The future has already passed

Title: The future has already passed
Variant title:
  • Budoucnost už byla
Source document: Bohemica litteraria. 2015, vol. 18, iss. 2, pp. 11-28
Extent
11-28
  • ISSN
    1213-2144 (print)
    2336-4394 (online)
Type: Article
Language
License: Not specified license
Rights access
embargoed access
 

Notice: These citations are automatically created and might not follow citation rules properly.

Abstract(s)
The article describes the unique position science fiction has acquired in relationship with temporality, especially futurity. It is suggested that this position stems partly from a strategic position "popular literature" in general occupies in western culture. Niklas Luhmann and his theory of autopoietic social systems serve as a starting point that allows the author to view temporality as a human construct. This is further demonstrated by describing the impact the formulation of second thermodynamic law had on popular imagination of the 19th century and how it led to the formulation of the basis of theory of information in the first half of the 20th century. In order to illustrate the capacity of science fiction vocabulary to deal with the present, seemingly a-historic situation of the world, the "technological fate of humanity", and "information society", DeLillo's non-fiction article "In the Ruins of the Future", devoted to the events of 9/11, has been chosen.
Studie se pokouší popsat jedinečnost přístupu, již science fiction v západním kulturním prostoru nabízí ve vztahu k temporalitě, především pak k budoucnosti. Jedinečnost této pozice vychází částečně z funkce, kterou "populární kultura" obecně v euroamerickém kulturním prostoru hraje. Jisté východisko úvah o vztahu science fiction a času představuje Luhmannova teorie autopoietických sociálních systémů; dále je popsán dopad druhého termodynamického zákona na běžné představy o čase v devatenáctém století a jeho vliv na formulování teorie informace v první polovině století dvacátého. Za účelem demonstrovat schopnost jazyka science fiction vypořádat se se zdánlivě ahistorickou situací, "technologickým údělem lidstva" a některými důsledky "informační společnosti" byl vybrán článek Dona DeLilla "In the Ruins of the Future", reagující specifickým způsobem na události 11. září.
References
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