The cold equations

extraterrestrial liberty in science fiction

Stephen Baxter

pp. 13-31

in: Charles S. Cockell (ed), The meaning of liberty beyond earth, Berlin, Springer, 2015

Abstract

This chapter is about explorations of extraterrestrial liberty in science fiction. Depictions of colonies beyond the Earth, either in space or on other worlds, date back at least as far as Hale's "The Brick Moon" (1869). Many such works have explored the social and anthropological implications of off-Earth colonies, and as such have anticipated in fictional form much of the discussion elsewhere in this volume. These works of fiction, the result of more than a century's constructive speculation, serve as thought experiments on the subject. And by focussing on human characters, fiction may breathe fire into abstract theories of politics and society.