An Attempt to Colonise Extraterrestrial Land for Human Evolution - A Reading of Posthuman Condition and the Process of Disengagement from Earth in Man Plus by Frederick Pohl

Abstract

The novel Man Plus, written by Frederik Pohl, is a highly acclaimed science-fiction novel, portraying the issues present in a futuristic dystopian society where the fate of human existence is on the verge of collapse due to burgeoning population, hunger issues, and the threat of a worldwide thermal-nuclear war between the USA and China. The solution to the issue is regarded as a highly advanced and rather ambitious project to create a cyborg that can survive the harsh environment of Mars and essentially colonise it for human relocation. The paper aims to investigate the themes of the colonisation of extraterrestrial land on Mars and disengagement from Earth using posthumanist thought. A qualitative approach to thematic analysis is adopted for the paper. Through comprehensive discussions, it is revealed that reliance on posthumanist qualities created through technology may be threatening to humankind as the sentient technology is able to gain consciousness and act according to its own motives, indicating that colonisation is the beginning of oppression for humankind as well.