scholarly journals “From a certain angle”: Ecothriller Reading and Science Fiction Reading The Swarm and The Rapture

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 106-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric C. Otto
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Science Fiction ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Methane Hydrate ◽  
Critical Reflection ◽  
Mining Science ◽  
Human Practices ◽  
The Way

     Read as apocalyptic ecothrillers, Frank Schätzing’s The Swarm and Liz Jensen’s The Rapture do not offer much in the way of critical reflection on the ecocatastrophes they stage. The Swarm’s focus on the feat of confronting the violent efforts of a superintelligent, deep-sea species to protect its ocean habitat against continued human exploitation and The Rapture’s focus on the feat of locating on time the psychically-predicted disaster zone of an impending undersea calamity overshadow their more than occasional spotlighting of, for example, the dangers of methane hydrate mining. Science fiction, however, requires readers to be attentive to those narrative moments when incongruities between the known world and the extrapolated world of the text emerge with critical, not just plot-supporting, purpose. Fundamental to the reading and interpretation of science fiction is the reader’s awareness of the genre’s extrapolative practice, which connects the now with the imagined then and therefore instigates critical thinking about present human practices. Read as extrapolative science fiction, The Swarm and The Rapture gain merit as ecopolitical works, for “science fiction reading” mobilizes the latent ecopolitics of ecothrillers, ecopolitics that “ecothriller reading” would otherwise diminish or fail to notice.   Resumen               Considerados ecothrillers apocalípticos, The Swarm de Frank Schätzing y The Rapture de Liz Jensen no ofrecen mucha reflexión crítica sobre las eco-catástrofes que presentan. The Swarm se centra en los violentos esfuerzos de una especie superinteligente que habita las profundidades para proteger su hábitat marino frente a la continua explotación humana. Por su parte,  al centrarse The Rapture en la hazaña de ubicar en el tiempo la zona catastrófica de un desastre submarino inminente que ha sido predicho psicológicamente, se eclipsan las más que ocasionales referencias a, por ejemplo, los peligros de la minería de hidrato de metano. La ciencia ficción, sin embargo, requiere que los lectores estén atentos a esos momentos narrativos en los que las incongruencias entre el mundo conocido y el mundo extrapolado del texto surjan con objetivo crítico, y no sólo para respaldar el argumento. Es fundamental para la lectura y la interpretación de la ciencia ficción la conciencia por parte del lector de la práctica extrapolativa del género, que conecta el ahora con el entonces imaginado, incitando así a reflexionar críticamente sobre el comportamiento humano en la actualidad. Considerados ciencia ficción extrapolativa, The Swarm y The Rapture ganan mérito como obras eco-políticas, porque "la lectura de ciencia ficción" moviliza la eco-política latente de  los eco-thrillers – eco-política que en "la lectura de eco-thrillers" de otra forma pasaría desapercibida.

The Novel Theology of H. G. Wells

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-123
Author(s):  
Stuart Bell
Keyword(s):  
Science Fiction ◽  
Jesus Christ ◽  
The Novel ◽  
British Army ◽  
Rebecca West ◽  
The Way

