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Introduction: Oracles of Science

Karl Giberson and Mariano Artigas

in Oracles of Science: Celebrity Scientists versus God and Religion

Carl Sagan, Richard Dawkins, Stephen Hawking, Stephen Jay Gould, Steven Weinberg, and Edward. O. Wilson are scientists and science writers with gifts for communication that have allowed them to speak ... More

Carl Sagan, Richard Dawkins, Stephen Hawking, Stephen Jay Gould, Steven Weinberg, and Edward. O. Wilson are scientists and science writers with gifts for communication that have allowed them to speak to millions outside the scientific community. We are a culture that looks to science because that is where we expect to find our answers, but we need specialists or guides — oracles — to show us the way. In their scientific personas, the oracles make many negative comments about religion and belief in God, and deliver a message to the broader culture about humankind’s place in the grand scheme of things.Less

Cultivating Science: French ‘Meteorological’ Georgic

Yasmin Annabel Haskell

in Loyola's Bees: Ideology and Industry in Jesuit Latin Didactic Poetry

In the eighteenth century, the publication of scientific books boomed following the switch to the vernacular. The decline of Latin and Greek, the availability of translations, and the adoption of ... More

In the eighteenth century, the publication of scientific books boomed following the switch to the vernacular. The decline of Latin and Greek, the availability of translations, and the adoption of novel ways of presenting scientific information increased the population of potential audiences during this period. This chapter explores some of the Jesuit Latin poems on scientific subjects before the transition to vernacular. It aims to determine the extent to which the Jesuits anticipated and participated in the vulgarizing mission of textbooks writers later in the century. In general, Jesuits were regarded as scientific educators owing to their contributions to the growing interest in science. During the eighteenth century, the trend was for the production of the facile side of science and illustrated books; however, French Jesuits did not adhere to the growing trend. Although they curbed their poetic powers on playful and topical objects like the secular science writers, their poems and works were devoid of instructive or diverting diagrams and pictures. They also capitalized on poems that were written in Latin at a time when the language rarely attracted noble and bourgeois readers, and in a genre that could be hardly described as novel.Less

Fierce Speculation, 1967–75

Jad Smith

in John Brunner

This chapter focuses on John Brunner's works from 1967 to 1975. These include Quicksand (1967), which garnered testy and argumentative reviews; Zanzibar (1968), which went on to garner Nebula and ... More

This chapter focuses on John Brunner's works from 1967 to 1975. These include Quicksand (1967), which garnered testy and argumentative reviews; Zanzibar (1968), which went on to garner Nebula and Hugo nominations; The Sheep Look Up (1972), his darkest novel set in the United States as it enters its “third century” as a nation; and The Shockwave Rider (1975), which Brunner described as convenient “shorthand” for dealing with the vicissitudes of the human mind. Brunner also contributed five columns on assorted topics to Science Fiction Review between December 1969 and March 1971. By the mid-1970s, Brunner largely dropped out of view and stopped writing science fiction.Less

The PM Years and the Science Writers at War

Jared S. Buss

in Willy Ley: Prophet of the Space Age

Chapter 5 continues the narrative by charting Ley’s role as a weapons expert and journalist during the Second World War. This chapter puts forth a more complex argument surrounding the role of ... More

Chapter 5 continues the narrative by charting Ley’s role as a weapons expert and journalist during the Second World War. This chapter puts forth a more complex argument surrounding the role of science writers and their perception of a totalitarian menace that fostered irrationalism, authoritarian obedience to a state-issued truth, and cultist deference to pseudoscience. The science writers engaged in a public campaign to save hearts and minds by associating scientific thinking with democratic freedom. They waged a war against totalitarianism, as they simultaneously used the history of science to glorify the anti-authoritarian truth-seekers of the past.Less

An American Icon

Jonathan R. Eller

in Bradbury Beyond Apollo

Bradbury’s honors soon included the Mark Twain Literary Award and a screenwriting award founded in his name by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Chapter 31 continues through ... More

