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Publication Date
Fall 2020
Degree Type
Thesis - Campus Access Only
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Department
English and Comparative Literature
Advisor
Selena Anderson
Subject Areas
Creative writing
Abstract
Mankind has created a future where there are three distinct genetic variations of human being and technology lets you alter your genetics at will; how do you define humanity in the face of that? That is the overall theme of these five short sci-fi stories: figuring out what it means to be human in an era where gender, sex, genealogy, science, race, and religion have all morphed into atypical forms. What is different from the past, what is the same as the past, and is there actually any real difference between then and now? When technology makes resources nearly unlimited, faster-than-light travel possible, and planetary overpopulation a non-issue, how do you justify war? When an exponentially growing population of non-traditional human beings can both spread and carry seed in the same body, how do you justify homophobia and sexual discrimination? How do you relate to a person who has no need or reason to identify with one sex or another because they are both? What happens to religious culture when sex and gender lose their potency as tools of discrimination? Neo Sapiens are the social monkey wrench prompting these questions in a future where traditional Homo Sapiens are still the dominant genetic variant of the species, but the growing presence of their Neo Sapien cousins cannot be ignored. The Del Rio family is the focus of the narrative because they are a dynasty with extensive influence, full of extremely flawed people.
Recommended Citation
Holmes, Robert Webb Hunter, "How Do I Human?" (2020). Master's Theses. 5146.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31979/etd.7kez-svrz
https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_theses/5146