Abstract “Lambeth Palace is my Washpot. Over Fulham have I cast my breeches.” So declared the novelist and secularist H. G. Wells in a letter to his mistress, Rebecca West, in May 1917. His claim was that, because of him, Britain was “full of theological discussion” and theological books were “selling like hot cakes”. He was lunching with liberal churchmen and dining with bishops. Certainly, the first of the books published during Wells’s short “religious period”, the novel Mr. Britling Sees It Through, had sold very well on both sides of the Atlantic and made Wells financially secure. Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy (“Woodbine Willie”) wrote that, “Everyone ought to read Mr. H. G. Wells’s great novel, Mr. Britling Sees It Through. It is a gallant and illuminating attempt to state the question, and to answer it. His thought has brought him to a very real and living faith in God revealed in Jesus Christ, and has also brought relief to many troubled minds among the officers of the British Army.” Yet, Wells’s God was explicitly a finite God, and his theology was far from orthodox. How can we account for his boast and for the clerical affirmation which he certainly did receive? This article examines and re-evaluates previous accounts of the responses of clergy to Wells’s writing, correcting some narratives. It discusses the way in which many clergy used Mr. Britling as a means by which to engage in a populist way with the question of theodicy, and examines the letters which Wells received from several prominent clerics, locating their responses in the context of their own theological writings. This is shown to be key to understanding the reaction of writers such as Studdert Kennedy to Mr. Britling Sees It Through. Finally, an assessment is made of the veracity of Wells’s boasting to his mistress, concluding that his claims were somewhat exaggerated. “Lambeth Palace is my Washpot, Over Fulham have I cast my breeches.” Mit diesen Worten erklärte der literarisch außergewöhnlich erfolgreiche und entschieden säkular denkende, kirchenkritische Schriftsteller und Science-Fiction-Pionier Herbert George Wells seiner Geliebten, dass seinetwegen Großbritannien “full of theological discussion” sei. Nicht ohne Eitelkeit schrieb er es seinem im September 1916 mit Blick auf den Krieg geschriebenen und stark autobiographisch gefärbten Roman Mr. Britling Sees it Through von knapp 450 Seiten zu, dass theologische Bücher reißenden Absatz fänden. Auch war er stolz darauf, liberale Kleriker zum Lunch zu treffen und von Bischöfen zum abendlichen Dinner eingeladen zu werden. In einer kurzen Phase seines Lebens war – oder inszenierte sich – Wells als ein frommer, gläubiger Mensch. Sein damals veröffentlichter Roman Mr. Britling Sees It Through verkaufte sich sowohl in Nordamerika als auch im Heimatland so gut, dass der Autor nun definitiv finanziell gesichert war. Der anglikanische Priester und Dichter Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy, der im Ersten Weltkrieg Woodbine Willie genannt wurde, weil er verletzten und sterbenden Soldaten in den Phasen der Vorbereitung auf den Tod Woodbine-Zigaretten anbot, empfahl die Lektüre von Wells’ “great novel” Mr. Britling mit den Worten: “It is a gallant and illuminating attempt to state the question, and to answer it. His thought has brought him to a very real and living faith in God revealed in Jesus Christ, and has also brought relief to many troubled minds among the officers of the British Army.” Allerdings war H. G. Wells’ Gott ein durchaus endlicher Gott, und seine Theologie war alles andere als orthodox. Wie lassen sich dennoch seine evidente Prahlerei und die emphatische Zustimmung zu seinem Roman in den britischen Klerikereliten erklären? Im Aufsatz werden zunächst einige ältere Deutungen der Zustimmung führender Kleriker zu Wells’ Roman untersucht und einige der dabei leitenden Deutungsmuster kritisch infrage gestellt. Deutlich wird, dass nicht wenige anglikanische Geistliche Mr. Britling dazu nutzten, um höchst populistisch das umstrittene Theodizeeproblem anzusprechen. Auch werden die Briefe prominenter Geistlicher an Wells analysiert, mit Blick auf ihre eigenen Publikationen. Diese Reaktionen haben stark Studdert Kennedys Haltung zu Mr. Britling Sees It Through beeinflusst. Besonders aufrichtig war Wells mit Blick auf sich selbst allerdings nicht. Die Selbstinszenierung gegenüber seiner Geliebten war einfach nur peinliche Übertreibung.

scholarly journals Development of an Easy-to-Operate Underwater Raman System for Deep-Sea Cold Seep and Hydrothermal Vent In Situ Detection

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (15) ◽  
pp. 5090
Author(s):  
Qingsheng Liu ◽  
Jinjia Guo ◽  
Wangquan Ye ◽  
Kai Cheng ◽  
Fujun Qi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Hydrothermal Vent ◽  
Methane Hydrate ◽  
Sulfur Cycle ◽  
Cold Seep ◽  
Remotely Operated Vehicle ◽  
Bacterial Mats ◽  
Optical Module ◽  
In Situ Detection

As a powerful in situ detection technique, Raman spectroscopy is becoming a popular underwater investigation method, especially in deep-sea research. In this paper, an easy-to-operate underwater Raman system with a compact design and competitive sensitivity is introduced. All the components, including the optical module and the electronic module, were packaged in an L362 × Φ172 mm titanium capsule with a weight of 20 kg in the air (about 12 kg in water). By optimising the laser coupling mode and focusing lens parameters, a competitive sensitivity was achieved with the detection limit of SO42− being 0.7 mmol/L. The first sea trial was carried out with the aid of a 3000 m grade remotely operated vehicle (ROV) “FCV3000” in October 2018. Over 20,000 spectra were captured from the targets interested, including methane hydrate, clamshell in the area of cold seep, and bacterial mats around a hydrothermal vent, with a maximum depth of 1038 m. A Raman peak at 2592 cm−1 was found in the methane hydrate spectra, which revealed the presence of hydrogen sulfide in the seeping gas. In addition, we also found sulfur in the bacterial mats, confirming the involvement of micro-organisms in the sulfur cycle in the hydrothermal field. It is expected that the system can be developed as a universal deep-sea survey and detection equipment in the near future.

