1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910783503703321

Autore

Swirski Peter <1963->

Titolo

Between literature and science [[electronic resource] ] : Poe, Lem, and explorations in aesthetics, cognitive science, and literary knowledge / / Peter Swirski

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Montreal, Que., : McGill-Queen's University Press, c2000

ISBN

1-282-85856-4

9786612858567

0-7735-6837-9

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (203 p.)

Disciplina

818/.309

Soggetti

Literature and science

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front Matter -- Contents -- Introduction -- The Pragmatic Side of Aesthetics -- Towards a New Epistemology -- An Essay in Cosmology -- There Is Science in My Philosophy -- The Future History of Biterature -- Of Machines and Men -- Conclusion: No Discipline Is an Island -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

Through close analysis of Eureka and The Purloined Letter, Swirski evaluates Poe's epistemological theses in the light of contemporary philosophy of science and presents literary interpretation as a cooperative game played by the author and reader, thereby illuminating how we read fiction. The analysis of Poe's little-studied Eureka provides the basis for his discussion of Lem's critique of scientific reductionism and futurological forecasts. Drawing on his own interviews with Lem as well as analysis of his works, Swirski considers the author's scenarios involving computers capable of creative acts and discusses their socio-cultural implications. His analysis leads to bold arguments about the nature of literature and its relation to a broad range of other disciplines.