The Scientific Grand Narrative in Select Contemporary American Science Fictions: A Utopian Dystopia

Abstract

The contemporary developed societies exhibit a postmodern tendency in its questioning of traditional grand narratives guiding the human society. However, parallelly the scientific language acts as the guiding light for these societies towards an uncharted
terrain. In the era of globalisation, every society is already super-saturated with sociocultural heterogeneity. Some thinkers like Fukuyama consider this to be the pinnacle of human progress. However, others like Derrida provide a contrary opinion. I would like
to argue that everything is tied together by the simple and fragile thread of technological and material progress.
This paper shall thus study if the scientific language replaces every other grand narrative to become a master narrative, and the aftermath of such an event. It will look into what may happen to the society when the grand narrative of material progress collapses. The paper shall aim to locate the nature of knowledge being pursued by the contemporary American society and it shall argue if it leads the society towards a utopian or dystopian future, or perhaps something altogether different beyond the binary.