Культура будущего в научных и художественных рефлексиях. Учебное пособие

style, gave rise to cities, states and human civilization. Today genetic engineering promises to change our lives even more. With its help, we will be able to arbitrarily rebuild all those organisms that provide our life. Genetically modified plants will provide healthier food, new drugs, and stronger materials.

Life extension has received more and more attention since the beginning of the 21st century. More and more people, including serious scientists, politicians and entrepreneurs, are seriously discussing the possibilities of using new drugs, genetic engineering, artificial organs and other technologies to combat ageing and death.

Immortality. A person wants not only to slow down ageing processes but also to stop them. It is now clear that a simple increase in human life will not be enough.

Cryonics allows people today to partly reap the benefits of future scientific and technological achievements in the field of life extension and immortality. The body of a deceased person cannot yet be brought back to life, but with the help of cryonics, it is possible to stop all the processes of decay and decomposition going on in it. A person hopes that their memory and personality will be saved from destruction, that in the future it will be possible to correct all damage to the preserved human body with the help of nanotechnology, eliminate the causes of death, rejuvenate and heal the body and return

Nanotechnology in the popular mind will be able not only to bring cryonics patients back to life but also do the rest. There is not a single sphere of human and non-human activity where there will be no application for nanotechnology. It is a truly universal technology that will eclipse the invention of machines in the industrial revolution and even the invention of tools at the dawn of mankind itself. Nanotechnology will give a person almost complete control over matter at the atomic level, will make it possible to create any material objects quickly, practically free of charge, without environmental pollution.

The economics of abundance considers the existence and development of human society in the absence of resources shortage. Humans' greed and aggressiveness are only a consequence of the struggle for existence in conditions of limited resources, which our ancestors had to go through. However, the advent of advanced robots and nanotechnology is supposed to radically change the state of affairs.

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Cognitive science. If nanotechnology means complete control of the human mind over matter, then the development of cognitive science will mean complete control of the human mind over itself. A person will be able to intervene in his own cognitive and mental processes, adjusting them according to their will. It will become possible to boost creativity and empathy, reduce aggression, expand memory and the ability to comprehend su- per-complex systems.

Paradise engineering raises the question of the possibility of radical transformation of the world in order to eradicate suffering, pain, boredom, frustration, anxiety, anguish and sorrow for good. Satisfaction of all human needs, including the need for unlimited development, the possibility of restructuring the human mind and the Earth's ecosystem make it possible to implement a project of building almost literally paradise on Earth.

Loading. The culmination in the conquest of one's own mind is associated with the ability to download, transfer the human personality from the brain to the computer. This will free a person from body needs, radically expand their capabilities, multiply the power of the mind, protect people from accidents, and provide the possibility of direct work with information and knowledge without the mediation of the senses. This will allow the human mind to come into direct contact, exchange parts, and fully integrate with the minds of other people and with the artificial mind.

Singularity is a hypothetical moment in the future when technological development will become so rapid that the timeline for technological progress will become almost vertical. Singularity will be the result of a synergistic interaction between nanotechnology, artificial intelligence and cognitive science. The development of nanotechnology will make it possible to create super-powerful computers. One of the tasks that artificial intelligence can take upon itself will be the development of faster computers and the optimization of algorithms for artificial intelligence and the human mind

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1.Cryonics: a new life or the way to nowhere?

2.Which future technologies are most appealing to you? Why?

3.What do you think about the moral and ethical aspects of transhumanism?

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THE IMAGE OF A PERSON AND SOCIETY

OF THE FUTURE IN LITERATURE

AND CINEMATOGRAPHY

The concept of "futurology" was first used by the sociologist Ossip Kurt Flechtheim in 1943, in his letter to Aldous Huxley, who liked this notion, and then it was introduced into a scientific field. "Futurology" is derived from the Latin "futurum" and the Greek "logos", which mean "future" and "doctrine" respectively. Generally speaking, futurology is a complex of all mankind's ideas about the future.

Today, there are a large number of different futurological scenarios that represent a kind of synthesis of science fiction, mythology and scientific forecasting. The following scenarios can be singled out:

scenarios of the development of post-industrial society;

development of super technologies (nano-, bio-, informational and cognitive technologies);

creation of artificial intelligence;

transhumanism and the search for gaining immortality, the phenomenon of post-humanity, the clash of civilizations, the death of mankind (as a result of a catastrophe - natural or man-made);

robotization;

space exploration, etc.

Scenario classification:

The whole complex of futurological scenarios can be divided into two groups:

tactical

strategic

Tactical scenarios mainly include scenarios about the near future, the foundation of which has already been laid in the present. This is the socalled closest futurology. These are scenarios of robotization, post-industrial society, the development of super technologies.

Strategic scenarios, in turn, are focused on the distant future, within the late XXI - early XXII century. Here the dominant place is played by the ordinary consciousness and a mythological basis. Strategic scenarios are also subdivided into two groups:

pessimistic

optimistic

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Optimistic scenarios imply an upward development of society, and all possible crises are just a fleeting phenomenon on the path of progress. Human civilization will continue to exist for millions and billions of years, there can be no return to the past, as well as a return to barbarism, i.e. regression is impossible in all manifestations. Within this group, there are scenarios such as establishing contact with extraterrestrial civilizations, the situation of transhumanism, the transition to post-humanity, etc., which are mostly utopian and do not imply any negative development of events.