Bradbury’s honors soon included the Mark Twain Literary Award and a screenwriting award founded in his name by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Chapter 31 continues through Bradbury’s unsuccessful attempt to interest Ted Turner in a new film adaptation of Fahrenheit 451, and his keynote fundraising address to support the Challenger Center for Science Education. In June 1993, screenings of Bradbury films were featured in the American Film Institute’s 7th annual International Film Festival. The various lectures, engagements, and circulating film projects continued to draw time and creativity away from story writing; chapter 31 concludes with an accounting of his low story production and his lack of success with magazines beyond specialty markets.Less

An Introduction to Lois MCmaster Bujold

Edward James

in Lois McMaster Bujold

This chapter sketches the life and career of Lois McMaster Bujold. Lois McMaster was born in Columbus, Ohio, on November 2, 1949, the third child and only daughter of Robert Charles McMaster and ... More

This chapter sketches the life and career of Lois McMaster Bujold. Lois McMaster was born in Columbus, Ohio, on November 2, 1949, the third child and only daughter of Robert Charles McMaster and Laura Gerould McMaster. She began reading science fiction when she was nine years old. Her favorite writers in the field included Poul Anderson and James H. Schmitz. In 1971, she married John Bujold, whom she had met at a science fiction convention two years earlier. Bujold's first professional sale was a short story, “Barter,” which was published in Twilight Zone Magazine in spring 1985. It was later bought, adapted, and mutilated almost beyond recognition for the TV series Tales from the Darkside. She sold her first three books, Shards of Honor, The Warrior's Apprentice, and Ethan of Athos to Baen Books, which were released in paperback, in 1986, at three-month intervals, in June, August, and December.Less

Revolutions: The Big Science of Visionary Biology

in A Martian Stranded on Earth: Alexander Bogdanov, Blood Transfusions, and Proletarian Science

This chapter discusses the theme of this volume which is about Russian physician and science fiction writer Alexander Bogdanov. This volume shows that the three different vocations of Bogdanov which ... More

This chapter discusses the theme of this volume which is about Russian physician and science fiction writer Alexander Bogdanov. This volume shows that the three different vocations of Bogdanov which include Marxism, science and literature are intertwined and mutually reinforced one another. It also explores his work in blood transfusion and his science fiction novels and highlights the interrelations between the life sciences and Marxism in Soviet Russia during Bogdanov's time.Less

Raising the Noise Level, 1951–66

Jad Smith

in John Brunner

This chapter details the early life of John Brunner. Brunner had first meaningful encounter with science fiction (SF) when grandfather's rare 1898 Heinemann edition of H. G. Wells' The War of the ... More

This chapter details the early life of John Brunner. Brunner had first meaningful encounter with science fiction (SF) when grandfather's rare 1898 Heinemann edition of H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds (1898) ended up misshelved in his playroom. At six and a half years old, Brunner read it, adorned its endpapers with Martian fighting-machines, and that was that. By nine, Brunner was a full-fledged SF addict. During his final term at Cheltenham College in the fall of 1951, Brunner's first printed story appeared alongside fiction by A. Bertram Chandler, Kenneth Bulmer, and Manly Banister in Walt Willis' celebrated fanzine Slant. Though only a page long, “The Watchers” (1951) leaves little doubt that the seventeen-year-old Brunner began his career as a devoted idealist. In April 1966, Brunner became the first recipient of the British Science Fiction Association's Fantasy Award.Less

Writing Radical Hard SF

Karen Burnham

in Greg Egan

This chapter begins with an overview of Greg Egan's fiction. It centers his work in the context of the “radical hard SF” promoted by the magazine Interzone in the mid-to-late 1980s and provides an ... More

This chapter begins with an overview of Greg Egan's fiction. It centers his work in the context of the “radical hard SF” promoted by the magazine Interzone in the mid-to-late 1980s and provides an overview of his work to date, including his rise to prominence (and subsequent diminishment). It traces a loose “future history” that his stories follow, moving from biomedical advances in the near future to digital immortality in the far future. It also gives a summary of some of his reception by critics to date, including the focus on his perceived lack of characterization and the various attacks and defenses that have been mounted over his work. In discussing his approach to character, the chapter also covers the diverse range of characters that he portrays in his fiction.Less

