Science Fiction in the Information Age

Colatrella, Carol

doi:10.1093/alh/11.3.554

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Daston and Mitman, 2005; Derby, 1970; Kuznets, 1994; Michals, 2008; Nelson, 2001). And we can see it in tales of objects coming alive, ranging from Pinocchio and Frankenstein’s monster (DeLuca, 1988; Klopp, 2012; Pizzi, 2012; Riva, 2012; Zipes, 1996) to the Brave Little Toaster (Colatrella, 1999) and the Toy Story trilogy (Honeyman, 2006; Lanier et al, 2013).…”

Section: What Is a Robot?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the robot: Comments on Goudey and Bonnin (2016)

Belk

2016

Recherche et Applications en Marketing (English Edition)

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Goudey and Bonnin provide an important demonstration of our willingness to accept robots regardless of the degree to which they look like us. This comment seeks to expand their insights in two ways. First, by broadening our conception of what constitutes a robot, I argue that we have already accepted many non-humanoid robots, and that even robotic entities without a visual presence can be compelling and engaging. Second, I suggest expanding the original paper’s psychological treatment of category ambiguity through the anthropological treatment of Mary Douglas. Douglas suggests that category ambiguity is abhorrent because things perceived to transgress categorical boundaries challenge our cultural beliefs and social order. In the case of robots, the beliefs that are challenged are our basic understandings of what makes humans unique and privileged in the world. As machines grow more and more capable, by some accounts they threaten to eclipse and even supplant the human race. I identify several behavioral and ethical research issues that are imperative if we are to deal with and prepare for such possibilities.

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Section: What Is a Robot?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the robot: Comments on Goudey and Bonnin (2016)

Belk

2016

Recherche et Applications en Marketing (English Edition)

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“…Nous pouvons également retrouver cette quête de l'humanité artificielle dans notre projection anthropomorphique de la vie et de l'intelligence sur les marionnettes, les poupées et les animaux de compagnie (par exemple, Daston et Mitman, 2005 ;Derby, 1970 ;Kuznets, 1994 ;Michals, 2008 ;Nelson, 2003). De même, nous pouvons la retrouver dans certaines histoires qui mettent en scène des objets prenant vie, allant de Pinocchio et le monstre de Frankenstein (DeLuca, 1988 ;Klopp, 2012 ;Pizzi, 2012 ;Riva, 2012 ;Zipes, 1996) au Petit Grille-pain courageux (Colatrella, 1999), en passant par la trilogie Toy Story (Honeyman, 2006 ;Lanier et al, 2013).…”

Section: Qu'est-ce Qu'un Robot ?unclassified

Comprendre le robot : commentaires sur Goudey et Bonnin (2016)

Belk

2016

Recherche et Applications en Marketing (French Edition)

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Goudey et Bonnin démontrent de manière indiscutable notre volonté d’accepter les robots, indépendamment de l’ampleur de leur apparence humaine. Cette réflexion vise à approfondir leur point de vue de deux manières. Tout d’abord, en élargissant notre conception de ce qui constitue un robot, j’estime que nous avons déjà accepté bon nombre de robots non humanoïdes et que même les entités robotiques dépourvues de présence visuelle peuvent être convaincantes et attrayantes. Deuxièmement, je propose d’élargir l’analyse psychologique de « l’ambigüité catégorielle » de la publication originale grâce à l’approche anthropologique de Mary Douglas. Douglas laisse entendre que l’ambigüité catégorielle est inacceptable, car tout ce qui est perçu comme une transgression des frontières catégorielles remet en cause nos croyances culturelles et l’ordre social. Dans le cas des robots, les convictions ébranlées sont les notions fondamentales de ce qui rend les êtres humains uniques et privilégiés dans le monde. A mesure que les machines deviennent de plus en plus performantes, selon certaines sources, elles menacent d’éclipser, voire de supplanter, la race humaine. Je propose plusieurs thèmes de recherche d’ordre comportemental et éthique qu’il est indispensable d’aborder, si nous voulons faire face et nous préparer à de telles éventualités.

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“…Science fiction has long provided authors with the opportunity to prognosticate future advancements in technology. Moreover, Carol Colatrella (1999) has argued that the "power of science fiction to track and to motivate political and social change" (p. 557) is as significant as its ability to imagine technological progress. No less a personage than H.G.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Information Society: Fears and Doubts of Technological Utopia in Selected Serials of the Original Series

Ross

2014

DJIM

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Science fiction is a genre uniquely suited to considering the implications of technological developments. The long-running BBC series Doctor Who, by nature of its longevity, presents the opportunity to investigate evolving attitudes towards emerging information technology. This paper analyzes three serials from the original run of Doctor Who and traces the development in the show's portrayal of the future of information technology (IT) from 1967 to 1975. I argue that early portrayals of futuristic information societies, in serials such as "The Wheel in Space" and "The Seeds of Death," take a mainframe-oriented view of IT's future and present a centralized, technocratic conception of the governments of the future. I conclude that the 1976 serial "The Deadly Assassin" dramatically reverses these earlier portrayals, demonstrating a perceptive awareness of the dawning of the microcomputer revolution and presenting a cynical take on the potential of technological advancement leading to technocratic utopia.

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Science Fiction in the Information Age

Cited by 6 publications

References 2 publications

Understanding the robot: Comments on Goudey and Bonnin (2016)

Understanding the robot: Comments on Goudey and Bonnin (2016)

Comprendre le robot : commentaires sur Goudey et Bonnin (2016)

Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Information Society: Fears and Doubts of Technological Utopia in Selected Serials of the Original Series

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