The Fiction of Ideas

Aye and Gomorrah by Samuel R. Delaney was an interesting read for its idea of gender fluidity, which is something that’s being brought into the forefront in today’s society.  The focus on astronauts being agender and citizens being interested in having sexual acts with them. The use of Gomorrah in the title refers to vice and homosexuality seen in Christianity as major sin. Whereas in this story open sexuality though hinted at as being a bit of a vice with the agender astronauts, but overall sexual act seems to be more fluid. Almost like a transaction between a supplier and a client. A very interesting introduction into the area of science fiction that is about discussion of ideas and not really about adventure.

             Movies like Blade Runner ask what it is that makes us human. Is it our state of conscience or the belief that humans have a soul? Well it’s really hard to state confidently what it is. Even if we have a soul, if a robot can achieve intelligence and portray emotion then how is that not a living being? The idea to think and create new ideas and feel love and hate is part of being human. We have synapses and a nervous system and hormones that fire through our body. These biological aspects of our body create our emotions and thoughts. I don’t see how that’s different from a computing system that becomes intelligent. Science still can’t fully answer the questions still raised beyond the biological make up of a human. So if robots can become as intelligent and emotional as humans, then to me they stand on equal ground.