The Science Fiction

Edward James

in Lois McMaster Bujold

This chapter discusses the science fiction of Lois McMaster Bujold. Bujold has written about fourteen science fiction books and a number of short stories: approximately six thousand pages of text. ... More

This chapter discusses the science fiction of Lois McMaster Bujold. Bujold has written about fourteen science fiction books and a number of short stories: approximately six thousand pages of text. Almost all of her science fiction stories have been set in the universe sometimes known by her fans as the Vorkosiverse after its central character, Miles Vorkosigan. Although her writing as a whole has expanded beyond that universe, her science-fictional universe has remained unusually restricted. One explanation for her decision to restrict herself in this way is that Bujold is interested above all in character. While some science fiction writers are interested in developing different “what-if” scenarios and focusing on how that “what-if” changes a society, Bujold has shown herself to be concerned primarily in how her characters and the society they live in develop over time. She has built up a large and devoted fan base not because they want to see her develop numerous new universes and explore all the boundaries of her genre, but because they share the author's own fascination with her characters and want to see how they change and grow.Less

Parallel Worlds

Jad Smith

in John Brunner

This introductory chapter discusses the metaphor of parallel worlds as it relates to the work of John Brunner. Brunner once observed that while we all inhabit the same world, we live in and among ... More

This introductory chapter discusses the metaphor of parallel worlds as it relates to the work of John Brunner. Brunner once observed that while we all inhabit the same world, we live in and among parallel worlds. He believed that a good science-fiction writer should cultivate awareness of parallel forms of experience and open up vistas onto the future that make readers more mindful of them. In keeping with this view, he developed plots with an eye toward the possible interplay of parallel worlds, imagining zones of contact as native to human experience as the tense friendship of the WASP and “Afram” roomies Donald Hogan and Norman House in Stand on Zanzibar (1968), and as foreign to it as the alternate ecology and symbiotic biotechnologies of The Crucible of Time (1983). Throughout his career, he made a practice of conducting idiosyncratic “thought experiments” in his fiction. These ranged from mirroring the moves of a famous 1892 Steinitz-Chigorin chess game in the plot of The Squares of the City (1965) to exploring the ethical quandaries of artificial intelligence through the grafted consciousness of a sentient spaceship in A Maze of Stars (1991). Time and again, Brunner proved himself an idea merchant of the first and best order. His narrative ventures often brought together parallel genres just as dynamically as parallel worlds, and he enjoyed a lasting reputation for handling even conventional storylines and concepts with an alluring difference that made them distinct—and distinctly his.Less

Interview with John Brunner: Conducted by Steven L. Goldstein

Jad Smith

in John Brunner

This chapter presents the transcript of an interview with John Brunner conducted by Steven L. Goldstein. The interview covered topics such as where Brunner gets his ideas; how he goes about putting ... More

This chapter presents the transcript of an interview with John Brunner conducted by Steven L. Goldstein. The interview covered topics such as where Brunner gets his ideas; how he goes about putting his ideas on paper; whether he believes that the future will be as bleak as he made it appear in The Sheep Look Up; whether he follows a set, daily pattern in his work; if he knew that his experimental novels such as Stand on Zanzibar and The Jagged Orbit would turn out the way they did; advice that he can give to aspiring writers; his views on the influence of mainstream writers on science fiction; and how he felt when he won the Hugo Award for Stand on Zanzibar.Less

At the Wrong End of Time, 1976–95

Jad Smith

in John Brunner

This chapter details events in the life of John Brunner from 1976 to 1995. At the height of his career, Brunner retreated from the science fiction (SF) world partly because of his health. Not long ... More

