good work starting to review and select a possible article to work on for this assignment. I also see you have completed the assigned training! Well done. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Amanda

History
Among the earliest works to portray transhumanism is the story of Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus. Victor himself is an early transhumanist character, attempting to overcome death through chemistry. The moral of the story is that man should not try to play God, serving as a criticism of the values of the transhumanist ideology that science and technology can be used to overcome the human condition. Following Mary Shelley's work, several of the stories by H.G. Wells also address this theme. The Invisible Man and The Island of Dr. Moreau both involve scientific men whose failed experiments in tampering with nature result in the story's conflict.

The cyberpunk genre is heavily influenced by transhumanism, generally criticizing the use of technology to improve human life by showing the consequences resulting in its misuse. Works such as Neuromancer, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, and the manga series Akira, all demonstrate worlds unbridled with technological advancement to improve the human race, used to reinforce divides among social classes. The idea of high-tech, low-life, results in rampant poverty frequently exploited by an upper-class made immortal through cybernetic enhancement. Cyberpunk as a genre attempts to caution against transhumanism by exposing the problematic elements of the social economy that supports it.

Pre-Golden Age
Metropolis? Brave New World? H.G. Wells (The Time Machine), Jules Verne, Van Vogt may have some works that fit into this category. Check this essay

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Golden Age
Famous writers from the pulps: Asimov (I Robot, Foundation trilogy), Clarke, Heinlein? Dune-> use of spice as a drug that allows for space travel which would otherwise be impossible.

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70s, 80s & Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk: William Gibson, Philip K. Dick, Stephenson, Akira and rise of Japanese science fiction. Briefly touched upon in the main history.

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Contemporary Works
Widespread adoption of Transhumanism has led to an increase of its use in fiction, either as praise or critique.

New literary works such as the Beggars Trilogy. Use this essay and this essay.

In television and film
1960s: Star Trek

1970s: Star Wars-> use of cybernetics, Darth Vader & Emperor.

1980s: Films like Terminator, Alien, and others.

Super Hero Films (mid-2000s to present): Rise of superhero films such as Iron Man in 2008, which ground themselves both in the real world and with science. The vast majority of the MCU's heroes gain their powers through science. Also films such as Elysium which use exoskeletons. Use this essay.

Late 2010s: Recent Netflix shows such as Altered Carbon, Love Death and Robots, and Black Mirror.

In comics or graphic novels
1950s comics often gave super heroes powers through science, such as The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-Man, X-Men, etc.