Ayn Rand and the Posthuman

Beschreibung

Ayn Rand and the Posthuman is a study of the American novelist’s relationship with twenty-first-century ideas about technology. Rand wrote science fiction that has inspired Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, politicians, and economists. Ben Murnane demonstrates Rand’s connection to, and impact on, those with a “posthuman” vision, in which human and machine merge. The text examines the philosophical intersections between Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism and posthumanism, and Rand’s influence on transhumanism, a major branch of posthumanist thought. The book further investigates Rand’s presence and portrayal in various examples of posthumanist science fiction, including Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda, popular videogame BioShock, and Zoltan Istvan’s novel The Transhumanist Wager. Considering Rand’s influence from a cultural, political, technological, and economic perspective, this study throws light on an under-documented but highly significant aspect of Rand’s legacy.

Ayn Rand and the Posthuman is a study of the American novelist’s relationship with twenty-first-century ideas about technology. Rand wrote science fiction that has inspired Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, politicians, and economists. Ben Murnane demonstrates Rand’s connection to, and impact on, those with a “posthuman” vision, in which human and machine merge. The text examines the philosophical intersections between Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism and posthumanism, and Rand’s influence on transhumanism, a major branch of posthumanist thought. The book further investigates Rand’s presence and portrayal in various examples of posthumanist science fiction, including Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda, popular videogame BioShock, and Zoltan Istvan’s novel The Transhumanist Wager. Considering Rand’s influence from a cultural, political, technological, and economic perspective, this study throws light on an under-documented but highly significant aspect of Rand’s legacy.

Autor*in

Ben Murnane

Themen in »Ayn Rand and the Posthuman«

Ayn Rand posthumanism Randian worldview capitalism Objectivism Ayn Rand and politics Ayn Rand and science fiction Ayn Rand and economy BioShock The Transhumanist Wager Rand noir

Stimmen zu »Ayn Rand and the Posthuman«

“As Ben Murnane’s wonderful book makes clear, Ayn Rand is, by any reckoning, amongst the most influential writers of the twentieth century—but given that the responses to her work are so politically charged, and so polarized, it can be very difficult to see her work clearly. She is a writer who needs rescuing from her admirers as much as from her critics. Murnane’s book takes us beyond the ideological controversy, to offer a wholly new reading of her work and her influence. Through Murnane, Rand speaks to the contemporary world in new and surprising ways, sometimes disturbing but always vital.” (Darryl Jones, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland)

“Murnane succeeds in offering an insightful and—a rare treat in academia—fun book that both entertains and challenges. It’s a timely and useful contribution, which breaks new ground.”(Claudia Franziska Brühwiler, Lecturer at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland)

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