Introduction |
Science Fiction in Literature |
On the Big Screen |
On the Radio |
On Television |
Summary Tables |
A Brief History of Time (Travel) |
1. Time Travel - Time as a philosophical concept |
a. Time as a straight line |
b. Time as a wheel |
c. Time as the fourth dimension in a four-dimensional universe ("Block Universe") |
d. Time as an integral part of the
Space-Time Continuum (according to Einstein's Theory of Relativity) |
3. The basic concepts; a historical review |
a. Contradiction and Consistency |
b. Causality |
3. Back to the past or back to the future?Some scientific approaches |
a. Is there a difference? |
b. Are the following possible ways of traveling through time? |
4.The Paradoxes |
Introduction |
The "Freebie"Paradox |
The Butterfly Effect |
The Billiard Ball Paradox |
The Gemini Paradox |
The Grandfather Paradox |
5. So how does it really work? |
6 . Time Travel Scenarios in literature, cinema and TV |
a. Time Travel - Single Destination, Return Trip |
b. The Multiverse |
c. The Causality Loop |
d. Alternate Histories |
e. Flatland |
Summary |
Literary and Cinematic Examples |
TV Examples |
Annex A: The case of John Titor |
Annex B: The Time Traveler's (beginners)Guide |
The Mythological Hero in Sci-Fi and Fantasy |
Introduction |
1. Male Heroes |
a. The Hero |
Summary |
b. The Dark Lord |
3. Female Heroes |
a. A historical Overview |
b. Are womanhood and motherhood obstacles on the Heroin's Journey? |
c. Comparative Analysis |
d. How to become a Campbellian Mythological Heroine |
3. Child Heroes |
The definitions |
The place of the child in society - a historical review |
a. The Victorian Era |
b. Between the wars |
c. The modern era and the influence of the changes in the place of women on the place of children in society |
1. Singles (boys or girls) |
3. Groups |
d. As seen on TV and in the Movies |
4.Mythological Heroes (or not...) |
New World Order: Society, Politics, Law and International Relations in Science Fiction |
Introduction |
Part A: Society |
a. The crews as microcosms of society |
b. The Women |
c. The Social Outcasts |
d. Homosexuality and Lesbianism |
e. Inter-Racial Relationships |
Part B: Forms of Government |
a. Democracies |
b. Dictatorships |
c. Utopias/Dystopias |
d. Other Forms |
Part C: Politics and International Relations |
a. Overview |
b. Treaties and Conventions |
Part D: Law and Order through Time and Space |
a. Traditional ways of settling legal disputes and reaching verdicts |
b. About the contemporary legal system |
c. Examples of contemporary Legal Dilemmas |
Protection of Privacy |
Genetic Engineering/Cloning |
Freedom of Information |
d. About the futuristic legal system |
The Prime Directive |
Time Travel and Time Machines |
Birth Control |
Genetic Engineering |
The use of Telepathy and Telekinesis |
Criminal Law |
Nanotechnology |
Cryonics |
Definition and Rights of Intelligent Life |
Laws of Robotics |
Corporate Laws |
The Internet and Control of Information |
Election Laws and Procedures |
Annex 1: List of Peoples and Societies |
Annex 2: List of Legal Cases |
Annex 3: Bibliography (Partial) |
Conspiracy Theories: Invasions, Abductions and Aliens |
Overview |
Conspiracy 1: We are not Alone... Or are we? |
Conspiracy 2: Invasions, Abductions, Crop Circles etc'... |
Conspiracy 3: Roswell |
Conspiracy 4: The Lunar Landing |
Conspiracy 5: Dead Presidents |
Conspiracy 6: Nostradamus and 9/11 |
Annex 1: Lost in translation, or: So how do all those Aliens speak the King's English? |
A. Math and Science |
B. Music |
C. The Universal Translator |
D. Gibberish |
E. Inventing a language |
F. The theory of common origin |
G. The Learning Process |
Conclusion |
Annex 2: So what do they really look like? |
We have the Technology |
Introduction |
1. Space Travel |
a. Definitions |
1. Hyperspace, Warp Speed, FTL |
3. Stable Wormholes |
3. Black Holes |
a. What is a Black Hole? |
