After the catastrophe : what can we learn from fictional apocalyptic scenarios?

Kovács, Gusztáv (author)

Narratives often take the form of a thought experiment, trigger intuitive responses, and aim at the moral conversion of the audience. The current article introduces two stories concerning the environmental crisis, Richard Routley’s Last Man Thought Experiment from 1973, and the satirical film Don’t Look Up from 2021. Although they belong to different genres, both function as thought experiments designed to highlight issues of ecological concern. The article provides an analysis of the context and argumentation of the two imaginary scenarios and of the way they motivate responsible action. They both offer an adequate but differing criticism of their contemporary societies and might help to overcome the triviality of the talk about an impending environmental catastrophe.

• Language: English
• Keywords: environmental crisis, thought experiment, apocalyptic scenarios, Last man, Don’t look up, Richard Routley
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: TEOF - Theological Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 01.01.2022
• Year: 2022
• Number of pages: Str. 365-375
• Numbering: Letn. 82, [št.] 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-164102
• UDC: 2-175.2:502/504
• ISSN on article: 0006-5722
• DOI: 10.34291/BV2022/02/Kovacs
• COBISS.SI-ID: 125823491
• Publication date in RUL: 17.10.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Bogoslovni vestnik
• Shortened title: Bogosl. vestn.
• Publisher: Bogoslovna akademija, Bogoslovna akademija, Teološka fakulteta v Ljubljani, Teološka fakulteta Univerze v Ljubljani, Založba Univerze v Ljubljani
• ISSN: 0006-5722
• COBISS.SI-ID: 8745472

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Po katastrofi : kaj se lahko naučimo iz domišljijskih apokaliptičnih scenarijev?

Abstract

Pripovedi se pogosto pojavljajo v obliki miselnih eksperimentov, sprožajo intuitivne odzive in težijo k moralni spreobrnitvi gledalcev. Prispevek obravnava dve zgodbi na temo okoljske krize: Miselni eksperiment poslednjega človeka Richarda Routleya iz leta 1973 in satirični film Ne glejte gor iz leta 2021. Čeprav sta različnih zvrsti, obe zgodbi delujeta kot miselni eksperiment za poudarjanje ekološke občutljivosti. Prispevek ponuja analizo konteksta in argumentacije obeh domišljijskih scenarijev ter načina, kako motivirata odziv z odgovornimi dejanji. Oba scenarija ponujata ustrezno in hkrati medsebojno različno kritiko sodobne družbe – in lahko pripomoreta k preseganju trivialnosti, ko se govori o grozeči okoljski katastrofi.

• Keywords: okoljska kriza, miselni eksperiment, apokaliptični scenariji, Poslednji človek, Ne glejte gor, Richard Routley