Subject: (urth) Theological Science Fiction (Was: Silk for calde blog: Wolfe thesis)

From: Kieran Mullen <kieran at nhn.ou.edu>
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:34:48 +0000

As a Catholic research physicist, theological science fiction has  
long been an interest of mine.   I have toyed with teaching a course  
on the topic but am not sure if I am competent to do so (I have only  
an undergraduate major in theology and no graduate training in  
literature or theology).

      I wouldn't quite go with the two choices you select for priests  
in SF (affirmation/debunking).    When I think about it ,  I first  
think about the "author's cosmology"  first -

	(1)   There is a transcendent being/reality.
		(a)  It agrees to some degree with the character's religious views.
		(b)  It contradicts the character's religious views.
	(2)  There is no transcendent being.
		(a)  The protagonist goes through some sort of spiritual crisis.
		(b)  The protagonist struggles against those who mistakenly think  
there is.
	(3)  The author leaves it ambiguous.

Stories of the 1a variety are not always happy - James Blish's "Black  
Easter,"  for example.   One of my favorite type (3)'s is Blish's "A  
Case of Conscience."    An example of 1b is Phillip Farmer's "Mask of  
Chaos,"  in which the characters vie for influence on a sort of  
universe-consciousness that is only starting to come to sentience.

Anyway, I have a lot of collections/novels in this vein.   Has anyone  
organized a course around such ideas?

Kieran Mullen

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From: Adam Thornton <adam at io.com>
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:07:16 +0000

On Sep 22, 2009, at 3:34 PM, Kieran Mullen wrote:
> Stories of the 1a variety are not always happy - James Blish's  
> "Black Easter,"  for example.   One of my favorite type (3)'s is  
> Blish's "A Case of Conscience."    An example of 1b is Phillip  
> Farmer's "Mask of Chaos,"  in which the characters vie for influence  
> on a sort of universe-consciousness that is only starting to come to  
> sentience.

I don't think _A Case of Conscience_ is at ALL ambiguous.

I also think it started out promising and then went in precisely the  
least interesting direction it could have gone.  Not a fan.  Russ  
Allbery has put it well here: http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/reviews/books/0-345-24480-X.html

Adam

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From: David Duffy <david.duffy at qimr.edu.au>
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:41:02 +0000

On Tue, 22 Sep 2009, Kieran Mullen wrote:

> Conscience."    An example of 1b is Phillip Farmer's "Mask of Chaos,"

A nice nosology.  Except PJF's _Night of Light_ is 1a and 1b, isn't it?

There *is* one stereotypic story, of course: aliens martyr missionary 
because they think this is the kindest thing to do.  I was recently 
reading Lem's version of this in _The Star Diaries_.

Cheers, David Duffy.

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From: Russ Allbery <rra at stanford.edu>
Date: Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:04:21 +0000

> Allbery has put it well here:
> http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/reviews/books/0-345-24480-X.html

To be fair, I should note that I read that book in complete isolation of
the surrounding context, and a recent NYRSF contains a cogent argument
that I should have read it in context with Dr. Mirablis, Black Easter, and
The Day After Judgement.  Based on that essay (the author of which I don't
recall and don't have with me, alas), I'm at least open to the possibility
I could have seen a lot more in it.

It remains the case, however, that I thought (and think) the writing is
mechanically poor, which is a big impediment to enjoying it.

I'll second the recommendation for Mary Doria Russell's _The Sparrow_,
which I thought was an excellent treatment of the interaction between
religious faith and first contact with respectful treatment of the
capabilities of religion, although that one is definitely in the crisis of
faith category.  (There's a sequel, _Children of God_, which I have not
yet read.)

-- 
Russ Allbery (rra at stanford.edu)             <http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/>

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From: James Crossley <ishmael at drizzle.com>
Date: Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:43:10 +0000

> faith category.  (There's a sequel, _Children of God_, which I have not

Just wanted to throw out a mention of an anthology many of you might already
know, _A Cross of Centuries: Twenty-five Imaginative Tales about the
Christ_, edited by Michael Bishop.  Seemed relevant.

James