b. Historical Overview |
c. Scientific Overview |
d. Mathematical Overview |
e. Can they be discovered? |
f. So where are they? |
b. Means and methods of space travel |
Hyper Space |
Wormhole |
Slipstream |
Generations Ship |
Solar Sails |
Space Elevator |
3. Computers, Networks and AI; the "Brain in a Jar" |
1. So what are we really afraid of? |
3. Man Vs. Machine or Man and Machine? |
3. VR - Science or Science Fiction? |
3. Robotics and Cybernetics |
1. Common Terminology |
3. Man-Machine Interface |
3. On Robots, Cyborgs and Androids |
4.Genetics and Genetic Manipulation or the Mad Scientist |
Introduction |
The Scenarios |
1. Cloning and Cross-Breeding Scenarios |
a. Human to Hunan |
b. Human to non-Human |
3. Homo Gestalt Scenarios |
3. Human and Super Human: Genetically Engineered Soldiers Scenarios |
4.From the Golem to Frankenstein: Mad Scientist Scenarios |
a. The Rude Awakening |
b. The Savior of Humanity |
c. The Creator Against the Creature |
d. The Island of Dr. Moreau |
e. The Jurassic Park Scenario |
5. (Not)Identical Twins: Twins Scenarios |
a. Good Twin-Bad Twin |
b. Inseparable Twins |
c. Lost Twin |
6 . The fine line between Mad and Genius: Dr. Mabuse |
Summary |
Annexes |
Cyberpunk |
What is Cyberpunk? |
What does Cyberpunk Include? |
Social Themes |
1. Post-Humanism |
3. Post-industrialism |
3. Post Nationalism |
Technological Themes |
Cyberpunk in Cinema and TV |
Escape from New York |
Blade Runner |
Tron |
Videodrome |
Terminator |
Max Headroom |
Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome |
Robocop |
Predator |
Batman |
La Femme Nikita |
Terminator 2: Judgement Day |
Sneakers |
Nemesis |
Wild Palms |
Crow, the |
Leon |
La Cite des Enfants Perdus |
Strange Days |
Crow: City of Angels, the |
Escape From Los Angeles |
Dark City |
Matrix |
Unbreakable |
One, the |
Equilibrium |
Hardwired |
Surrogates, the |
Cyberpunk in Literature |
Summary |
The Dream as a Literary Device |
Introduction |
The Dream - a Historical Review |
1. The Ancient World: |
The Assyrians |
The Babylonians |
The Persians |
The Egyptians |
The Hindus |
The Chinese |
The Native Americans from the North to the South |
3. In Greek Philosophy: |
3. Old testament and Judaism |
Abimelech's Dream, Genesis 20 |
The first dream of Jacob, Genesis 28 |
The second dream of Jacob, Genesis 31 |
Joseph's dreams. Genesis 36 |
The dreams of the chief baker and the chief butler, Genesis 40 |
Pharaoh dreams. Genesis 41 |
Gideon's dream, Judges 7 |
King Solomon's dream, 1 Kings 3 |
4. Islam |
5. Christianity |
6 . Modern Psychology: |
The Dream and its Interpretation - 3 approaches |
1. The Scientific - Physiological approach |
3. The Psychological approach |
3. The Metaphysical - Para psychological approach |
a. On dreaming and sleep |
b. The Prophetic Dream |
c. Daydreaming and Deja Vu |
d. Mutual and Concurrent Dreaming |
e. "I dreamt I wad dead and when I woke up I realized I was" |
Different uses for dreams |
1. The dream as a tool in the fantastic story |
3. The dream as a bridge to an alternate reality - Forever in a Day |
3. The Dream as a Deus Ex Machina |
4.The philosopher's viewpoint: Or is it a dream? |
5. The dream as a cautionary tale |
6 . The Sandman |
Thefearh Factor: On Vampires, Werewolves and other beasts - Urban Myths |
Introduction |
1. Vampires do not die, they can only be replaced, or from Dracula and Nosferatu to Blade Via Anne Rice Vs. Stephen King |
3. The Human Animal |
3. Freddie Vs. Jason and Vice Versa plus Michael Meyers |
4.Other Monsters |
Futurism: Modern Times? |
Introduction |
Social Forecasting |
Technological Forecasting |
Methodologies |
Four Trends in Futurism |
Time Scales |
Technological Singularity |
Futurism and Science Fiction |
Summary |
Mythology; Old Myths, New Worlds |
Introduction |
Deconstructing the Myth |
1. Background |
3. History and Myth |
3. Social Structure |
a. The crews as microcosms of society |