scholarly journals Amusing Ourselves until (Dis)appearing in La invención de Morel by Adolfo Bioy Casares

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 72-78
Author(s):  
Santiago Sevilla-Vallejo
Keyword(s):  
Science Fiction ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Human Preference ◽  
Adolfo Bioy Casares ◽  
The Way

La invención de Morel  reflect on how the use of technologies could be fascinating and dangerous at the same time; and the way the island seems to be a space of freedom while it is actually a place of prison and death. La invención de Morel presents a utopian situation that transforms into a dystopia. Characters, especially the narrator, project their desires along with the holograms, but they are deceived without realizing about their loss of reality. The novel uses phantasy and science fiction resources to reflect about the way humans self-imprison. This is studied by analogy to the effects of technologies in today's society. In this sense, the novel by Adolfo Bioy Casares is about a menace due to the human preference of imaginary life over real one. 

scholarly journals MITOLOGÍA Y CIENCIA FICCIÓN: EL CASO DE MYTHS OF THE NEAR FUTURE DE JAMES G. BALLARD

2022 ◽  
pp. 793-815
Author(s):  
Juan VARO ZAFRA
Keyword(s):  
Science Fiction ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Literature And Science ◽  
Fantasy Fiction ◽  
Theoretical Assumptions ◽  
Narrative Production ◽  
Near Future ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Short Narrative ◽  
The Way

La relación entre mitología y ciencia ficción es paradójica: si, teóricamente, la ciencia ficción se presenta como opuesta del mito; en su producción narrativa recurre frecuentemente a personajes y esquemas míticos, materializando su dimensión prospectiva a través de la actualización evemerista o alegórica de mitos. Este trabajo revisa críticamente los presupuestos teóricos que escinden la literatura de ciencia ficción de los relatos míticos y la literatura fantástica. A continuación, analizaremos el modo en que James G. Ballard afronta esta cuestión en su narrativa breve, particularmente en Myths of the Near Future, que sobrepasa estas diferencias y plantea un nuevo marco teórico común entre literatura fantástica y mítica y la ciencia ficción. Abstract: The relationship between mythology and science fiction is paradoxical: if, theoretically, science fiction is presented as the opposite of myth; in its narrative production, science fiction frequently resorts to mythical characters and schemes, materializing their prospective dimension through the evemerist or allegorical updating of myths. This work critically reviews the theoretical assumptions that divide science fiction literature from mythical stories and fantasy fiction. Next, it analyzes the way in which James G. Ballard addresses this question in his short narrative, particularly in Myths of the Near Future, which goes beyond these differences and raises a new common theoretical framework between fantasy and mythical literature and science fiction.

“How Nice That I Could Love Someone”: Science Fiction Film as a Virtual Laboratory

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederieke Y. Jansen
Keyword(s):  
Science Fiction ◽  
Narrative Structure ◽  
Virtual Laboratory ◽  
Virtual Laboratories ◽  
Meaningful Relationship ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
The Way

While we already know that clearly utopian or dystopian depictions of human-machine relationships in science fiction film can be effective rhetorical models that shape our ideas of HRI, this paper argues that sci-fi films, like Marjorie Prime (2017) and Be Right Back (2013), can also function as more neutral virtual laboratories that allow viewers to actively explore the pros and cons of those relationships in more detail. This paper specifically explores both Marjorie Prime and Be Right Back for the way they evoke questions or ideas about what it means to be human, what it means to interact with AI, and what a meaningful relationship between these two can bring. By following a neoformalist analysis, I will show how these cases continuously present us with devices that force us to reassess the role of robots in our lives. They do this by using deceptive, reflective, and confrontational strategies within characters, cinematography, narrative structure and setting.

Afterword

2019 ◽  
pp. 186-192
Author(s):  
C. Palmer-Patel ◽  
Glyn Morgan
Keyword(s):  
Science Fiction ◽  
Narrative Structure ◽  
Cultural Critique ◽  
Common Theme ◽  
Historical Events ◽  
Alternate History ◽  
History Narratives ◽  
Current Reality ◽  
The Way

The afterword sums up the conclusions made by the chapters in the collection. All the chapters demonstrate that – although there is a wide variety of alternate history narratives produced – these texts all reflect on and reveal the nature of our current reality. A common theme throughout the collection is ‘Great Man’ model, where a sole figure is held responsible for big historical events. Another thread for discussion is the structure of form of alternate history, as the book explored science fiction and epic narratives alongside the development of alternate history. Issues of time within the structure of narrative were explored, as the collection considered breaks and continuities within alternate history. Many of these discussions emphasized the way that the cultural critique of minority voices are embedded in the narrative structure itself. Issues of power and dogma are often integral to these evaluations. Ultimately the collection concludes that there are a lot of questions that alternate history provokes, and while this collection cannot perhaps provide definite answers, it presents new ways to think about the genre in the hopes of stimulating further conversations.

