Between science and science fiction – the case of the Manhattan project: H. G. Wells, L. Szilard, and the nuclear narratives of World War II from U.S.A. to U.S.S.R.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14512/tatup.7273Keywords:
science, fiction, atomic, bomb, ManhattanAbstract
The article examines the relationship between the technical science behind the Manhattan Project and its depictions in the literary genre of science fiction. It analyzes the complex connection between science and science fiction using the example of the invention of the atomic bomb and its positioning between the pre- and post-atomic eras. Drawing on the works of writers and scientists such as H. G. Wells and Leo Szilard, the article explores how ideas about nuclear technology were articulated, interpreted, and contested in science fiction in relation to scientific facts. The central research question is to what extent science fiction functioned as a mediating space where emerging nuclear technologies were reflected upon with regard to issues such as deterrence doctrine, political responsibility, and the ethical implications of technological power.References
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