Sojourners magazine has two pieces highlighting works of science fiction that explore religious themes: "This World and the Next" and "Spiritually-Inflected Science Fiction". In addition, Paul Levinson has his latest post up about Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. I love the way the show is exploring the parallels between programming an artificial intelligence and raising a child. A terminator from the future seems to be trying to develop its own Skynet, presumably before the original one can be developed. I think what is going on is that there are AIs in the future that want peace with humans, and they want to alter the past (our present) in order to give the first genuine artificial intelligence a better upbringing, so that it won't decide to destroy humanity. And so they've enlisted the help of a child psychologist! What a great show!
Friday, October 24, 2008
Religiously-Inflected Science Fiction
Sojourners magazine has two pieces highlighting works of science fiction that explore religious themes: "This World and the Next" and "Spiritually-Inflected Science Fiction". In addition, Paul Levinson has his latest post up about Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. I love the way the show is exploring the parallels between programming an artificial intelligence and raising a child. A terminator from the future seems to be trying to develop its own Skynet, presumably before the original one can be developed. I think what is going on is that there are AIs in the future that want peace with humans, and they want to alter the past (our present) in order to give the first genuine artificial intelligence a better upbringing, so that it won't decide to destroy humanity. And so they've enlisted the help of a child psychologist! What a great show!
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I have always believed that SF is the perfect medium for parables. And ST:TOS is rife with morality plays.
Of course, the top of my personal list is ST:TNG's "Darmok."
Hey, I hadn't thought of that. I sort of assumed the liquid metal chick was evil. She hasn't exactly shown any scruples about killing people. But she does seem to be developing some fondness for her "daughter". I think you may be right!
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