Abstract
The aim of this paper is to analyze a contemporary sci-fi text, River of Gods by Ian McDonald, in order to ask about the elements of the Western world view, or cultural imaginarium, that surround the contemporary notion of a strong AI. Drawing from phenomenology and combined with cultural analysis, this paper focuses on the way of depicting AIs, and the notions that presuppose this depiction. These notions are, roughly, reducible to independence and unexpectedness, political awkwardness, openness to the alien and the occidental value of authenticity.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Winters, J.: Epistemic polyverses and the subaltern: The postcolonial world-system in Ian McDonald’s Evolution’s Shore and River of Gods. Science Fiction Studies 39(3), 459–477 (2012)
Geertz, C.: Thick Description: Toward an Interpretive Theory of Culture (1973)
Seph: What is cyberpunk? (2009)
Suvin, D.: Science fiction parables of mutation and cloning as/and cognition. In: Pastourmatzi, D. (ed.) Biotechnological and Medical Themes in Science Fiction, pp. 139–151. University Studio Press, Thessaloniki (2002)
Le Guin, U.: The Left Hand of Darkness. ACE (1977)
Kolakowski, L.: Husserl and the Search for Certitude. Yale University Press, New Haven (1975)
Paci, E.: Zwiazki i znaczenia (Diaro fenomenologico). Czytelnik, Warszawa (1980)
Zarowski, R.: Tarcza Arystotelesa (Shield of Aristotle). Wroclaw University Press, Wroclaw (1999)
McDonald, I.: River of Gods. Kindle edn. Gollancz (2009)
Copeland, B.: Artificial Intelligence: A Philosophical Introduction. Wiley-Blackwell (1993)
Gevers, N.: Future remix: An interview with Ian McDonald (October 2001)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Solarewicz, K. (2015). The Stuff That Dreams Are Made of: AI in Contemporary Science Fiction. In: Romportl, J., Zackova, E., Kelemen, J. (eds) Beyond Artificial Intelligence. Topics in Intelligent Engineering and Informatics, vol 9. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09668-1_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09668-1_8
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-09667-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-09668-1
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)