Fundamentals of Learning Theories

2011 ◽  
pp. 347-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor X. Wang
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Learning Theory ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Learning Theories ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Effective Learning ◽  
Self Actualization ◽  
How People Learn ◽  
The Way

Humans have different interpretations of learning theories and different beliefs about how people learn. All these beliefs may come from personal experience, self-reflection, observation of others, and through the experience of trying to teach or persuade someone else to your way of thinking. In a nutshell, everyone keeps learning every waking minute, using different learning theories. In democratic cultures, people may prefer critical thinking as an effective learning theory whereas in authoritarian cultures, people may like rote learning or memorization as an effective learning theory. It is extremely difficult to determine which learning theories are better than others because people are engaged in informal or formal learning to change the way they see themselves, change the way they see other people, and change the way they see situations (Cramer & Wasiak, 2006). All these learning theories are valuable in guiding one’s action in a particular culture, subculture, or even a particular setting. Although scholars have different interpretations of learning theories, the goal of any learning theory is the same. For example, Merriam (2004) explains a learning theory as leading to learners’ growth and development. Mezirow explains the theory of transformative learning as helping learners achieve perspective transformation. Maslow considers the goal of learning to be self-actualization: “the full use of talents, capacities, potentialities, etc.” (p. 150). Some learning theories such as the theory of andragogy encourage learners to be self-directed in learning whereas other theories emphasize the roles of teachers as information transmitters instead of learning facilitators, thus placing learners at the feet of master professors.

ANALISIS TERHADAP SOAL PENILAIAN AKHIR SEMESTER TINGKAT SD/MI DALAM PERSPEKTIF HIGH ORDER THINK SKILLS

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (33) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yudha Andana Prawira ◽  
Titim Kurnia
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Critical Reflection ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
High Order ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Other ◽  
National Education ◽  
The One ◽  
High Level ◽  
High Level Thinking

The National Education World is currently trying to improve the ability of its students to think critically and creatively. One of these efforts has been pursued through evaluations that also lead to critical reflection. This research is a descriptive analysis of the final semester evaluation questions that are examined from the point of view of high-level thinking [HOTS]. The reference to the HOTS criteria is that the researcher refers to the opinions of King and his friends. From the manuscript data, the issues examined are samples from the Bandung area. The results of the analysis show that 10 out of 15 HOTS ranges proposed by King are already included in the scripts made by the teachers. On the one hand, it shows the teacher's creativity in compiling questions. On the other hand, all these questions do not refer to the HOTS criteria as planned. Therefore, there is a need to increase teachers' skills in compiling scripts as HOTS. This increase can be done through teacher training.Keywords: Evaluation, HOTS, critical thinking and creativity thingking

scholarly journals Examining Professionals’ Critical Thinking about Children Who Pose a Serious Threat to Others

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 598-615
Author(s):  
Gavin Heron ◽  
Claire Lightowler
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Professional Group ◽  
Vulnerable Children ◽  
Potential Harm ◽  
Analytical Skills ◽  
Actual Harm ◽  
Harm To Others ◽  
Child Care Professionals ◽  
The Way

Abstract Concerns have been raised about the quality of child-care professionals’ critical thinking and analytical skills. This study examines the critical thinking demonstrated by professionals when discussing risk in relation to vulnerable children. Data were collected from thirty consultation meetings, each of which focused on assessing the risks of a child who presented a serious threat of harm to others. Discourse analysis is used to examine the way in which critical thinking about risk is discussed at the consultation meetings. The findings suggest that critical thinking is demonstrated by professionals in ways that differentiate between potential harm and actual harm, and in relation to harm children pose to themselves and to other people. Also, the willingness of professionals to ask relevant questions and challenge each other is an important way of prompting individuals to demonstrate critical thinking. However, professionals tend to demonstrate a relatively narrow conceptualisation of critical thinking. This narrow conceptualisation cannot be reduced solely to the abilities or traits of an individual or professional group and it is argued that the bureaucratic and procedural demands of organisations in relation to vulnerable children may be an important factor in limiting the way professionals demonstrate critical thinking.

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