scholarly journals Whales: Their Emerging Right to Life

1991 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-62
Author(s):  
Anthony D’Amato ◽  
Sudhir K. Chopra
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Science Fiction ◽  
Outer Space ◽  
Human Intelligence ◽  
Right To Life ◽  
Interspecies Communication ◽  
Creative Processes ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Basic Assumptions ◽  
Life On Earth

Writers of science fiction have often speculated about what it would be like to discover, on a planet in outer space, a much higher form of intelligence. How would we react to those creatures? Would we be so fearful of them that we would try to kill them? Or would we welcome the opportunity to attempt to understand their language and culture? Stranger than fiction is the fact that there already exists a species of animal life on earth that scientists speculate has higher than human intelligence. The whale has a brain that in some instances is six times bigger than the human brain and its neocortex is more convoluted. Discussing the creative processes of whales, Dr. John Lilly says that a researcher “is struck with the fact that one’s current basic assumptions and even one’s current expectations determine, within certain limits, the results attained with a particular animal at that particular time.” Whales speak to other whales in a language that appears to include abstruse mathematical poetry. They have also developed interspecies communication with dolphins. Whales are the most specialized of all mammals.

scholarly journals Alien and Storytelling in the Anthropocene: Evolutionism, Creationism and Pseudoarchaeology in Science Fiction

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Uroš Matić ◽  
Sonja Žakula
Keyword(s):  
Science Fiction ◽  
Outer Space ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Ridley Scott ◽  
Human Species ◽  
Life On Earth

This paper analyses the change in the metanarrative of the Alien franchise initiated by the movie Alien (1979), directed by Ridley Scott, and continued with a series of three sequels. The franchise was revived in 2012 with the prequel Prometheus. The story of the first four movies is set at the end of the anthropocene, and it deals with the horror of alien life forms, offering an evolutionist approach to the development of the human species. However, the revival of the franchise with the movie Prometheus changed the metanarrative from evolutionism to a creationist and pseudo-archaeological metanarrative with Biblical motifs. This paper points to the dangers of popularizing creationist and pseudo-archaeological narratives in science fiction. Responsibility for life on Earth and in outer space, lacking evidence to the contrary, remains in the hands of humans collectively and not alien Others.

QUO VADIS HUKUM ISLAM (ANTARA IDEALITAS DAN REALITAS INDONESIA)

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-108
Author(s):  
Dinda Izzati
Keyword(s):  
Political Rights ◽  
Right To Life ◽  
Economic Rights ◽  
Christian Communities ◽  
Basic Assumptions ◽  
Eastern Indonesia ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Quo Vadis ◽  
The Right

Evidently, a few months after the Jakarta Charter was signed, Christian circles from Eastern Indonesia submitted an ultimatum, if the seven words in the Jakarta Charter were still included in the Preamble to the 1945 Constitution, then the consequence was that they would not want to join the Republic of Indonesia. The main reason put forward by Pastor Octavian was that Indonesia was seen from its georaphical interests and structure, Western Indonesia was known as the base of Islamic camouflage, while eastern Indonesia was the basis for Christian communities. Oktavianus added that Christians as an integral part of this nation need to realize that they also have the right to life, religious rights, political rights, economic rights, the same rights to the nation and state as other citizens, who in fact are mostly Muslims. This paper aims to determine and understand the extent to which the basic assumptions of the Indonesian people view the role of Islam as presented in an exclusive format.

