Metaphysical Realism

Aldiss, Brian Wilson

doi:10.5621/sciefictstud.38.2.0225

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Works of this genre may be used as teaching materials in the domains of coexistence and creation, provided that the students read them of their own accord. Typical themes include: genetic selection, a pre-ordained caste system and obligatory use of narcotics (Huxley 1994), the menaces of increasing greed, territorial expansion, corruption, vicious behaviour, and inveterate hostilities which destroy the seemingly happy lives of utopian societies (Huxley 2005), massive political propaganda, total invigilation of individuals and depriving them of their privacy (Orwell 2021), the total oppression and misery of human beings (Aldiss 2008), absolute mistrust and suspicion in a society where everybody is a spy, agent, double or triple agent, informer, traitor, provocateur or denouncer but no-one knows what the purpose of his mission may possibly be (Lem 1976). Teaching points in the domain of coexistence would deal with such dystopias and the nature of all kinds of evils as well as the reasons they exist in society.…”

Section: Suggested Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Science fiction and fantasy in general education

Wenzel

2022

beyond

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This article deals with the possible application of the genres of science fiction (SF) and fantasy – novels, short stories, films, dramas, spectacles etc. in secondary schools as part of the programme of general education. The discussion concerns both the production and the reception of such works by the students. The purpose of this educational proposal is to introduce in the system an opportunity for the students to coordinate and consolidate creatively the knowledge and the skills acquired in the classes of all the other disciplines of the curriculum. The basic assumption of the thesis is that the characteristic features of these genres, i.e., their appeal to the imagination, curiosity, and the natural need of the students for their own artistic creation, may prove effective to elevate the educational targets beyond the pragmatic level of absorbing information for the sake of the formal requirements of the school programme. These aims, which transcend the level of the practical utility of existential and psychosocial needs, concentrate on the search for objective knowledge about the world through the development of the skill of critical thinking in the domain of cognition, the search for the artistic talents and predispositions of all the students in the domain of creation, and on the essential issues of educing the need for harmonious and peaceful coexistence with other people and with the environment. The article presents the essential features of the theoretical grounding of this conception, the pedagogical implications of its introduction into the system and suggestions for its practical realization illustrated with examples of possible activities for students and teachers. The essay is concluded with a speculation on the future perspectives of a reciprocal reinforcement of the quality of general education and the development of the literary genres of SF and fantasy.

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Section: Suggested Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Science fiction and fantasy in general education

Wenzel

2022

beyond

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“…As examples of the Gaian critical dystopia, we take Brian Aldiss's Helliconia trilogy, comprising Helliconia Spring (1982), Helliconia Summer (1983) and Helliconia Winter (1985 from the system's core, and Frank Schätzing's more recent Der Schwarm (2004) from its semi-periphery. As we noted in passing in Chapter 1, the Helliconia trilogy can be considered an early example of cli-fi, except that it deals with climate change on the planet of Helliconia, rather than on Earth, the causes of which are the Helliconian equivalent of geogenic rather than anthropogenic.…”

Section: Gaiamentioning

confidence: 99%