b. The Women |
c. The Social Outcasts |
d. Homosexuality and Lesbianism |
e. Inter-Racial Relationships |
4.Forms of Government |
a. Democracies |
b. Dictatorships |
c. Utopias/Dystopias |
d. Other Forms |
5. Politics and International Relations |
a. Overview |
b. Treaties and Conventions |
6 . Law and Order through Space and Time |
a. Traditional ways of settling legal disputes and reaching verdicts |
b. About the contemporary legal system |
c. Examples of contemporary Legal Dilemmas |
Protection of Privacy |
Genetic Engineering/Cloning |
Freedom of Information |
d. About the futuristic legal system |
The Prime Directive |
Time Travel and Time Machines |
Birth Control |
Genetic Engineering |
The use of Telepathy and Telekinesis |
Criminal Law |
Nanotechnology |
Cryonics |
Definition and Rights of Intelligent Life |
Laws of Robotics |
Corporate Laws |
The Internet and the Control of Information |
Election Laws and Procedures |
7 . Technology |
Summary |
3. Myths based in reality |
a. Lost Worlds |
1. Lost Worlds and their characteristics |
3. the Hollow Earth |
Annex: So I made it to a Lost World... |
b. Lost Cities |
Atlantis |
El Dorado |
Avalon |
Shangri La |
Tarn Vedra |
c. King Arthur |
d. The Bermuda Triangle |
e. Tunguska |
Annex: How to deal with an Impact Event |
3. New Myths |
A Href=">mythse/startreke.htm#_Toc351913537"> Star Trek |
Introduction |
1. Background |
3. History and Myth |
a. The Myth before the Myth: The Original Series and Beyond |
3. Society |
a. The crews as microcosms of society |
b. The Women |
c. The Social Outcasts |
d. Homosexuality and Lesbianism |
e. Inter-Racial Relationships |
4.Forms of Government |
a. Democracies |
b. Dictatorships |
c. Utopias/Dystopias |
d. Other Forms |
5. Politics and International Relations |
a. Overview |
b. Treaties and Conventions |
6 . Law and Order through Time and Space |
a. Traditional ways of settling legal disputes and reaching verdicts |
b. About the contemporary legal system |
c. Examples of contemporary Legal Dilemmas |
Protection of Privacy |
Genetic Engineering/Cloning |
Freedom of Information |
d. About the futuristic legal system |
The Prime Directive |
Time Travel and Time Machines |
Birth Control |
Genetic Engineering |
The use of Telepathy and Telekinesis |
Criminal Law |
Nanotechnology |
Cryonics |
Definition and Rights of Intelligent Life |
Laws of Robotics |
Corporate Laws |
The Internet and Control of Information |
Election Laws and Procedures |
7 . Technology |
Summary |
Tolkien |
Introduction |
1. Background |
Tolkien and C. S. Lewis |
Tolkien and Lewis Carroll |
Tolkien and the Kalevala |
Tolkien and Beowulf |
Tolkien and the Nibelungenlied |
Tolkien and King Arthur |
3. History and Myth |
a. The Myth before the Myth: the One Ring |
b. On Elves, Dwarves etc'. |
3. Social Structure |
a. The crews as microcosms of society |
b. The Women |
c. The Social Outcasts |
d. Homosexuality and Lesbianism |
e. Inter-Racial Relationships |
4.Forms of Government |
a. Democracies |
b. Dictatorships |
c. Utopias/Dystopias |
d. Other Forms |
5. Politics and International Relations |
a. Overview |
b. Treaties and Conventions |
6 . Law and Order through Space and Time |
a. Traditional ways of settling legal disputes and reaching verdicts |
b. About the contemporary legal system |
c. Examples of contemporary Legal Dilemmas |
Protection of Privacy |
Genetic Engineering/Cloning |
Freedom of Information |
d. About the futuristic legal system |
The Prime Directive |
Time Travel and Time Machines |
Birth Control |
Genetic Engineering |
The use of Telepathy and Telekinesis |
Criminal Law |
Nanotechnology |
Cryonics |
Definition and Rights of Intelligent Life |
Laws of Robotics |
Corporate Laws |
The Internet and the Control of Information |
Election Laws and Procedures |
7 . Technology |
Summary |
Asimov |
Introduction |
1. Background |
3. History and Myth |
