Anthropology in the machine age, science fiction as applied sociology: Kurt Vonnegut’s Player Piano and the triumph of the technological fétiche in 20th Century

Authors

  • Francisco Rüdiger Pucrs- Famecos

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15448/1984-7289.2009.2.4721

Keywords:

Kurt Vonnegut, Technological fetishism, Cultural studies of technology

Abstract

Kurt Vonnegut’s Player piano literally elaborates an analysis of the triumph of the technological fetishism in the mass society of twentieth century, adopting a humanistic point of view that, despites its resignation, does not succumb to ideology, due to its ironical and reflexive attitude. The article exposes the hypothesis and provides evidences, allowing its discussion and its eventual acceptance, stressing the interfaces between the sociological reflection and science fiction literature according the way they were thought by Wright Mills.

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Author Biography

Francisco Rüdiger, Pucrs- Famecos

Doutor em ciências sociais pela Universidade de São Paulo, professor da Pontifícia Universidade Católica e Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul.

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Published

2009-12-10

How to Cite

Rüdiger, F. (2009). Anthropology in the machine age, science fiction as applied sociology: Kurt Vonnegut’s Player Piano and the triumph of the technological fétiche in 20th Century. Civitas: Journal of Social Sciences, 9(2), 197–208. https://doi.org/10.15448/1984-7289.2009.2.4721

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 2 (2009): Cyberspace: contributions of the Brasilian social sciences

Section

Dossier

License

Copyright (c) 2016 Civitas – Journal of Social Sciences

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