Human Interference : Michael Crichton 's The Andromeda Strain

In the book, The Andromeda Strain there is a problem that faces mankind. This problem is a strange virus that comes to Earth from an unmanned satellite, which was in space. This satellite crashes into a small town in Arizona, which has a population of 38 people.

In his affirmations, Crichton portrays the narrative of the Andromeda Strain as an "story of heroism and intelligence." Although the researchers commit numerous errors, they do seek after their assignment with valor and determination. In any case, they indicate prescience in imagining the likelihood of an outsider microscopic organisms coming to earth in a returning satellite. Stone specifically is a visionary on the grounds that he is one of only a handful of researchers who seriously consider Rudolph Karp's case to have found microbes in meteors . Amid the emergency, the researchers run about their errands with rationale and accuracy. They are constant in their quest for information, getting little rest amid the four days the emergency endures.

Every text is a product of its time. In Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”, she uses the gothic horror genre to explore some of the concerns of her time relating to the use of science and technology and its impact on humanity. Similar concerns are also present in Ridley Scott’s “Bladerunner”, a futuristic text which combines science fiction and film noir to present a bleak view of a future world overrun by technology and consumerism, but devoid of human emotion. Both these texts offer insights into the human experience namely between man and science and man and nature.

“Technology... is a queer thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other.”- Carrie Snow. Just as Carrie Snow mentions, science and technology are glorious things that can help and benefit nearly everyone! But anything can turn bad… in one case, scientific knowledge created the atomic energy which was created in a chance to strive forward, but instead left us farther behind than we should.

A childhood such as Truman Capote (Born in New Orleans in 1924) is hard to believe because of the type of writer he was. Capote was abandoned by his mother and raised by his aunts and cousins in Monroeville, Alabama. As a child he lived a very lonely life. He struggled with dealing with the fact that his mother abandoned him. Due to this emptiness was what led him to become a writer. He (Capote) states “I began writing really sort of seriously when I was about eleven. I say seriously in the sense that like other kids go home and practice the violin or the piano or whatever; I used to go home from school every day and I would write for about three hours. I was obsessed by it”, he was definitely decided to be

At such a young age, Truman began to write. His inspiration for writing led to him working at The New Yorker. It was here that he could finally flaunt his skill for writing. Truman wrote short stories and articles. At the age of seventeen,

Technology is too much for humans too handle. Humans are do not have the ability to handle technology in a mature way. Technology makes us believe that the quantity of life over the quality of life is worth more and we rely our everyday activities and duties on technology. Life support, mechanicalized emotions, manufactured organs, and medicines are technology based essentials that keep Sylvia alive in the sci-fi story “Fortitude”. Dr.Norbert Frankenstein

“Technology is a queer thing. It brings gifts in one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other,” as quoted by American stand-up comedian Carrie Snow. As aforementioned by Snow, technology is an anomaly itself since it is composed of a staggering amounts of attributes, ranging from moral to physical attributes specifically, that have yet to be established or even discovered. These aspects seem to be established for when it comes to developing any form of technological progress. Even as simple as it seems to ponder the concept of technology, it is rather stunning to process as well. It all seems to be due to the thought of not knowing the outcome of any advancement in technology. Unfortunately, there is also the other side of technology

In his acknowledgements, Crichton describes the story of the Andromeda Strain as a "chronicle of heroism and intelligence." Although the scientists make many mistakes, they do pursue their task with courage and tenacity. In the first place, they show foresight in even envisioning the possibility of an alien bacteria coming to earth in a returning satellite. Stone in particular is a visionary because he is one of the few scientists who take seriously Rudolph Karp's claim to have discovered bacteria in meteorites. During the crisis, the scientists go about their tasks with logic and precision. They are relentless in their pursuit of knowledge, getting little sleep during the four days the crisis lasts. At no point do

Scientific advancements push the realms of nature hindering the purity of our humanity. Both texts; ‘Frankenstein’ written by Mary Shelley and ‘ Blade runner (directors cut)’ directed by Ridley Scott examine what it is to be human and force us to question has science gone to far?. Through a comparative study, it is apparent that context has heavily affected their form and values which then are able to represent ideas that continue to resonate through time. Shelly’s epistolary novel and Scotts dystopian science fiction film are both common forms of their day, and best reflect their contextual issues.

We are surrounded by technology and new inventions every day. At first glance, new inventions may seem to be a positive thing, however, as Tolle says, we eventually see how destructive new inventions can become. His example of this is World War 1, he says that “technology and science multiplied the effects of human madness a thousand times” (7) he then goes to say that “we had to turn our faces away” (7). By saying this, Tolle reinforces the idea that we can destroy the planet without realizing what we’re doing. The First World War was “approached through the conceptualizing mind” (7) thus it was reduced and because of this we were able to cause so much

about human nature and to engage in a critique of human psychology. (Thesis) While Verne’s elaborate descriptions of novel technologies reflects human optimism over technological advancement, Wells and Forster’s works serve to underscore human vulnerability to nature and technology, respectively.

and proper use of science because of technology in her short story, The Imagination of Disaster. “The standard message is the one about the proper, or humane, use of science, versus the mad, obsessional use of science” (Sontag pg 6). Sontag acknowledges the mad and crazy use of science towards her

As a course pertaining to ideas of science and technology in contemporary literature, it provides an opportunity to look at science and technology at its rise and examine the changes it has made as well the similarities it has maintained up until present day. Temporally speaking, the syllabus provides Thomas Pynchon’s “The Crying of Lot 49”, written in 1965, and progresses up to 2010 with Jennifer Egan’s novel, “A Visit from the Goon Squad.” Because the world of science and technology relentlessly progresses, the years separating each novel from the present

Whether you are a fan of science fiction movies or not, it is clear that their hypothetical nature provides an interesting perspective on how people would cope with concerns raised by technological advancement and the ethical choice they have to make. The movie Passengers (2016) offers a great example of these dilemmas and really emphasizes the human element of dealing with technology.