Dystopias seem like the most distinctly recognizable settings in sci-fi, but more than a few utopias possess some suspiciously dystopic elements. Conversely, there are more than a few worlds traditionally labelled as dystopias that have seemingly succeeded in achieving the elusive goal of effective equality and social harmony. What does it take to make a heaven of hell or a hell of heaven? And how do you know when to stop fighting and love Big Brother just a little bit?
In this episode, we discuss the often razor-thin line between utopias and dystopias in sci-fi literature, the core of satire in utopic and dystopic fiction, the role of class in cyberpunk and sci-fi fiction, the "noble lie" at the heart of utopias, the fiction of the "moral poor", individualism's impediment to social harmony, technology as a social tool and its inequal distribution, the importance of the outsider viewpoint, and whether cyberpunk is dystopia by default. We also talk about putting astronauts on Earth, days our future passed, time-travelling through sleep, turning your treatise into a novel, dystopic intent, digital bread and circuses, Evil McEvilson, whether fire ruined cavemen, the wavy arc of Justice, and why Star Trek isn't a utopia but a Nora Ephron movie is!
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