a. The Myth Before the Myth: the Foundation and the Second Foundation |
3. Social Structure |
a. The crews as microcosms of society |
b. The Women |
c. The Social Outcasts |
d. Homosexuality and Lesbianism |
e. Inter-Racial Relationships |
4.Forms of Government |
a. Democracies |
b. Dictatorships |
c. Utopias/Dystopias |
d. Other Forms |
5. Politics and International Relations |
a. Overview |
b. Treaties and Conventions |
6 . Law and Order through Space and Time |
a. Traditional ways of settling legal disputes and reaching verdicts |
b. About the contemporary legal system |
c. Examples of contemporary Legal Dilemmas |
Protection of Privacy |
Genetic Engineering/Cloning |
Freedom of Information |
d. About the futuristic legal system |
The Prime Directive |
Time Travel and Time Machines |
Birth Control |
Genetic Engineering |
The use of Telepathy and Telekinesis |
Criminal Law |
Nanotechnology |
Cryonics |
Definition and Rights of Intelligent Life |
Laws of Robotics |
Corporate Laws |
The Internet and the Control of Information |
Election Laws and Procedures |
7 . Technology |
1. Robotics and Computerization: |
a. On Robotics |
b. On Data |
c. On Artificial Intelligence |
3. Miniaturization: |
3. Control of Information: |
4.Overpopulation: |
Summary |
Dune |
Introduction |
1. Background |
Ecology |
Economy |
3. History and Myth |
a. The Myth before the Myth: the Butlerian Jihad |
3. Social Structure |
a. The crews as microcosms of society |
b. The Women |
c. The Social Outcasts |
d. Homosexuality and Lesbianism |
e. Inter-Racial Relationships |
4.Forms of Government |
a. Democracies |
b. Dictatorships |
c. Utopias/Dystopias |
d. Other Forms |
5. Politics and International Relations |
a. Overview |
b. Treaties and Conventions |
6 . Law and Order through Space and Time |
a. Traditional ways of settling legal disputes and reaching verdicts |
b. About the contemporary legal system |
c. Examples of contemporary Legal Dilemmas |
Protection of Privacy |
Genetic Engineering/Cloning |
Freedom of Information |
d. About the futuristic legal system |
The Prime Directive |
Time Travel and Time Machines |
Birth Control |
Genetic Engineering |
The use of Telepathy and Telekinesis |
Criminal Law |
Nanotechnology |
Cryonics |
Definition and Rights of Intelligent Life |
Laws of Robotics |
Corporate Laws |
The Internet and the Control of Information |
7 . Technology |
Summary |
Star Wars |
Introduction |
1. Background |
3. History and Myth |
a. The Myth before the Myth: a long time ago in a Galaxy Far Far Away... |
3. Social Structure |
a. The crews as microcosms of society |
b. The Women |
c. The Social Outcasts |
d. Homosexuality and Lesbianism |
e. Inter-Racial Relationships |
4.Forms of Government |
a. Democracies |
b. Dictatorships |
c. Utopias/Dystopias |
d. Other Forms |
5. Politics and International Relations |
a. Overview |
b. Treaties and Conventions |
6 . Law and Order through Space and Time |
a. Traditional ways of settling legal disputes and reaching verdicts |
b. About the contemporary legal system |
c. Examples of contemporary Legal Dilemmas |
Protection of Privacy |
Genetic Engineering/Cloning |
Freedom of Information |
d. About the futuristic legal system |
The Prime Directive |
Time Travel and Time Machines |
Birth Control |
Genetic Engineering |
The use of Telepathy and Telekinesis |
Criminal Law |
Nanotechnology |
Cryonics |
Definition and Rights of Intelligent Life |
Laws of Robotics |
Corporate Laws |
The Internet and the Control of Information |
Election Laws and Procedures |
7 . Technology |
Summary |
Babylon 5+Crusade |
Introduction |
1. Background |
3. History and Myth |
a. The Myth before the Myth: the First Shadows War and the One Who Was |
3. Social Structure |
a. The crews as microcosms of society |
b. The Women |
c. The Social Outcasts |
d. Homosexuality and Lesbianism |
e. Inter-Racial Relationships |
4.Forms of Government |
a. Democracies |