This chapter details events in the life of John Brunner from 1976 to 1995. At the height of his career, Brunner retreated from the science fiction (SF) world partly because of his health. Not long after finishing The Shockwave Rider, he began to have excruciating headaches due to acute hypertension. He started taking a drug known in the UK as Aldomet, from which he suffered serious side effects, including the loss of his creativity. Brunner also experienced a mid-career crisis. On the one hand, he felt ambivalent about the direction of the field, especially as the market swung back toward space opera, and Hollywood followed suit. On the other hand, with many of his original ambitions as a SF author now realized, he felt uncertain about his own goals. It was not until 1981 that Brunner began working on his next major SF project, The Crucible of Time (1983). On August 25, 1995, a month shy of his sixty-first birthday, Brunner died of a massive stroke at the Intersection WorldCon in Glasgow.Less

Science and Society

Karen Burnham

in Greg Egan

The vast majority of Greg Egan's writings concern science and the scientific process. Even when pointing out all the ways things can be unfair or go wrong, his fiction reflects a shining optimism ... More

The vast majority of Greg Egan's writings concern science and the scientific process. Even when pointing out all the ways things can be unfair or go wrong, his fiction reflects a shining optimism that through the advancement of science the human race can achieve wonders. This chapter sets Egan's work in the context of some broader clashes between science and society at large. Several of his stories address the conflict between science and religion, and others look at the conflict between the humanities and scientific fields in academia. The chapter applies some criticisms of pure science to various Egan stories and then ends with a defense of science and science fiction as meaningful elements of human experience.Less

Fantasy Worlds

Edward James

in Lois McMaster Bujold

This chapter focuses on Bujold's fantasy novels. Since the turn of the millennium Bujold has produced seven fantasy novels and just three science fiction novels. Her first fantasy novel was The ... More

This chapter focuses on Bujold's fantasy novels. Since the turn of the millennium Bujold has produced seven fantasy novels and just three science fiction novels. Her first fantasy novel was The Spirit Ring (1992), inspired by Agricola's treatise on metallurgy and the autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini, both written in the mid-sixteenth century. Her next fantasy venture was the Chalion trilogy (2001–2005), modeled on fifteenth-century Europe. Chalion is a disorienting version of Castile, in the generation before a queen of Castille set about the unification of Spain through a marriage alliance. With many fantasy novels, the way the author has developed a unique magical system is often the major point of interest; with Chalion, however, it is Bujold's imaginative theological system that sets it apart from its rivals: Chalion and its neighbors worship five gods who form a family.Less

Was El Niño A Weather Metaphor—A Signal For Global Warming?

Lee Wilkins

in El Niño, 1997-1998: The Climate Event of the Century

This chapter reviews media coverage of El Niño 97-98 and identifies some significant trends within that coverage. The coverage analyzed includes that provided by the major American television ... More

This chapter reviews media coverage of El Niño 97-98 and identifies some significant trends within that coverage. The coverage analyzed includes that provided by the major American television networks, the elite press, and significant regional newspapers. During the early months of the study period, news coverage of El Niño was focused on the science of the prediction and was framed as an issue of risk with appropriate uncertainty. However, as the predictions themselves were borne out in real-world phenomena, coverage of El Niño became event driven, and the phenomenon itself was treated as certainty. The risks of climate change attributed to El Niño outweighed the potential benefits in many media reports. Coverage of El Niño was extensive, particularly on the West Coast of the United States, where many individual weather events were connected with the larger phenomenon. The chapter then explores the possibility that the totality of the media coverage may have two lasting impacts. First, on the basis of existing scholarship on mass communication and risk communication, it is reasonable to suggest that the extensive news coverage of El Niño may have had some influence on public perception of climate change, particularly the salience of climate change in discrete regions of the nation. Second, the chapter suggests that the mediated reality of the 1997-1998 event will serve as a signal event for popular and political understanding of the consequences of global warming. Historically, journalism has been both hampered and helped by its definition of news. Previous studies of media coverage of a variety of “risky” events have noted that news accounts tend to be event focused, lack context, and treat science as a matter of dueling opinions, rather than a process of knowledge acquisition. These scholarly findings, which are long-standing, have had some impact on the professional community, particularly among science writers, who over the past two decades have become both better trained in science and more aware of the limitations of the concept of “news”—at least when it comes to reporting certain sorts of events. Media coverage of El Niño , in general, reflected these previously documented trends. Less