Reinventing Utopia: Politics and Ethics of Choice in the Works of Kim Stanley Robinson

Abstract

What does a modern utopian program look like within contemporary science fiction? The best focus for a discussion on this topic is probably the works of the American author Kim Stanley Robinson (b. 1952). Located in the tradition of the Humanists (see below), Robinson can be regarded as a prime example of a political science fiction writer, for at least two reasons. Firstly, this is because the messages of his writings appear to be positioned distinctly to the left of the political spectrum, when compared with mainstream American politics. Secondly, this is because many of his texts work with scenarios set in the near (sometimes very near), or at any rate not too distant, future, with characters who often engage in explicitly political discussions and actions. This combination of elements makes Robinson’s works eminently suited to serve as inspiration for (and discussions on) political activism. Building in part on an analysis of Robinson’s relations with the Humanist tradition in modern science fiction, and in part on a discussion of some of the developments within utopian science fiction in general, the purpose of this chapter is therefore to extract Robinson’s political program, to the extent that it can be crystallised from reading several of his major works.