INTERPRETATION OF SPACE AND TIME IN ONTOLOGICAL PHILOSOPHY NAVOI

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 80-87
Author(s):  
Toji Omonovich Norov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Human Life ◽  
History Of Philosophy ◽  
Human Intelligence ◽  
Time And Space ◽  
Space And Time ◽  
History Of ◽  
Life On Earth ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Holy Book

The universe, the space that make up their basis planets in it, their creation, the main essence of their creation, form, composition, meaning, movements, interactions, their influence on human life and activities, the role of man in the universe and in life on Earth, life, the criteria of activity and processes occurring in time and space have long been of interest to humanity. One of the main problems in the history of philosophy is the question of space and time. This problem was defined in different ways in the great schools of thought by thinkers of different periods. One of these great thinkers is Alisher Navoi. Navoi's works, along with other socio-philosophical themes, uniquely express and analyze the problems of the firmament and time. Its main feature is that it is based on the divine (pantheistic) religion, Islam, its holy book, the Koran and other theological sources, as well as on the secrets of nature and the Universe, the main miracle of Allah - human intelligence, the power of enlightenment, they are the key revealing all these secrets.

Jocular Juvenilia

2018 ◽  
pp. 17-29
Author(s):  
Gary Westfahl
Keyword(s):  
Science Fiction ◽  
Outer Space ◽  
Similar Material ◽  
Sense Of Humor ◽  
Professional Science

This chapter argues that Clarke’s fiction falls into two categories: farcical pieces filled with adolescent humor--his juvenilia and later texts described as his “mature juvenilia”; and his professional science fiction, which manifests only occasional, and subdued, touches of humor. The young Clarke prefers parodies, puns, wordplay, and slapstick, and he displays a rather cruel sense of humor in jocularly describing various deaths and catastrophes. Yet some early works also show Clarke developing his skill in extrapolation and the development of future worlds as well as his interests in outer space and the oceans. Pieces recalling Clarke’s juvenilia surface through his career, and similar material may someday be discovered in his private journals.

scholarly journals At the outer limits of the international: Orbital infrastructures and the technopolitics of planetary (in)security

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 294-314
Author(s):  
Columba Peoples ◽  
Tim Stevens
Keyword(s):  
Science Fiction ◽  
International Security ◽  
Outer Space ◽  
Security Analysis ◽  
Earth Observation ◽  
Detection Systems ◽  
Earth Object ◽  
Military Security ◽  
Technical Systems

AbstractAs staples of science fiction, space technologies, much like outer space itself, have often been regarded as being ‘out there’ objects of international security analysis. However, as a growing subset of security scholarship indicates, terrestrial politics and practices are ever more dependent on space technologies and systems. Existing scholarship in ‘astropolitics’ and ‘critical astropolitics’ has tended to concentrate on how such technologies and systems underpin and impact the dynamics of military security, but this article makes the case for wider consideration of ‘orbital infrastructures’ as crucial to conceptions and governance of planetary security in the context of the ‘Anthropocene’. It does so by outlining and analysing in detail Earth Observation (EO) and Near-Earth Object (NEO) detection systems as exemplary cases of technological infrastructures for ‘looking in’ on and ‘looking out’ for forms of planetary insecurity. Drawing on and extending recent theorisations of technopolitics and of Large Technical Systems, we argue that EO and NEO technologies illustrate, in distinct ways, the extent to which orbital infrastructures should be considered not only part of the fabric of contemporary international security but as particularly significant within and even emblematic of the technopolitics of planetary (in)security.

Space Elevator

2011 ◽  
pp. 312-331
Author(s):  
Paul E. Nelson
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Cost Saving ◽  
Science Fiction ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Outer Space ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
The World ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
The Cost

Currently, transporting cargo into Outer Space is not only expensive, but a complicated and prolonged process. The Space Shuttles used today are inadequate, overused and obsolete. At this time, there are efforts all around the world to make Space more accessible. There have been many proposals to solve the Space transportation dilemma. One proposal is the creation of a Space Elevator. The Space Elevator would provide low-cost, easy access to Space by dramatically reducing the cost of sending cargo into Space. A $10-$100 per pound the Space Elevator would provide an astounding cost-saving compared to the tens of thousands of dollars per pound it costs today. This low-cost access to Space would make it possible to substantially increase the amount of cargo that could be sent into Space on a daily basis. The first part of this paper describes how the Space Elevator is expected to work, and the advantage of access to space via the SE versus using primarily rockets. A compendium of information from a variety of sources is included in order to explain how the Space Elevator would be designed, constructed, and how it could solve the problems of transporting cargo into Space easily, cheaply, and frequently. The Space Elevator is a relatively new topic in the area of realistic science concepts and was merely science fiction not too long ago. The Space Elevator (“SE”) concept has only been in the spotlight in the last five years due to the work of Dr. Bradley Edwards of Carbon Designs Inc. Acceptance of the SE will be a difficult task for many reasons. One of these is that most people do not know about the SE concept, and those who do, tend to have trouble believing it is possible to build. In order to determine the best way of integrating the SE concept into society, a survey was conducted at Darien High School. The survey included such topics as the naming of "The Space Elevator," and how best to get the younger generation interested in the idea. The second part of this paper describes how to utilize the survey results to further the SE concept.

