Iain M. Banks – Human, Posthuman and Beyond Human

Iain M. Banks has been at the forefront of the space opera science fiction scene since the publication of the first Culture novel, Consider Phlebas, in 1987. Upon Banks’ death in 2013, the culture series became a complete body of work. Whilst some criticism has focused on the social and political i...

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Main Author: Antonia Leach
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Ljubljana Press (Založba Univerze v Ljubljani) 2018-06-01
Series:ELOPE
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.uni-lj.si/elope/article/view/7851
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author Antonia Leach
author_facet Antonia Leach
author_sort Antonia Leach
collection DOAJ
description Iain M. Banks has been at the forefront of the space opera science fiction scene since the publication of the first Culture novel, Consider Phlebas, in 1987. Upon Banks’ death in 2013, the culture series became a complete body of work. Whilst some criticism has focused on the social and political implications of the culture universe, little has engaged with the philosophical concepts that underpin it in relation to the current debate regarding our posthuman future. This paper seeks to show how Banks problematises the relationship between the human and posthuman through an exploration of the representation of the posthuman body. Furthermore, it also seeks to address the implications of current concepts of what it means to be human by exploring the relationship between the posthuman and form of Artificial Intelligence that Banks presents. to illustrate these arguments, three culture texts will be discussed: The Player of Games (1988), Excession (1996), and “The State of the Art” (1989).
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spelling doaj.art-bdda584a6ada4c3dbf8a3084335ba8922023-01-18T09:32:38ZengUniversity of Ljubljana Press (Založba Univerze v Ljubljani)ELOPE1581-89182386-03162018-06-0115110.4312/elope.15.1.69-81Iain M. Banks – Human, Posthuman and Beyond HumanAntonia Leach0Leicester College, United Kingdom Iain M. Banks has been at the forefront of the space opera science fiction scene since the publication of the first Culture novel, Consider Phlebas, in 1987. Upon Banks’ death in 2013, the culture series became a complete body of work. Whilst some criticism has focused on the social and political implications of the culture universe, little has engaged with the philosophical concepts that underpin it in relation to the current debate regarding our posthuman future. This paper seeks to show how Banks problematises the relationship between the human and posthuman through an exploration of the representation of the posthuman body. Furthermore, it also seeks to address the implications of current concepts of what it means to be human by exploring the relationship between the posthuman and form of Artificial Intelligence that Banks presents. to illustrate these arguments, three culture texts will be discussed: The Player of Games (1988), Excession (1996), and “The State of the Art” (1989). https://journals.uni-lj.si/elope/article/view/7851Iain M. BanksCulture seriesscience fictionposthumanartificial inteligence
spellingShingle Antonia Leach
Iain M. Banks – Human, Posthuman and Beyond Human
ELOPE
Iain M. Banks
Culture series
science fiction
posthuman
artificial inteligence
title Iain M. Banks – Human, Posthuman and Beyond Human
title_full Iain M. Banks – Human, Posthuman and Beyond Human
title_fullStr Iain M. Banks – Human, Posthuman and Beyond Human
title_full_unstemmed Iain M. Banks – Human, Posthuman and Beyond Human
title_short Iain M. Banks – Human, Posthuman and Beyond Human
title_sort iain m banks human posthuman and beyond human
topic Iain M. Banks
Culture series
science fiction
posthuman
artificial inteligence
url https://journals.uni-lj.si/elope/article/view/7851
work_keys_str_mv AT antonialeach iainmbankshumanposthumanandbeyondhuman