Entropy’s Enemies: Postmodern Fission and Transhuman Fusion in the Post-War Era
In the early to mid-twentieth century, thermodynamic entropy—the inevitable diffusion of usable energy in the Universe—became a ubiquitous metaphor for the dissolution of Western values and cultural energy. Many Golden Age science fiction writers portrayed twentieth century techn...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-03-01
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| Series: | Humanities |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/9/1/23 |
| _version_ | 1811341395317751808 |
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| author | Jordan Burr |
| author_facet | Jordan Burr |
| author_sort | Jordan Burr |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the early to mid-twentieth century, thermodynamic entropy—the inevitable diffusion of usable energy in the Universe—became a ubiquitous metaphor for the dissolution of Western values and cultural energy. Many Golden Age science fiction writers portrayed twentieth century technological progress as anti-entropic, a sign of Universal progress and unity which might postpone or negate both cultural and thermodynamic forms of entropy. Following the evolutionary metaphysics of Georg Hegel and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Golden Age science fiction writers like Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov imagined the creation of powerful collective beings whose unitary existence signified the defeat of entropy. In contrast, later literary postmodernists like Thomas Pynchon and Pamela Zoline often accepted and even exalted in the chaotic, liberating potential of entropy. In postmodern fiction, the disorder of entropy was often compared favorably to the stifling hegemony of cultural universalism. More broadly, these two responses might be understood to represent two societal stages of grief-- denial and acceptance—to the new trauma introduced to the world by the parallel concepts of cultural entropy and a Universal “heat death.” |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T18:54:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b3b5791b32024b2ab28176891201b0b2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0787 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T18:54:48Z |
| publishDate | 2020-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Humanities |
| spelling | doaj.art-b3b5791b32024b2ab28176891201b0b22022-12-22T02:34:18ZengMDPI AGHumanities2076-07872020-03-01912310.3390/h9010023h9010023Entropy’s Enemies: Postmodern Fission and Transhuman Fusion in the Post-War EraJordan Burr0Department of English, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USAIn the early to mid-twentieth century, thermodynamic entropy—the inevitable diffusion of usable energy in the Universe—became a ubiquitous metaphor for the dissolution of Western values and cultural energy. Many Golden Age science fiction writers portrayed twentieth century technological progress as anti-entropic, a sign of Universal progress and unity which might postpone or negate both cultural and thermodynamic forms of entropy. Following the evolutionary metaphysics of Georg Hegel and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Golden Age science fiction writers like Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov imagined the creation of powerful collective beings whose unitary existence signified the defeat of entropy. In contrast, later literary postmodernists like Thomas Pynchon and Pamela Zoline often accepted and even exalted in the chaotic, liberating potential of entropy. In postmodern fiction, the disorder of entropy was often compared favorably to the stifling hegemony of cultural universalism. More broadly, these two responses might be understood to represent two societal stages of grief-- denial and acceptance—to the new trauma introduced to the world by the parallel concepts of cultural entropy and a Universal “heat death.”https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/9/1/23cultural entropypostmodernismposthumanismtranshumanismgeorg hegelpierre teilhard de chardin |
| spellingShingle | Jordan Burr Entropy’s Enemies: Postmodern Fission and Transhuman Fusion in the Post-War Era Humanities cultural entropy postmodernism posthumanism transhumanism georg hegel pierre teilhard de chardin |
| title | Entropy’s Enemies: Postmodern Fission and Transhuman Fusion in the Post-War Era |
| title_full | Entropy’s Enemies: Postmodern Fission and Transhuman Fusion in the Post-War Era |
| title_fullStr | Entropy’s Enemies: Postmodern Fission and Transhuman Fusion in the Post-War Era |
| title_full_unstemmed | Entropy’s Enemies: Postmodern Fission and Transhuman Fusion in the Post-War Era |
| title_short | Entropy’s Enemies: Postmodern Fission and Transhuman Fusion in the Post-War Era |
| title_sort | entropy s enemies postmodern fission and transhuman fusion in the post war era |
| topic | cultural entropy postmodernism posthumanism transhumanism georg hegel pierre teilhard de chardin |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/9/1/23 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jordanburr entropysenemiespostmodernfissionandtranshumanfusioninthepostwarera |