b. Dictatorships |
c. Utopias/Dystopias |
d. Other Forms |
5. Politics and International Relations |
a. Overview |
b. Treaties and Conventions |
6 . Law and Order through Space and Time |
a. Traditional ways of settling legal disputes and reaching verdicts |
b. About the contemporary legal system |
c. Examples of contemporary Legal Dilemmas |
Protection of Privacy |
Genetic Engineering/Cloning |
Freedom of Information |
d. About the futuristic legal system |
The Prime Directive |
Time Travel and Time Machines |
Birth Control |
Genetic Engineering |
The use of Telepathy and Telekinesis |
Criminal Law |
Nanotechnology |
Cryonics |
Definition and Rights of Intelligent Life |
Laws of Robotics |
Corporate Laws |
The Internet and the Control of Information |
Election Laws and Procedures |
7 . Technology |
Summary |
Stargate |
Introduction |
1. Background |
3. History and Myth |
a. The Myth before the Myth: The alliance of the four great races |
3. Social Structure |
a. The crews as microcosms of society |
b. The Women |
c. The Social Outcasts |
d. Homosexuality and Lesbianism |
e. Inter-Racial Relationships |
4.Forms of Government |
a. Democracies |
b. Dictatorships |
c. Utopias/Dystopias |
d. Other Forms |
5. Politics and International Relations |
a. Overview |
b. Treaties and Conventions |
6 . Law and Order through Space and Time |
a. Traditional ways of settling legal disputes and reaching verdicts |
b. About the contemporary legal system |
c. Examples of contemporary Legal Dilemmas |
Protection of Privacy |
Genetic Engineering/Cloning |
Freedom of Information |
d. About the futuristic legal system |
The Prime Directive |
Time Travel and Time Machines |
Birth Control |
Genetic Engineering |
The use of Telepathy and Telekinesis |
Criminal Law |
Nanotechnology |
Cryonics |
Definition and Rights of Intelligent Life |
Laws of Robotics |
Corporate Laws |
The Internet and the Control of Information |
Election Laws and Procedures |
7 . Technology |
Summary |
Matrix |
Introduction |
1. Background |
3. History and Myth |
a. The Myth before the Myth: the History of the Matrix |
b. The Matrix in Judaism and Christianity |
3. Social Structure |
a. The crews as microcosms of society |
b. The Women |
c. The Social Outcasts |
d. Homosexuality and Lesbianism |
e. Inter-Racial Relationships |
4.Forms of Government |
a. Democracies |
b. Dictatorships |
c. Utopias/Dystopias |
d. Other Forms |
5. Politics and International Relations |
a. Overview |
b. Treaties and Conventions |
6 . Law and Order through Space and Time |
a. Traditional ways of settling legal disputes and reaching verdicts |
b. About the contemporary legal system |
c. Examples of contemporary Legal Dilemmas |
Protection of Privacy |
Genetic Engineering/Cloning |
Freedom of Information |
d. About the futuristic legal system |
The Prime Directive |
Time Travel and Time Machines |
Birth Control |
Genetic Engineering |
The use of Telepathy and Telekinesis |
Criminal Law |
Nanotechnology |
Cryonics |
Definition and Rights of Intelligent Life |
Laws of Robotics |
Corporate Laws |
The Internet and the Control of Information |
Election Laws and Procedures |
7 . Technology |
Summary |
Ender |
Introduction |
1. Background |
3. History and Myth |
a. The Myth before the Myth: the First Invasion |
b. On War and Peace |
c. On the use of Pinocchio in discussing free will and life in Cyberspace |
3. Social Structure |
a. The crews as microcosms of society |
b. The Women |
c. The Social Outcasts |
d. Homosexuality and Lesbianism |
e. Inter-Racial Relationships |
4.Forms of Government |
a. Democracies |
b. Dictatorships |
c. Utopias/Dystopias |
d. Other Forms |
5. Politics and International Relations |
a. Overview |
b. Treaties and Conventions |
6 . Law and Order through Space and Time |
a. Traditional ways of settling legal disputes and reaching verdicts |
b. About the contemporary legal system |
