Post-humanistic Future and Society 6.0 in Indian Science Fiction Literature: A study of S. B. Divya's Machinehood and Samit Basu's The City Inside

Abstract

Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between posthumanism and Society 6.0 in the context of the contemporary Indian English science fiction. In the era of Society 6.0, AI, biotechnology, and digital ecosystems are transforming the concept of identity, labour, and ethics in the human-machine symbiosis. This study attempts to critically discuss the educational texts on posthumanism philosophy of S.B. Divya's Machinehood and Samit Basu's The City Inside in the context of these techno-social changes. In Machinehood, the authors talk about the merging of biotechnology into the human body and the ethical issues that AI humans must confront when attempting to be recognised, and The City Inside looks at algorithmic monitoring, digital labour, and scattered virtual subjectivities. They all discuss themes of drug abuse, surveillance capitalism and the gig economy, in addition to having a more general discussion of humanity in an era of rapid technological advancement. The study claims that Indian science fiction provides a different set of lenses through which to view the posthuman future on a global scale through the lens of Society 6.0.