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UBC Theses and Dissertations
The transcendental possibilities of technology in young adult literature : posthumanity and divinity in Ready player one and Feed, sacred texts of the transhumanist tradition Pimentel, Agustin (Charly)
Abstract
Through synthesizing the theories of Elaine Graham, Nick Bostrom, Robert Geraci, Hava-Tirosh Samuelson and others, this thesis uses a religious transhumanist lens to examine two YA novels—Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One and M.T. Anderson’s Feed—texts ripe with secular and scientific metaphors illustrating religious truths. This literary analysis asks questions such as whether the posthuman is akin to God, and to what extent technologies like brain-computer-interface systems and virtual reality are new manifestations for transcendence or new vehicles to the heavens. This study contributes to a larger discussion between two seemingly opposing epistemologies—religion and techno-science—by locating a bridge in transhumanist narratives like Cline and Anderson’s. Ultimately, this analysis seeks to uncover whether Ready Player One and Feed might be considered sacred texts of the transhumanist tradition, socializing young people the way YA literature has done for decades—to wonder, awe, and imagine life beyond our own.
Item Metadata
| Title |
The transcendental possibilities of technology in young adult literature : posthumanity and divinity in Ready player one and Feed, sacred texts of the transhumanist tradition
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| Creator | |
| Supervisor | |
| Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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| Date Issued |
2021
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| Description |
Through synthesizing the theories of Elaine Graham, Nick Bostrom, Robert Geraci, Hava-Tirosh Samuelson and others, this thesis uses a religious transhumanist lens to examine two YA novels—Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One and M.T. Anderson’s Feed—texts ripe with secular and scientific metaphors illustrating religious truths. This literary analysis asks questions such as whether the posthuman is akin to God, and to what extent technologies like brain-computer-interface systems and virtual reality are new manifestations for transcendence or new vehicles to the heavens. This study contributes to a larger discussion between two seemingly opposing epistemologies—religion and techno-science—by locating a bridge in transhumanist narratives like Cline and Anderson’s. Ultimately, this analysis seeks to uncover whether Ready Player One and Feed might be considered sacred texts of the transhumanist tradition, socializing young people the way YA literature has done for decades—to wonder, awe, and imagine life beyond our own.
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| Genre | |
| Type | |
| Language |
eng
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| Date Available |
2021-06-30
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| Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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| Rights |
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
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| DOI |
10.14288/1.0398741
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| URI | |
| Degree | |
| Program | |
| Affiliation | |
| Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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| Graduation Date |
2021-11
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| Campus | |
| Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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| Rights URI | |
| Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International