The book intends to present a critique of some select, 21st Century, hard science fiction novels in order to explicate the various ways in which the elements of posthumanism, transhumanism, techno-singularity intersect and interact with other such ideas as monstrosity, animality, machinicity, post-anthropocentrism, and Anthropocene. The study divides its analysis into seven different chapters and attempts to present an elaborate study on various aspects of posthumanism, transhumanism, and singularity. The book despite being a collection of miscellaneous essays actually intends to show how a technologically mediated transhuman/posthuman culture will normally be defined by a total dissolution of binaries such as digital and real, animal and human, and machine and man. The book also wants to describe through its analysis of some select hard science fiction novels, that man-machine merger and creation of hyper-immersive virtual reality can function as two of the most effective agents for catalyzing a radically transformative, posthuman, post-scarcity, and techno-utopian culture. The analysis presented in the book is not totally oriented to the discussion of far-future implications of accelerated technological progress which is imperative for arriving at a transhuman or posthuman stage; rather, the book is equally concerned with the implications of rapid technological advancements in our present times, and so the study also posits that before ascending to the heights of posthuman status mankind has to cope with the good and bad aspects of the Anthropocene which is the next stage in our collective evolution and journey towards the trans-/posthuman state. The first chapter of this study attempts to bring to focus the phenomenon of a technologically-mediated dissolution of the binaries between man/animal, human/nonhuman, and subject/object which will be extremely important in the analysis of the emergence of a posthuman culture later in the study. Technological advancements can be seen here as either conducive towards creating a harmonious relationship between man and animal or through systematic denigration of the agency of the animal it can pave the way for the emergence of monstrosity. In Chapter 2 of the book, we shall delve deep into the analysis of horror as illustrated in the novels and video games of the Dead Space series. Here, through a multi-theoretical perspective, we shall find how horrors and monstrosity can manifest themselves in both written as well as digital, virtual media. In Chapter 3, we shall delve into the discussion of the power of simulation in the construction of an immersive and hyperreal post- /transhuman culture where the distinction between real and virtual and material and immaterial vanishes altogether. In Chapter 4 we dedicate the entire chapter to the study of Kim Stanley Robinson’s systems novel The Ministry for the Future (2020) to attempt a critique of the elements of good and bad Anthropocene. Though not directly and intimately related to the study of posthumanism and transhumanism, yet a discussion of the elements of the Anthropocene will be of immense contemporary relevance to us. The next Chapter, i.e., Chapter 5 will attempt to present an explication of the role of machines in the realization of posthuman culture. Chapter 6 is primarily concerned with an analysis of Stephen Baxter’s novels to see how posthuman culture is constructed around the agency of the autopoietic machines. The final chapter attempts to present a brief analysis of three of Iain M Banks’ Culture novels, namely Matter, Surface Detail, and Hydrogen Sonata to elaborate on the employment of posthuman/transhuman tropes in these works.

Focusing on the interdependence between human, animal, and machine, posthumanism redefines the meaning of the human being previously assumed in knowledge production. This movement challenges some of the most foundational concepts in educational theory and has implications within educational research, curriculum design and pedagogical interactions. In this volume, a group of international contributors use posthumanist theory to present new modes of institutional collaboration and pedagogical practice. They position posthumanism as a comprehensive theoretical project with connections to philosophy, animal studies, environmentalism, feminism, biology, queer theory and cognition. Researchers and scholars in curriculum studies and philosophy of education will benefit from the new research agendas presented by posthumanism.

Bringing a unique perspective to the burgeoning ethical and legal issues surrounding the presence of artificial intelligence in our daily lives, the book uses theory and practice on animal rights and the rights of nature to assess the status of robots. Through extensive philosophical and legal analyses, the book explores how rights can be applied to nonhuman entities. This task is completed by developing a framework useful for determining the kinds of personhood for which a nonhuman entity might be eligible, and a critical environmental ethic that extends moral and legal consideration to nonhumans. The framework and ethic are then applied to two hypothetical situations involving real-world technology—animal-like robot companions and humanoid sex robots. Additionally, the book approaches the subject from multiple perspectives, providing a comparative study of legal cases on animal rights and the rights of nature from around the world and insights from structured interviews with leading experts in the field of robotics. Ending with a call to rethink the concept of rights in the Anthropocene, suggestions for further research are made. An essential read for scholars and students interested in robot, animal and environmental law, as well as those interested in technology more generally, the book is a ground-breaking study of an increasingly relevant topic, as robots become ubiquitous in modern society. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/ISBN, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

This is the first comprehensive, multi-disciplinary work on the emergent phenomenon of space tourism. It is written by leading specialists and covers a wide spectrum of topics including space history and technology, the environmental, social, and legal aspects of the development of a future space tourism industry, and space tourism marketing.

Argues that artists should reject the patriarchal system that only causes alienation, and engage in a spiritual quest connected to ritual, myth, and the earth

Ethical Futures and Global Science Fiction explores the ethical concerns and dimensions of representations of the future of global science fiction, focusing on the issues that dominate utopian, dystopian and science fiction literature. The essays examine recent visions of the future in science fiction and re-examine earlier texts through contemporary lenses. Across fourteen chapters, the collection considers authors from Algeria, Australia, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Macedonia, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, the UK and USA. The volume delves into a range of ethical questions of immediate contemporary relevance, including environmental ethics, postcolonial ethics, social justice, animal ethics and the ethics of alterity.

Digital media, networks and archives reimagine and revitalize individual, social and cultural memory but they also ensnare it, bringing it under new forms of control. Understanding these paradoxical conditions of remembering and forgetting through today’s technologies needs bold interdisciplinary interventions. Digital Memory Studies seizes this challenge and pioneers an agenda that interrogates concepts, theories and histories of media and memory studies, to map a holistic vision for the study of the digital remaking of memory. Through the lenses of connectivity, archaeology, economy, and archive, contributors illuminate the uses and abuses of the digital past via an array of media and topics, including television, videogames and social media, and memory institutions, network politics and the digital afterlife.