{"product_id":"prophets-of-the-posthuman-american-fiction-biotechnology-and-the-ethics-of-personhood-paperback","title":"Prophets of the Posthuman: American Fiction, Biotechnology, and the Ethics of Personhood - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eChristina Bieber Lake\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eProphets of the Posthuman\u003c\/i\u003e provides a fresh and original reading of fictional narratives that raise the question of what it means to be human in the face of rapidly developing bioenhancement technologies. Christina Bieber Lake argues that works by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Walker Percy, Flannery O'Connor, Toni Morrison, George Saunders, Marilynne Robinson, Raymond Carver, James Tiptree, Jr., and Margaret Atwood must be reevaluated in light of their contributions to larger ethical questions. Drawing on a wide range of sources in philosophical and theological ethics, Lake claims that these writers share a commitment to maintaining a category of personhood more meaningful than that allowed by utilitarian ethics. \u003ci\u003eProphets of the Posthuman\u003c\/i\u003e insists that because technology can never ask whether we should do something that we have the power to do, literature must step into that role.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEach of the chapters of this interdisciplinary study sets up a typical ethical scenario regarding human enhancement technology and then illustrates how a work of fiction uniquely speaks to that scenario, exposing a realm of human motivations that might otherwise be overlooked or simplified. Through the vision of the writers she discusses, Lake uncovers a deep critique of the ascendancy of personal autonomy as America's most cherished value. This ascendancy, coupled with technology's glamorous promises of happiness, helps to shape a utilitarian view of persons that makes responsible ethical behavior toward one another almost impossible. \u003ci\u003eProphets of the Posthuman\u003c\/i\u003e charts the essential role that literature must play in the continuing conversation of what it means to be human in a posthuman world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChristina Bieber Lake is the Clyde S. Kilby professor of English at Wheaton College. She is the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Incarnational Art of Flannery O'Connor\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 264\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.6 x 8.9 x 5.9 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e March 15, 2016\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45837523091653,"sku":"9780268022365","price":68.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0757\/6718\/5605\/files\/CuA0El2cZ9780268022365.webp?v=1771281423","url":"https:\/\/selloorium.com\/products\/prophets-of-the-posthuman-american-fiction-biotechnology-and-the-ethics-of-personhood-paperback","provider":"Selloorium","version":"1.0","type":"link"}