Today we are talking about the appearance of a posthuman, or a superhuman - a new being, which will be several times superior to today's man, it will differ from him to such an extent that the question will arise: to what extent is this a human being? A variant of the superhuman is a cyberman as a posthuman, which is a combination of mechanical-electronic elements with biological organic matter. Cyborgization is also associated with the idea of immortality, which within the framework of transhumanism is recognized as the most desirable value. Pessimistic scenarios are based on ideas about the future as a poorly cognizable and unpredictable category, as well as dangerous, as it threatens human existence. The future is a "sick society" where the world order is disturbed, and there is chaos, barbarity, degradation and suicidal tendencies. Futurology here is based on mythological frames and concerns about the world. The scripts are mainly presented with apocalyptic, post-apocalyptic and dystopian stories.

Cinematography, and especially science fiction, reflects the ideals and norms prevailing in society, indicates trends in the development of society, and appeals to topical issues of concern to contemporaries. The images of the future are created in the art of cinema, for example, in such genres as post-apocalyptic and dystopia.

Let's examine the problem of creating an image of the future on the example of Philip K. Dick's novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep", as well as on the example of the film adaptation of this novel "Blade Runner" released in 1982.

In the universe of this science fiction novel, humans have created androids that are almost indistinguishable from humans. Their main goal is to serve as servants and slaves for people exploring the vastness of the universe. Moreover, androids were forbidden to appear on Earth, if they did, they were punished to death. The work of the main character of the novel was the search, detection and elimination of androids on Earth.

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The main problem of the novel arises precisely because of the incredible similarity of "replicants" (this name appeared already in the film adaptation) with people. Only experienced police officers, including the protagonist, could distinguish real people from "replicants" using the so-called VoightKampff test to detect empathy, which androids lack. The latest models of these androids are stronger and smarter than people, which, most likely, is the reason why the "replicants" who fled to Earth are persecuted.

Simply put, in the universe of this novel, people have once again created something stronger and smarter than themselves. The relationship between humans and androids is initially similar to the relationship between parents and their children. This phenomenon is sometimes called the Frankenstein Complex, and as researches have shown it is a recurring theme in science fiction novels. What provoked the desire of these creatures to escape from slave labour and live on Earth? The most banal and completely human desire: to survive and live on an equal footing with others. If people create slaves for themselves in their own image and likeness in the future, then these slaves, having reached a certain level of development, will not want to do “dirty” work and will try to avoid all sorts of difficulties, as if following the same logic of their creators. They do not necessarily have a motive to rebel against people or use them for their own purposes. Such creatures will probably just want to live and exist on an equal footing with other people. Throughout the period preceding the events in the novel, they had carried out the commands of people because people had been superior to them in some aspects, and could also find them and punish them in case of disobedience. At some point, the balance of power changed, and some of them decided to break out of obedience, which is quite similar to episodes in our own history.

Obviously, the most prominent motive in this situation is the sociohistorical aspect of slave-owning relations, which serves to develop the plot. Although the phenomenon of slavery is not condemned. Such an attitude towards creatures, which are extremely close to people, can be explained by the widespread replacement of natural things by the artificial ones created by people. This process is a consequence of a nuclear disaster, which destroyed a significant number of flora and fauna species. It is also interesting to note that the main character of the novel has an electric sheep at home, but it does not bring him the expected pleasure. That is why the "blade runner" dreams of a real animal, which would not only be a social norm but

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also would serve as a symbol of freedom and hope for the main character. Apart from the question of the relationship between slavery and the concept of artificial intelligence, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" also raises the question of the essence of human nature. The end of the novel suggests that by creating artificial intelligence, we create a kind of moral trap for ourselves. The more advanced technologies become, the greater the human desire to play God becomes. And the more technologically advanced this creature is, the more human qualities it has and less human qualities we have. This very strange paradox becomes especially profound when one of the androids who escaped to Earth suddenly shows empathy for the protagonist and saves his life. Thus, artificial intelligence shows much more human sympathy than the protagonist saw in his colleagues and the people of his environment.

The phenomenon of slavery within the "replicants" framework, similar to the heroes of a science fiction novel, makes it difficult to answer the question of whether artificial intelligence is good or evil. On the contrary, it creates even more questions and puts the arrows on the people themselves. Obviously, the responsibility for their own creations rests on the shoulders of the creators. Maybe it is the values that we invest in artificial intelligence that are the key to the final product that we get.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1.Give examples of books or films in which there is an image of a person or society of the future. Which scenarios do the show? Optimistic? Pessimistic?

2.Watch "Blade runner" (1982). Is Rick Deckard a person or a replicant? Prove your point of view.

3.Ray Bradbury used to say: "Science fiction is a reality reduced to absurdity". Do you agree with it? Why? Prove your point of view?

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