Victor Frankenstein lamented in 1816, "How dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow." Today, the most common objections to emerging technologies come from science fiction, from
Frankenstein and
Brave New World to
Gattaca and the
Terminator.
At the same time, there are examples in literature and film that depict technology as contributing to an abundant, peaceful future. Through our
Envisioning the Future program, we engage with culture critics, artists, writers, filmmakers and consumers to explore the
biopolitics implicit in depictions of technology in literature, film and television.
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