There’s no shortage of problems facing humanity. Science’s role in how to tackle them has long been debated – including memorably by two of the 20th century’s greatest literary figures.
Gerard Butler at the US premiere of Geostorm.
REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
Geostorm is the newest addition to the Hollywood climate doom canon. It is terrible, which is why you should think about this genre but under no circumstances actually watch this movie.
While the original Blade Runner provides some insight into artificial life, and the book explores power and human relationships, Blade Runner 2049 has none of that.
(Handout)
Blade Runner 2049 represents a failure of the imagination. The film is a series of events strung together and steeped in narcissism, excessive self-absorption, isolation and regressive politics.
A common theme from science fiction is a vision of a world where humans do less work and machines do more. Why have we not yet reached that point?
A banana on the salt lake plain at Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia, hints at themes of genetics, food and human journeys in three books recommended by fly scientist Thomas Merritt.
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Australian TV has been slow to enter the sci-fi genre, but the success of series like Cleverman shows we could have our own distinct brand of local sci-fi.
Terminator’s killer robots can help in the real debate on lethal autonomous weapons.
Flickr/Edwin Montufar
He’s back! Any mention of the killer robots debate brings images of the Terminator film. But science fiction can be a useful tool to get people interested in the real issues in science.
The future and the past, money, technology and politics documented and imagined in fact and fiction, in an economist’s recommended reading.
Former Globe and Mail newspaper reporter turned novelist Omar El Akkad contemplates his debut book American War in his publisher’s Toronto office in this 2017 file photo.
(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young)