A brand spanking-new website, Alien Ethos, will discuss ethical issues in science fiction. Visitors are encouraged to comment in their forum.

Here are some topics I wouldn't mind seeing:

• Cloning: Is cloning ethical? What rights do clones have?
  [Suggested references: Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm, The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer]


• Matter Teleportation/Memory Recording - What privacy issues surround a technology where a person or his memories can be electronically copied? Is it right to create duplicates of that person?
  [Suggested references: The Resurrected Man by Sean Williams, The Golden Age by John C. Wright.]


• Artificial Intelligence/Robots - Do thinking machines have rights?
  [Suggested references: "Supertoys Last All Summer Long" by Brian Aldiss, Isaac Asimov's Robot novels.]


• Posthumanism - Does posthumanism redefine life and death?
  [Suggested references: Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan]


• Virtual Reality - Is it OK to behave unethically in a VR world? Are violators to be held responsible for their actions when returning to the real world?
  [Suggested references: Lady of Mazes by Karl Schroeder, "Downloading Midnight" by William Browning Spencer]


• Treatment of the Elderly - What are the ethical issues in dealing with the ever-increasing population of the elderly?
  [Suggested references: Old Man's War by John Scalzi, "Annuity Clinic" by Nigel Brown]

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Posted by John DeNardo at Friday September 02, 2005 at 10:26 AM
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