Narrating The Fourth Industrial Revolution: Transhumanism and Critical Posthumanismin Catherine Lacey’s The Answers
Recent scientific break throughs under the wing of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, particularly in the realm of biotechnology, have prompted an integral redefinition of the human, looking tow ardthe posthuman state. Stances on this question range from the trans humanists’ advocacy of over coming b...
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2022 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universidad de Sevilla (US) |
| Repositorio: | idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:idus.us.es:11441/151436 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/11441/151436 https://doi.org/10.12795/REN.2022.i26.10 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Fourth Industrial Revolution Transhumanism Critical posthumanism Embodiment Speculative fiction Feminism Cuarta Revolución Industrial Transhumanismo Posthumanismo crítico Corporeidad Ficción especulativa Feminismo |
| Sumario: | Recent scientific break throughs under the wing of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, particularly in the realm of biotechnology, have prompted an integral redefinition of the human, looking tow ardthe posthuman state. Stances on this question range from the trans humanists’ advocacy of over coming biologic al limits, to the inde xing of technoscientific advancementto an antihumanist and postanthropocentric project championed by critical posthumanism.These debates have been translated into speculative fiction works such asCatherine Lacey’ The Answers (2017). This novelrevolves around the Girlfriend Exper iment, a state-of-the-art research project aimed at tak ing the next step inouremotional evolution by eliminating the need for romantic relationships, bankrolled by a film industrymogul. This paper analyses the representation of human enhancement in the novel, arguing that the depiction of the material consequences of the experimentupon its research subjects amounts to a rejectionof the unrestricteddevelopment of technology along trans humanist and neoliber al tenets. In this, The Answers offersa critical take on the Fourth Industrial Revolution aligned with the principles of critical posthumanism. |
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