Pessimism
What I have found so surprising is the pervasiveness of negative attitudes in the literature we've been reading. All of the works of fiction have had either a distinctly negative view of science, or were meant to be informational. When authors stray into the realm of science fiction, it is traditionally negative. Why is this? For every utopian novel, there exists dozens of dystopian visions. Do we always assume the future will be worse than today?
Moreover, this is a trend that has continued. Shelley writes about both the dangers of human involvement in the creation of life and the downside to over rationalization of emotions. One hundred years later the first stories about the dangers intelligent robots would present to mankind began to arise. Two-hundred years after Shelley, stories are being written about the potential disasters of cloning.
In fact, this pessimism is not even always linked to the future. Rappaccini's Daughter is not a predictive story, yet also warns against an obsession with science. Why don't the stories consider millions of lives that have been improved by science? Do scientists still have a negative connotation today? Was this belief held because science was such a young profession? While nuclear energy is potentially dangerous, millions of people are experiencing improved quality of life because of it. While cloning may cross some ethical boundaries, it has the potential to save and extend human life. And most importantly, the improvements in technology should make individuals more involved with politics, not slaves to a totalitarian state as is so often predicted.
Personally, I think it is likely more fun (and marketable) to worry than to rejoice. Furthermore, the science fiction that we have read appears to be extremely reactionary. The author may be writing about different time periods, or individuals, but is usually writing in response to something they have experienced. In particular, Shelley was responding to the Romantic Movement and the Age of Enlightenment that was a contemporary worry for her. Perhaps, the tendency is not pessimism so much as a questioning of change, and a desire for stability. Surprisingly, this may be a theme throughout time in the genre. Even when writing about the future, dystopias are often critiques of change from the present status-quo.
posted by judge at 2:48 PM
3 Comments:
I agree with you that most science fiction stories are pessimistic and often warn of the dangers of future scientific advancement. However, I believe there are a significant number of stories that portray the future in a positive manner with greatly advanced technology that has improved the standard of life. The only thing, is that these novels usually fall into the category of fantasy. In general, fantasy novels usually contain several aspects of science fiction and science fiction novels usually contain some elements of fantasy. In trying to think of the major factors that distinguish these two genres, the only thing that comes to mind is this idea of pessimism. Usually fantasy stories are uplifting or at least portray the future positively, but science fiction stories usually focus on the adverse effects of technology, like robots turning on humans or Frankenstein’s creation terrorizing Victor.
I think it is more the fear of novelty and the uknown that strikes fear into mankind. Think of this as the law of inertia--people are just more comfortable with convention. Science introduces uncertainty and novelty, something that may threaten the meaning of what it means to be human and natural.
On another note, I disagree that it is more marketable to worry than rejoice. If you look at the news or modern lit, it always portrays the worst case scenario to attract viewers. I think people just become more concerned when things are portrayed in disastrous manners.
yep...click on CNN anyday. Not to say that there aren't major events to worry about in our contemporary moment, but it's important to pay attention to how and why the news networks (especially cable news) are so keen on rapid-firing terror at its viewers, especially recently.
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