The Cold Equations

The 1950s were a golden age for science fiction writing. Americans had become increasingly interested in science for a number of reasons, including the explosion of the atom bomb at the end of the Second World War and the ensuing arms race with Cold War rival, the Soviet Union. These nuclear weapons developed since the Second World War could kill on an unprecedented level and made the possibility of nuclear holocaust increasingly real. Science fiction at this time entered high-technology fantasy lands while it simultaneously expressed concerns about the inhumane objectivity of science. Additionally, the Soviet Union’s portrayal in the American media, as a ruthless totalitarian regime that was the opposite of American democracy, also played a role in how writers like Godwin conceived the harsh laws of the space frontier.

A tension between the scientific calculation of an action that will benefit the majority, and the right of a personable individual to err and be forgiven, lies at the heart of “The Cold Equations.” On discovering that he has a stowaway in his ship, the nameless pilot barely has to steel himself to jettison the rule-breaker, who purports to sacrifice seven other lives for this misadventure. However, when

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