Science Fiction and Ontologies of Leadership
Abstract
Abstract: The role of leadership in science fiction receives a particular analysis which is based on what can be termed transhumanist novels published in Italy between 2008 and 2013. The main purpose of this study is to answer the following question: What happens to (the nature of) leadership in a technologically-driven society? Four novels form the backbone of the description of futuristic leadership. The four conclusions drawn from this analysis regarding the nature of leadership in a technologically-driven society point to a much greater need for leadership studies to pay attention to technological advances (and the philosophical underpinnings of, specifically, transhumanism). The impact of nano-bio-technology affecting the role of leaders, followers, goals, alignment, commitment has ontological repercussions on the manner in which (augmented and unaugmented) humans deal with each other. If early augmented humans/cyborgs and any other sentient beings are in fact comparable to Giambattista Vico’s brutes, and if his corsi e ricorsi (ebbs and flows) of human history can apply to non-human, sentient beings’ history, then the work is cut out for all disciplines, but especially for those which deal with ontologies of leadership.
Keywords: Science Fiction; Ontology; Leadership; Giambattista Vico; Transhumanism.
La science fiction e le ontologie della leadership
Riassunto: Il ruolo della leadership nella science fiction è analizzato in base ad alcuni romanzi trasumanisti pubblicati in Italia tra il 2008 e il 2013. L’intento principale di questo studio è rispondere a questa domanda: cosa accade alla (natura della) leadership in una società guidata dalla tecnologia? Quattro romanzi costituiscono l’ossatura per descrivere la leadership futuristica. Le quattro tesi principali sulla natura della leadership in una società altamente tecnologica che derivano da questa analisi indicano come vi sia grande necessità per gli studi sulla leadership di prestare attenzione agli sviluppi tecnologici (in particolare alle fondamenta filosofiche soprattutto del transumanismo). L’impatto delle nano-bio-tecnologie sulla funzione di leader, follower, obiettivi, convergenze e impegno ha ripercussioni ontologiche sull’interazione tra esseri umani (potenziati o meno che siano). Se umani potenziati, androidi o qualunque altra creatura senziente sono de facto comparabili ai bruti di Gianbattista Vico e se i corsi e ricorsi della storia umana possono applicarsi anche alla storia di creature senzienti non umane, allora i compiti di ogni disciplina sono già definiti, in particolare per quelle che si occupano delle ontologie della leadership.
Parole chiave: Science Fiction; Ontologia; Leadership; Giambattista Vico; Transumanismo.
Parole chiave
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PDFRiferimenti bibliografici
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.4453/rifp.2014.0028
Copyright (c) 2014 Jana Vizmuller-Zocco
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