Annotated Bibliography Project
The prompt for the assignment was to do research and create an annotated bibliography in preparation for the final research project of the semester. The purpose of this assignment was to teach the student how to create an effective annotated bibliography, as an annotated bibliography is the foundation of many different types of academic work including research assignments, thesis work, and dissertations. In addition, writing an annotated bibliography can help the student determine whether their research project is set up to be complete and coherent and whether their sources will thoroughly and thoughtfully answer your research question. I chose to research the subject Terraforming, and without further adieu, my annotated bibliography.
Annotated Bibliography: Terraforming
L. “Zyri” Wilds.
I am looking into how terraforming is represented in pop culture and what has changed/evolved/ or been used in modern science on making terraforming a reality. Not only will I be drawing from purely fictional sources, but I will also be looking into the theoretical, or better yet realistic, uses and attempts at terraforming. My research question is: How is Terraforming in pop-culture relatable to terraforming attempts and research in science today?
Clark, A. 1951. The sands of mars.
Sedgwick and Jackson. Retrieved on March 2nd, 2022, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0uECwi_rJ4
Written by Arthur C. Clark the Sands of Mars was published by Sedgwick and Jackson in 1951. Written before Earth had achieved space travel, Clark depicts an author traveling through space and visiting Mars. Mars in the story is partially inhabited by humans, though there is also native plants and animals on a vastly unexplored planet. Primarily used for research so the public thinks, you delve deeper into the story of the scientists terraforming the planet in secret.
I plan to utilize this information from The Sands of Mars to provide an example of terraforming in pop culture, this example because it was dated prior to space travel. I am hoping to find similarities as well as differences between pop culture and scientific forum.
“…terraforming, a word incidentally invented by science fictions grandest of the grand masters, Jack Williamson” (Clarke, 2:36).
Arthur C. Clarke. The Sands Of Mars. Audiobook Full (read by Vanessa Maroney). (2017, November 22). [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0uECwi_rJ4
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Heinlein, R. 1950. Farmer in the sky.
Charles Scribner’s Sons. Retrieved on March 3rd, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_LhijzuC8w
Farmer in the Sky written by Robert A. Heinlein was published by Charles Scribner’s Sons publication in 1950. The book depicts a father and son grieving the loss of the boy’s mother. They decide to take the several month space voyage on the Mayflower to Ganymede, Jupiter’s third moon. Upon arrival they must begin to face the dangers of living on a planet that is still in the process of being terraformed.
I think that Farmer in the Sky will provide a differing perspective on what it would be like to be living on a planet that is still in the process of being terraformed publicly, rather than in secret as in The Sands of Mars. I am also hoping that I will find different issues involved from either story as I continue to read them both. Also, the change in perspective from being invited to visit Mars, to having to quality to live on Ganymede (and run away from strict food rations).
“Only about one in ten can qualify. That’s the way it’s always been. Dad agreed. He said that this was the first time in history that some effort was being made to select the best stock for colonization. Instead of using the colonies as dumping grounds for misfits and criminals and failures” (22:06)
Farmer in the Sky book on tape by Robert a Heinlein. (2015, July 2). [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_LhijzuC8w
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Bruyere, V. 2019, October 1st. Terraformings.
Cognitivismo Clinico. Retrieved Feb 23rd, 2022, from UNM Libraries [PDF Document], https://eds-p-ebscohost-com.libproxy.unm.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=7&sid=0415bd7f-8539-458b-ba8f-ce15ec4f52fe%40redis
Terraformings by Vincent Bruyere and published by Cognitivismo Clinico in 2019 is an academic journal looking into terraforming as a colonial solution to disaster and crisis. The journal cross references several other fictional sources and does speak to some of the implications that terraforming would have on a planet and for its inhabitants.
I would like to use this academic journal to begin cross referencing not only what is available on terraforming in pop-culture but also what has been studied in the terms of its possible viability in interstellar travel and human existence. I am hoping to find a good connecting point farther in the article that will let me transition from fictional to factual.
“Terraforming, or planetary engineering, is a speculative domain of activity entertaining colonial solutions to extreme disaster and systemic crises in the age of special exploration” (Bruyere, Abstract)
BRUYERE, V. (2019). TERRAFORMINGS. Cognitivismo Clinico, 10(2), 39–64.
