Abstract
This paper, through a reading of the novel A Psalm for the Wild-Built (2022), by Becky Chambers, argues for the ability of science fiction to create other ways of inhabiting the world, and examines the ways in which this genre can help us come up with alternative ways to live – and die – better in a world in crisis. In order to understand how the genre of science fiction can help us “stay with the trouble” and think about more harmonic, inclusive and caring ways of inhabiting the world, we engage with Donna Haraway's (2016) reflections on SF and explore the issues of vulnerability as described by Judith Butler (2019; 2021), as well as the notions of fiction in Ursula Le Guin's “The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction” (1989) and the discussion about care in Maria Puig de la Bellacasa's work (2012; 2017).
Keywords
SF; vulnerability; care; climate crisis