ABSTRACT
The golems, puppets, cyborgs, and mutants of literature are manifestations of recognizable cultural neuroses, real psychological traumas, and the ever-fertile territory of visionary design. The Unabomber’s Cabin wasn’t removed from the community because anyone thought it was the embodiment of evil – even though it harbored a terrorist. As designers enter into collaborations with mathematicians, biologists, neurologists, and computer scientists, there is the opportunity to think more sympathetically about the prospect of designing life. The plot of Oryx and Crake revolves around an attempt to rid the world of hatred and jealousy by limiting the emotional intelligence of a race of creatures designed to replace volatile human beings; in other words, all human beings. Crake pays lip service to environmental degradation, much of which can be laid at the feet of design.
