Although anthropologists maintain that myths exist in all societies, they tend to concern themselves with myths collected elsewhere and/or written in other time periods. The analysis of a representative sample of works of science fiction dealing with the theme of reproduction suggests that science fiction is, properly speaking, a mythological corpus. It reveals the underpinnings of contemporary Western thought regarding sexual and cultural difference, and underscores the persistence of an evolutionist, and therefore racist ideology. Taking contemporary Western popular imagery seriously reveals the importance of certain general, albeit largely neglected aspects of mythology: auto-reflexivity and the ethical questioning it implies.
Myth; Sex; Procreation; Science fiction; Alien