Transhumanizm według Scotta Westerfelda: „brzydki” czy „śliczny”?

• Authors: Bugajska Anna

Title variants

EN

Trahshumanism in Westerfeld’s Uglies series. "Ugly" or "Pretty"?

• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

Transhumanism, seeking the enhancement of human features beyond the limitations of biology, has claimed a considerable space in contemporary culture. Thence extensive research aimed at the elimination of debilitating diseases, combatting the ageing processes and the attempts at augmenting human skills and reflexes through the use of genetic engineering and modern technologies. As such, transhumanism appears as an offshoot of post­humanism, coupled with a firm belief in the rightness of the creation of the perfect world, with no weakness, ugliness, vice or death. The paper “Ugly” or “Pretty”? Trahshumanism in Westerfeld’s Uglies series investigates the elements of transhumanist thought present in The Uglies cycle (2005-2007) by Scott Westerfeld. Although primarily critical of human enhancement, the author leaves space for doubt: the main heroine, Tally Youngblood, having become Special, with a modified body and a modified brain, never takes the cure for becoming “normal” again, although it backlashes on her ability to relate to others and to control her own behaviour. This example, and many others from the cycle, create an ambiguous picture of the place of “transhumans” in the society, provoking deep bioethical reflection on the things to come.

Keywords

EN

transhumanism; Scott Westerfield; utopia; dystopia; young adult dystopia

• Publisher: Ośrodek Badawczy Facta Ficta
• Journal: Creatio Fantastica
• Year: 2017
• Issue: 1(56)
• Pages: 45-55

Contributors

author

Bugajska Anna

• Wyższa Szkoła Europejska im. ks. Józefa Tischnera

References

• A Companion to Bioethics. Blackwell Companions to Philosophy, red. Helga Kuhse, Peter Singer, Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell 2009.
• Boström, Nick, A History of Transhumanist Thought, „Journal of Evolution and Technology” 2005, t. 14, nr 1, ss. 1-30.
• Buchanan, Allen, Better Than Human: the Promise and Perils of Enhancing Ourselves, Oxford: Oxford University Press 2011.
• Chadwick, Ruth, Gene Theraphy, w: A Companion to Bioethics. Blackwell Companions to Philosophy, red. Helga Kuhse, Peter Singer, Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell 2009, ss. 207-215.
• Clement-Moore, Rosemary, Challenging the Gods, w: Mind Rain: Your Favorite Authors on Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies Series, red. Scott Westerfeld, Dallas: Ben Bella Books, Inc. 2013.
• Fukuyama, Francis, Our Posthuman Future, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux 2002.
• Hauskeller, Michael, Prometheus Unbound: Transhumanist arguments (from) human nature, “EthicalPerspectives” 2009, t. 16, nr. 1, ss. 3-20.
• Lilley, Stephen, Transhumanism and Society. The Social Debate over Human Enhancement, Dordrecht: Springer Science & Business Media 2013.
• Mind Rain: Your Favorite Authors on Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies Series, red. Scott Westerfeld, Dallas: BenBellaBooks, Inc. 2013.
• More, Max, Natasha Vita-More, The Transhumanist Reader. Classical and ContemporaryEssays on the Science, Technology, and Philosophy of the Human Future, Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell 2013.
• Pence, Gregory E., How to Build a Better Human: An Ethical Blueprint, Lanham: Rowman&Littlefield Publishers 2012.
• Savulescu, Julian, Genetic Enhancement, w: A Companion to Bioethics. Blackwell Companions to Philosophy, red. Helga Kuhse, Peter Singer, Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell 2009, ss. 216-234.
• Scott Westerfeld, online: http://scottwesterfeld.com/ [dostęp: 12.03.2017].
• Westerfeld, Scott, Bogus to Bubbly: An Insider’s Guide to the World of Uglies, New York: Simon and Schuster 2009.
• Westerfeld, Scott, Uglies, New York: Simon Pulse 2011 (Brzydcy, przekł. Paulina Braiter, Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Egmont 2007).
• Westerfeld, Scott, Extras, New York: Simon Pulse 2011 (Nieważcy 1., 2., przekł. Paulina Braiter, Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Egmont 2009).
• Westerfeld, Scott, Pretties, New York: Simon Pulse 2011 (Śliczni, przekł. Paulina Braiter, Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Egmont 2007).
• Westerfeld, Scott, Specials, New York: Simon Pulse 2011 (Wyjątkowi, przekł. Paulina Braiter, Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Egmont 2008).