3 ms·
For me cyberpunk is defined not simply by its aesthetic, but by its exploration of the thesis "anything that can be done to a rat can also be done to a human be
by dunkelheit 7y ago
For me cyberpunk is defined not simply by its aesthetic, but by its exploration of the thesis "anything that can be done to a rat can also be done to a human
being". A cyberpunk novel is a (usually cautionary, of course) tale of what happens when you strip away outmoded humanistic notions of dignity and agency and replace them with something weird.
In relation to this I'd like to mention Strugatsky brothers' book Predatory Things of Our Times (translated into English as The Final Circle of Paradise, wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Final_Circle_of_Paradise https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Final_Circle_of_Paradise). It is their lesser known work, but IMO it is first-grade cyberpunk. The rat-human stuff is there all right, but also a very believable near-future setting with a post-capitalist society that is outwardly prosperous but rotting inside. The remarkable thing is that this book feels very modern but it was published in 1965 in the Soviet Union.
- LargoLasskhyfv 7y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wirehead_(science_fiction) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wirehead_(science_fiction) alone makes no cyberpunk. It lacks the transnational corporations with their own paramilitary/police/security, their indebted slaves, the mobsters/mafiosi/yakuza interfacing between them and the slums for the unwashed masses, and the punks cybering back frome the slums for some breadcrumbs, upgräydz. Think Bladerunner. Allmighty Tyrell. Or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elysium_(film) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elysium_(film) , or even this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incorporated_(TV_series) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incorporated_(TV_series)
- dunkelheit 7y agoSure, wireheading is just part of the story, but I'd argue that the 'evil corporation' trope perfectly fits the same narrative. What is particularly evil about these corporations? It is precisely the fact that they don't care about individual humans and treat them as expendable resources to be exploited in pursuit of their goals. Aided by novel technologies, this exploitation can take some weird and scary forms. And those who try to fight back have no choice but to treat themselves as rats.