Science Fiction and the Imitation of the Sacred

By: Richard Grigg

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Paperback | 14 June 2018

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Paperback
160 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
24.13 x 15.24 x 1.27

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This book examines science fiction's relationship to religion and the sacred through the lens of significant books, films and television shows. It provides a clear account of the larger cultural and philosophical significance of science fiction, and explores its potential sacrality in today's secular world by analyzing material such as Ray Bradbury's classic novel The Martian Chronicles, films The Abyss and 2001: A Space Odyssey, and also the Star Trek universe.

Richard Grigg argues that science fiction is born of nostalgia for a truly 'Other' reality that is no longer available to us, and that the most accurate way to see the relationship between science fiction and traditional approaches to the sacred is as an imitation of true sacrality; this, he suggests, is the best option in a secular age. He demonstrates this by setting forth five definitions of the sacred and then, in consecutive chapters, investigating particular works of science fiction and showing just how they incarnate those definitions.

Science Fiction and the Imitation of the Sacred also considers the qualifiers that suggest that science fiction can only imitate the sacred, not genuinely replicate it, and assesses the implications of this investigation for our understanding of secularity and science fiction.

Industry Reviews

In his past work, Grigg has addressed the "new atheism," suggesting pathways to spirituality outside of organized religion and New Age silliness. Here, he looks to the science fiction genre to show how the form, even as its technology promises to overwhelm humanity, also points to the cosmos and untapped human possibility as bridges to the sacred.
Christopher Sharrett, Professor of Film Studies, Seton Hall University, USA

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