c. Examples of contemporary Legal Dilemmas |
Protection of Privacy |
Genetic Engineering/Cloning |
Freedom of Information |
d. About the futuristic legal system |
The Prime Directive |
Time Travel and Time Machines |
Birth Control |
Genetic Engineering |
The use of Telepathy and Telekinesis |
Criminal Law |
Nanotechnology |
Cryonics |
Definition and Rights of Intelligent Life |
Laws of Robotics |
Corporate Laws |
The Internet and the Control of Information |
Election Laws and Procedures |
7 . Technology |
Summary |
Harry Potter |
Introduction |
1. Background |
3. History and Myth |
a. The Myth before the Myth: A short history of Hogwarts |
3. Social Structure |
a. The crews as microcosms of society |
b. The Women |
c. The Social Outcasts |
d. Homosexuality and Lesbianism |
e. Inter-Racial Relationships |
4.Forms of Government |
a. Democracies |
b. Dictatorships |
c. Utopias/Dystopias |
d. Other Forms |
5. Politics and International Relations |
a. Overview |
b. Treaties and Conventions |
6 . Law and Order through Space and Time |
a. Traditional ways of settling legal disputes and reaching verdicts |
b. About the contemporary legal system |
c. Examples of contemporary Legal Dilemmas |
Protection of Privacy |
Genetic Engineering/Cloning |
Freedom of Information |
d. About the futuristic legal system |
The Prime Directive |
Time Travel and Time Machines |
Birth Control |
Genetic Engineering |
The use of Telepathy and Telekinesis |
Criminal Law |
Nanotechnology |
Cryonics |
Definition and Rights of Intelligent Life |
Laws of Robotics |
Corporate Laws |
The Internet and the Control of Information |
Election Laws and Procedures |
7 . Technology |
Summary |
The Dark Tower |
Introduction |
1. Background |
3. History and Myth |
a. The Myth before the Myth |
3. Society |
a. The crews as microcosms of society |
b. The Women |
c. The Social Outcasts |
d. Homosexuality and Lesbianism |
e. Inter-Racial Relationships |
4.Forms of Government |
a. Democracies |
b. Dictatorships |
c. Utopias/Dystopias |
d. Other Forms |
5. Politics and International Relations |
a. Overview |
b. Treaties and Conventions |
6 . Law and Order through Time and Space |
a. Traditional ways of settling legal disputes and reaching verdicts |
b. About the contemporary legal system |
c. Examples of contemporary Legal Dilemmas |
Protection of Privacy |
Genetic Engineering/Cloning |
Freedom of Information |
d. About the futuristic legal system |
The Prime Directive |
Time Travel and Time Machines |
Birth Control |
Genetic Engineering |
The use of Telepathy and Telekinesis |
Criminal Law |
Nanotechnology |
Definition and Rights of Intelligent Life |
Cryonics |
Laws of Robotics |
Corporate Laws |
The Internet and Control of Information |
Election Laws and Procedures |
7 . Technology |
Summary |
The Hunger Games |
Introduction |
1. Background |
3. History and Myth |
a. The Myth before the Myth |
3. Society |
a. The crews as microcosms of society |
b. The Women |
c. The Social Outcasts |
d. Homosexuality and Lesbianism |
e. Inter-Racial Relationships |
4.Forms of Government |
a. Democracies |
b. Dictatorships |
c. Utopias/Dystopias |
d. Other Forms |
5. Politics and International Relations |
a. Overview |
b. Treaties and Conventions |
6 . Law and Order through Time and Space |
a. Traditional ways of settling legal disputes and reaching verdicts |
b. About the contemporary legal system |
c. Examples of contemporary Legal Dilemmas |
Protection of Privacy |
Genetic Engineering/Cloning |
Freedom of Information |
d. About the futuristic legal system |
The Prime Directive |
Time Travel and Time Machines |
Birth Control |
Genetic Engineering |
The use of Telepathy and Telekinesis |
Criminal Law |
Nanotechnology |
Definition and Rights of Intelligent Life |
Cryonics |
Laws of Robotics |
Corporate Laws |
The Internet and Control of Information |
Election Laws and Procedures |
7 . Technology |
Summary |