Cultures of
Science and Technology
Notes from
October 31, 2012
Happy Halloween!!!
The relationship
between sci fi and anthropology
-The
ways sci fi has been influenced by anthropology and the ways sci fi has
influenced anthropology
This is a good
transition into emerging virtual communities and culture
How
cultures arise surrounding sci fi
What is Science
Fiction?
Seems
difficult to define
Is
far out there à amazing
things can happen
Like
fantasy, but fantasy stories are accepted as implausible
-Sci
Fi is conceivable
Magic
or science
-A
problem that crops up in anthropology
Evans-Pritchard
and the Azande Witchcraft
Do
people who rely on magic
Witchcraft
is their explanation for how things work
-example
of the granary collapse
-Fundamental
explanation of the unknown
Using
science to explain as magic would in other circumstances
Provides
a material and rational explanation
Even
though often Sci Fi is ‘magical’
Technology
plays a crucial role
-Critiques
of authors who do not heavily feature advanced science
-But
sometimes our definition of what technology is rather narrow
-We
have become desensitized by the rapid expansion of modern computer technology
à We should try to expand our
understanding of technology to incorporate the more simple necessary
technologies that have existed and must continue to exist
Social
Commentary
-Making
the strange familiar and the familiar strange
-Often
features comments on our own world, the modern world
-What
is technology, what does it mean to be human, how are humans changing in
response to technology and further cultural evolution and modernization
-Places
these comments in the context of a world that is not our own, but not so
strange that the reader cannot recognize the parallels drawn between the story
and out own existence
Collins “Sail
on! Sail on!: Anthropology, Science Fiction, and the Enticing Future”
Le Guin, Ursula
Growing up in
Anthropology culture at Berkley
Classmate
of Philip K. Dick
Do
androids Dream of Electric Sheep
-What
is humanness?
-What
is the soul?
Her
work, “Coming of Age in Karhide”
Climatic
differences between her world and ours
Close
knit communities at the heart of her characters’ culture
Culture
is very much affected by climate
Time
is affected by climate
Seasonal
cycles
Or
timeless based on how the environment never changes
Coming
of age story
Obvious
change – Gender premise
All
through childhood and adulthood = hermaphroditic
Later
have a sexual experience
Choose
genders for these experiences
Return
to asexual/genderless humans when not having these experiences
à loss of a basic premise of how we think of people
à basic way we see the world, others, and ourselves
“Is
Gender Necessary?”
“The King was pregnant”
Why is this strange to us?
Kings
usually male
Also,
King is considered a masculine role
What are the
advantages of not having Gender?
-Hard
to articulate as it is so much of how our culture perceives people and their
personalities (due to basic gender roles and stereotypes), but…
-We
do loose our pre-conceived notions, like how the narrator is female based on
the type of coming of age story
-Make
our own assumptions
-What
are the logical implications of this loss of roles and assumptions
-Loss
of sexual distractions and frustrations
loss
of the sexual differentiation
-Challenging
notions of gender in society
Specifically,
challenges western notions of Gender
“World Making”
What
kinds of worlds are being created?
Extrapolations
of worries surrounding modern life
-Gloomy
-The
costs and benefits of manipulating the natural world and the human body
-Fears
and angst about technological and biological determinism
-The
loss of self and hope
-Changes
in culture, phobias, bigotry
-Loss
of control of life resulting from attempting to control human nature and the
world
Trying
to CURE the Human condition
The
devastating affects
The
loss of humanity
Unintended
consequences of our actions
Think
of Post-Chernobyl society and healthcare
Faith in
scientists
Believe
what scientists say, almost without question
Human
Fate rests in the hands of science, scientists, and technology
But,
science is a product of scientists who are human
Will
always have the unintended consequences
Humans
will always have flaws
See
Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” or Joss Whedon’s Serenity
“The Last
Question”
What
happens when the universe begins to end?
There
is never enough data for the computer to answer the question, until there is
nothing left to tell the answer to à Says let there be light
-Explanation
for the beginning of existence
-Mystical
ending
-Commenting
on the futility of trying to understand concepts beyond our comprehension and
the cyclic nature of existence
Science Fiction
is a diverse genre
Anthropology,
Science Fiction and Futurology
What
is the role of anthropologists in affecting the future?
Should
they engage in trying to predict the future?
Anthropology
is a science, based on evidence
There
is no evidence pertaining to the future
What
is culture though?
Is
culture always virtual?
Should
anthropologists try to affect culture?
Collins’
critique of the functionalist paradigm of anthropology
critique of the temprocentric aspects of
anthropology
But, the goal of
science is prediction
But
is this prediction the same as in sci fi?
-Perhaps,
instead, the goal is to make founded predications based on past data in an
effort to guide present actions in order to shape the future
-Sci
Fi, on the other hand, seems to want to construct a picture of what things will
be
-If
anthropology tries to do this, it becomes rather deterministic
Predicting
the future in a way that enables the author to create a narrative suggests a
knowledge of what will happen
Prediction
Markets and Group Deliberations on the future
Accurate
predictions of the future by combining the knowledge and beliefs of many people
Incentive
is necessary for accurate predictions as group deliberations alone are subject
to errors created by social pressures and groups structure.
à truthful opinions are necessary
Anthropology of
Science Fiction itself
Anthropological
analysis of Sci Fi rather than Anthropology as Sci Fi
Trekkies (1997)
Fandom
The
phenomenon, worldwide
The
love people have for fictional characters
On
auditioning for Star Trek: “Much larger than just a TV series”
Structuring
their culture/sub society based on the structure of the fictional Federation
New
heroes (example Barbara Adams, the Whitewater scandal trial juror) being
created within the culture
Actually
rather impressive!
Lines
of reality sometimes blurred in fans minds
Desire
by fans to own parts of the show
Even
to own parts of the characters/actors
- blood, infected water
Interest
in the unknown
Simple
presentation of morality
Creation
of music à
indicating subculture
‘Sfolking’
– Star Trek Folk singing
The
fan body spans numerous cultures and types of people
The
Klingon Language
Actual
camps/schools to learn the language
People
devise new uses for the worlds
Translating
the bible
Translating
songs
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