The Quest for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

2020 ◽  
pp. 290-299
Author(s):  
Hui Chieh Teoh ◽  
Katrina Pui Yee Shak
Keyword(s):  
Science Fiction ◽  
Outer Space ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Technological Advancement ◽  
Extraterrestrial Life ◽  
Extraterrestrial Intelligence ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Not For Profit ◽  
Human Desire ◽  
Substantial Effort

The constant depictions of contact with extraterrestrial life and their constant basic presence in science fiction shows the deep human desire for connection and transcendence with other life forms. In reality, continuous efforts on the search for aliens are being made by renown not-for-profit research organization such as the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) since 1984. Over the years, plenty of detected signals were dismissed as noise from transmitters on Earth or orbiting satellites but one – the “Wow!” signal. However, artificial signals from extraterrestrial sources could be the key to detecting extraterrestrial intelligence. Apart from passively searching, some are doing active SETI, or known as METI (Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence), where humans create and transmit interstellar messages to aliens instead of waiting for theirs. Substantial effort in many areas – awareness, time, technological advancement, techniques – would be necessary to increase the probability of locating outer space intelligence.

Home and Away

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 158-177
Author(s):  
Micha Rahder
Keyword(s):  
Science Fiction ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Outer Space ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Evolutionary Time ◽  
Feminist Science ◽  
Feminist Science Fiction ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
New Development ◽  
Gaia Theory

This article examines the reinvigoration of outer space imaginaries in the era of global environmental change, and the impacts of these imaginaries on Earth. Privatized space research mobilizes fears of ecological, political, or economic catastrophe to garner support for new utopian futures, or the search for Earth 2.0. These imaginaries reflect dominant global discourses about environmental and social issues, and enable the flow of earthly resources toward an extraterrestrial frontier. In contrast, eco-centric visions emerging from Gaia theory or feminist science fiction project post-earthly life in terms that are ecological, engaged in multispecies relations and ethics, and anticapitalist. In these imaginaries, rather than centering humans as would-be destroyers or saviors of Earth, our species becomes merely instrumental in launching life—a multispecies process—off the planet, a new development in deep evolutionary time. This article traces these two imaginaries and how they are reshaping material and political earthly life.

W cieniu radiacji. Seksualizacje bomby atomowej w kulturze popularnej lat 40. i 50. w Stanach Zjednoczonych

2017 ◽  
pp. 33-41
Author(s):  
Piotr Urbanowicz
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Popular Culture ◽  
Cultural Studies ◽  
Science Fiction ◽  
Atomic Bomb ◽  
Outer Space ◽  
The United States ◽  
Popular Cinema ◽  
Social Concerns ◽  
Science Fiction Films

The aim of the article is to present a phenomenon of the sexualization of an atomic bomb in the popular culture of the 1940s and the 1950s in the United States. On the basis of sociological and cultural studies, the author lists the functions of this phenomenon. Furthermore, he uses the examples of press reports and popular cinema to indicate that the sexualization of the atomic bomb resulted from fear of sterilization and assimilation of soldiers coming back from the front. The analysis concerns the film I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958). The author proves that science fiction films conceptualize social concerns, and accustom the viewers with atomic tension by means of appropriate narratives.

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