God - Human - Machine : science fiction’s use of spirituality in its portrayal of the posthuman other

Abstract

This dissertation examines the theological undercurrents present in science fiction of the mid-twentieth century through an analysis of Isaac Asimov’s ‘Reason’, Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and Harlan Ellison’s ‘I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream’. The analysis contends that these texts destabilise prevalent anthropocentric ideologies of control and mastery through their portrayal of the technological posthuman Other and the texts’ portrayal of this Other’s capacity to engage with concepts traditionally linked to Christian doctrine, including belief, imago Dei and godhood. Drawing on posthumanist theory, each chapter revolves around a deconstruction of the perceived exclusivity of the spiritual and rational faculties of the human. Therefore, the analysis shows how through a juxtaposition of the sacred and the secular in these texts demonstrates how science fiction can function as a critical space for interrogating fundamental theological and cultural frameworks that underlie our understanding of humanity is built upon. This study thus contributes to broader discussions in literary criticism and posthumanist thought through its re-evaluation of the limits of the human in relation to increasingly autonomous forms of technology.