What we have read:

“We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” (1966) by Philip K. Dick
Umland, Samuel J., Ed. Philip K. Dick: Contemporary Critical Interpretations

“Day Million” (1966) Frederick Pohl

“The Second Inquisition” (1970) by Joanna Russ

“Time Considered as a Helix of Precious Stones” (1969) by Samuel Delany

“About 5,750 Words” by Samuel Delany

“There Will Come Soft Rains” (1950) by Ray Bradbury

“Reason” (1941) by Isaac Asimov
“Tik-Tok and the Three Laws of Robotics” by Paul A. Abrahm and Stuart Kenter (1978)

“An Interview with Isaac Asimov” (1987)

“Fondly Fahrenheit” (1954) by Alfred Bester

“Helen O’Loy” (1938) by Lester Del Rey

Common themes and concerns:

1/ there is some confusion or disorientation at the beginning of the story that is generally cleared up by the end

2/ all of the stories deal in some way with advanced technologies

3/ all of the stories are concerned in some way with the fate of humanity

4/ all of the stories try to guess what the future will look like

5/ all of the protagonists are affected or impacted by technologies, which are sometimes good and sometimes bad and usually involve a lot of tradeoffs

6/ many of the stories deal in some way with the relationships between humans and machines and/or nature and culture/society

What Do You Think About Machines That Think? (2015)
Marcus, Gary.  “Moral Machines” (2012)
Joy, Bill.  “Why The Future Doesn’t Need Us” (2000)
Lanier, Jaron.  “Who Owns the Future?” (2013)

7/ All of the stories are interconnected.  The authors write in response to the themes, characters, plots, and settings of other authors

Key questions:

1/ What may be/is the fate and/or role of humanity in a world of apparently endless technological progress?  What might be done to better address the human needs of human beings in the current socio-economic and technological context?

2/ How should relationships between humans and machines be conceived?  What differences exist between humans and machines?  What similarities?  What are the consequences of portraying or conceptualizing of humans as inferior machines?

3/ Why do “we” read science fiction?  Have the purposes of the “genre” changed over time?  If so, why?

4/ What similarities and differences exist among science fiction texts in different media?

Some Additional Articles from SFS:

http://www.depauw.edu/sfs/backissues/18/barnouw18art.htm