“Terraforming an unhospitable planet consists in editing out the planetary scenes that do not add up to the Earth-like conditions, thus leaving an infinite number of extraterrestrial sequences to a darkest of night possibility” (Bruyere, 45)
BRUYERE, V. (2019). TERRAFORMINGS. Cognitivismo Clinico, 10(2), 39–64.
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Schwartz, J. 2013, September 1st. On the moral permissibility of terraforming.
Ethics and the Environment. Retrieved March 2nd, 2022 from UNM Libraries [PDF Document], https://eds-s-ebscohost-com.libproxy.unm.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=7c19ce3a-4996-467e-b424-cfd263f9bb23%40redis
James S.J. Schwartz wrote On the Moral Permissibility of Terraforming and was published by Ethics and the Environment in 2013. Schwartz goes on to speak about the ethics and moral lines of interstellar travel. He further goes on to discuss the exploitation of space resources, and what is morally and ethically ‘to far’.
I would like to use Schwartz philosophic approach towards what could be considered inhumane and compare it to what pop-culture states on terraforming. Is the fantasy of terraforming morally unethical? What of other life on other planets, do we just over run their planet, steer clear, or try to find a middle ground. I intend to use this academic journal as another reference point between terraforming in pop culture and science.
“Are humans morally obligated to explore space? Are humans morally permitted to extract resources from celestial objects? What would the discovery of extraterrestrial life mean for the future of human space exploration, and how diligently must humans search for signs of such life? How might the exploration of space contribute to or detract from the solution of environmental problems on Earth?” (Schwartz, pg2, P2).
Schwartz James S. J. (2013). On the Moral Permissibility of Terraforming. Ethics & the Environment, 18(2), 1–31. https://doi-org.libproxy.unm.edu/10.2979/ethicsenviro.18.2.1
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Reflection:
The purpose of the assignment was to create an annotated bibliography, a reference list that gives a summary of the of each entry. I chose two different styles to compare from, pop-culture and academic journals to be specific. The main overlap between the fictional and factual genres is that terraforming is still fictional. So far, I have noticed that terraforming, in the fictional examples, is that there is always some sort of colonial need for a new planet. Now there is some scientific standing on the theoretical concept of terraforming, this is what I am hoping to find more of. I feel that as I go further into my research, I will be able to answer how terraforming in fictional pop-culture relates to academic research of terraforming as a possibility for humankind. There will likely be many unanswered questions at the end of my research for this project. I feel that I will have questions on pressure, atmospheric ratios, chemical compositions, and much more. Though those questions will have to be for future study, for this assignment is limited to its relation to pop culture.
I was surprised to hear the concept that colonizing planets would be used to dump criminals and miscreants rather than spread intelligent life. “The first time in history that some effort was being made to select the best stock for colonization. Instead of using the colonies as dumping grounds for misfits and criminals and failures” (Heinlein, 22:06) I had been akin to the concept that when interstellar travel and habitation on other planets had occurred that there would be a selection of skills and trades to promote civilized life, with essential skills and trades being the best regarded for colonization on another planet.
There were a couple of challenges along the way, one of which was that the first story I wanted I was unable to find. I am of course speaking of Collision Orbit by Jack Williamson. I wanted to use collision orbit because this was the first time in history, 1942, that the term ‘terraforming’ was used. Unfortunately, after several searches I have failed to find a complete copy yet. Also, to boot, I wasn’t sure all which stories would have a good about of actual terraforming, rather than just stories of travelling through space to an already terraformed planet. I looked primarily through the UNM Library, though I also used Google, Wikipedia, Good-Reads, and several other sites to gain complimentary information. My main source other than the UNM Library ended up being YouTube because I was able to find some of the books prerecorded for you to listen to. I chose to stay within the library’s selection for academic journals. Know that I am looking at this in the bigger picture (of terraforming within the scientific world), though I am narrowing it down to its relation within terraforming for this assignment. I am also drawing some inspiration from some other hypotheses that I have proposed in the art of terraforming.
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