Personhood in Science Fiction

This book addresses the topic of personhood-who is a "person" or "human," and what rights or dignities does that include-as it has been addressed through the lens of science fiction. Chapters include discussions of consciousness and the soul, artificial intelligence, dehumanization and othering, and free will. Classic and modern sci-fi texts are engaged, as well as film and television. This book argues that science fiction allows us to examine the profound question of personhood through its speculative and imaginative nature, highlighting issues that are already visible in our present world.

1. Introduction. - 2. Defining Personhood in a Posthuman World. - 3. Dehumanization of the Nonhuman Being. - 4. Embodied and Non-bodied Selves. - 5. Ethics and AI. - 6. Artificial consciousness and Synthetic souls. - 7. The Alien-Other: Monsters, Mutants, and Othered Bodies. - 8. Free Will? . - 9. Concluding Thoughts