In the context of the event series 'Utopian Pasts - Utopian Futures? 500 Years after Thomas More's Utopia (1516)' organised by the Departments of English, German and Philosophy at the Faculty of Arts, on Wednesday, 1 June at 18:00 at the Faculty of Arts Library, Professor Godfrey Baldacchino (Department of Sociology) will hold a talk entitled
Utopia(s) beyond the Earth: How and why Mars beckons
Abstract
The 21st century has opened with, on one hand, tales of impending eco-catastrophe resulting from anthropogenic climate change; but also, in stark contrast, new bouts of optimistic belief in science and geo-engineering in their ability to offer solutions to humankind's problems. Forefront in this burst of 'solutionism' is the Planet Mars: closest neighbour to Earth, and the planet best placed to host human settlement within our Solar System.
In an illustrated talk entitled Utopia(s) beyond the Earth: How and why Mars beckons, Professor Godfrey Baldacchino will describe the fascination with, and fear of Mars (and Martians) that has gripped many, especially in the last 150 years or so; moving on to critique the shift in our perception of 'The Red Planet' from a site of mystery and suspicion to becoming a potential laboratory for experimentation involving transposing life from Earth . . .