What is your favourite work of science fiction, your endless fountain of spiritual wisdom?
2007-06-25 04:43:26 · 20 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
In the space of time it took me to think of what sci-fi I could put in this category, many folks on here voiced it for me--Stranger in a Strange Land was definitely up there, and Babylon 5 toppled Star Trek for me (not an easy feat!) with its spiritual themes and crossover ideas with Lord of the Rings and the Silmarillion. Cheers! Oh yeah, and don't forget C.M. Kornbluth's "The Marching Morons!" Reminds me of the original race of Earth wiped out by a virus from a dirty telephone in "Hitchhiker's Guide..." ok, it's a joke!
2007-06-25 05:47:59 · answer #1 · answered by Black Dog 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
OMG DATA.
I like a lot of different science fiction, Star Trek, Star Wars, Hitchhikers Guide, etc, but if we're going to talk about sci0fi that says something to me spiritually, I'd have to go with Stranger in a Strange Land. Amazing book.
2007-06-25 04:47:52 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
I really liked the Foundation/Robot series. I happen to greatly enjoy the works of the classic writers of science fiction such as Asimov, Clark and Bradbury.
though if your looking for a religion science fiction mix the star-gate TV series is great. The way they are able to intertwine mythology into the plot-line is truly impressive.
2007-06-25 04:49:57 · answer #3 · answered by Gamla Joe 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Heinlein is great for the spiritual side of SF, Stranger in a Strange Land is great, very positive. He also wrote one about God and the Devil battling it out called Job:A Comedy of Justice. Don't forget Aldus Huxley's Brave New World (we aren't cogs in a machine existing a spiritual vacuum). Also, for an unexpected SF take on the afterlife, read Peter F. Hamilton's Night's Dawn Trilogy. The request of naming my favorite is a hard one, but I tend to gravitate toward Heinlein and Hamilton.
2007-06-25 05:07:45 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
"He Who Shrank" by Henry Hasse recently made it to my favourite. Before that it was "Chocky" by John Wyndham. Chocky has a lot to say about a possible development of man's mind.
"The Saga of the Pliocene Exiles" by Julian May is also excellent for the attempt to bring spirituality into the realm of pseudoscience.
There's no spiritual wisdom inherent in sci-fi, except in that way that spiritual wisdom can be found anywhere.
2007-06-25 04:48:18 · answer #5 · answered by Dharma Nature 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Star Trek, specifically Star Trek the Next Generation. It's nice to pretend that humanity might rise to that level in the future.. a humanity that shuns materialism, war, poverty, and greed. Where the pursuit of knowledge is more important that the adherence to ancient faiths.
"It speaks to some basic human needs, that there is a tomorrow – it's not all going to be over in a big flash and a bomb, that the human race is improving, that we have things to be proud of as humans. No, ancient astronauts did not build the pyramids – human beings built them because they're clever and they work hard. And Star Trek is about those things." Gene Roddenberry
2007-06-25 05:11:02 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Robert Heinlein is one of the most inspirational sci fi writers I know. His vision of the future is so interesting and oddly loving and oddly rings so close to where we are now often.
Roddenberry's initial vision of the future has been a dream of many of us for a long time - although I think they took a wrong turn with Deep Space 9.
Asimov has given us a glimpse of understanding alternate existences though exhaustive study of artificial intelligence and alternate races that open our minds to possibilities we couldn't otherwise conceive.
Ultimately, though, I think Tom Robbins' "Jitterbug Perfume" has had the largest affect on my spiritual outlook. It seems vaguely sci fi, but maybe I am wrong.
Peace!
PS - I love your questions. Thanks for participating the way you do.
2007-06-25 05:41:08 · answer #7 · answered by carole 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Has to be Doctor Who, I've been watching and reading it since 1979 when I was six. I don't know about spiritual, but it generally displays good moral philosophy without beating you over the head with it..
I also love the Hitchhiker's Guide, Red Dwarf, and Terry Pratchett.
2007-06-25 04:47:18 · answer #8 · answered by Julia Sugarbaker 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There are lots of them, both books and television shows. Probably these have had the "messages" that have most inspired me:
The CIty and The Stars
Stranger in a Strange Land
Babylon 5
2007-06-25 04:55:43 · answer #9 · answered by Raven's Voice 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
[Keep in mind, these are all most Hard Sci-Fi novels] Books: Evolution, Ring, Genesis, Darwin's Radio & its sequel Darwin's Children, Foundation, Manifold: Time, Eon, Vacuum Diagrams, etc..
TV shows: Earth Final Conflict, Stargate, the 4400, Star Trek etc..
2007-06-25 04:48:50 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