Looking at the Chemocratic World: A Dystopian Reading of “The Futurological Congress” by Stanislaw Lem

Abstract

The concept of dystopia or anti-utopia goes beyond what is imagined as an ideal world; it is used to describe works that include the chaos, political problems, despair, and impossibility that humanity is dragged into. Stanislaw Lem, who was influenced by the changing life patterns after the Ukrainian invasion and the Nazi occupation, discussed the concept of dystopia together with the drug theme in his work The Futurological Congress (1971). As humanity's expectations from technology increase, the contents of dystopian works have also become richer. As a result, a universe focused entirely on living with drugs was depicted in his work. Greed and careless consumption of resources have led to the disruption of world order and population explosion. This article aims to examine the chemocratic universe of Lem's work The Futurological Congress, by focusing on the effect of drug-centered government on the characters, in line with the characteristics of dystopian works. In this research, the hallucinatory journeys of the character named Ijon Tichy and the problems he encounters are examined. Tichy, who hallucinates due to the drugs, and those in the sewer where he hides find themselves in a grotesque adventure. By examining the characteristics of dystopian works, the effects of drugs and benignimizers reaching the social lives of the characters are examined. The article focuses on examining the efforts to adapt to the so-called utopian but dystopian life depicted in the novel, which has many drug problems.

Keywords

• dystopia
• grotesque
• chemocratic
• The Futurological Congress
• Ijon Tichy

Kemokratik Dünyaya Bakış: Stanislaw Lem'in "Gelecekbilim Kongresi"nin Distopik Bir Okuması

Öz

Distopya veya anti-ütopya kavramı ideal bir dünya olarak hayal edilenin ötesindedir; insanlığın sürüklendiği kaosu, siyasi sorunları, çaresizliği, imkansızlığı içeren eserleri anlatmak için kullanılır. Ukrayna işgali ve Nazi işgali sonrasında değişen yaşam kalıplarından etkilenen Stanislaw Lem, Gelecekbilim Kongresi (1971) adlı eserinde distopya kavramını uyuşturucu temasıyla birlikte ele almıştır. İnsanlığın teknolojiden olan beklentisinin artmasıyla distopik eserlerin içerikleri de zenginleşmiştir. Sonuç olarak Gelecekbilim Kongresi (1971) eserinde tamamen uyuşturucuyla yaşamaya odaklı bir evren resmedilmiştir. Hırs ve dikkatsiz kaynak tüketimi dünya düzeninin bozulmasına ve nüfus patlamasına sebep olmuştur. Bu makale, Lem’in Gelecekbilim Kongresi adlı eserinin distopik eserlerin özellikleri doğrultusunda uyuşturucu merkezli yönetimin karakterler üzerindeki etkisine odaklanarak kemokratik evrenini incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu araştırmada Ijon Tichy adlı karakterin yaşadığı halüsinatif yolculuklar ve karşılaştığı problemler incelenmektedir. Kullanılan gazlar nedeniyle halüsinasyon gören Tichy ve saklandığı kanalizasyonda bulunanlar kendilerini grotesk bir maceranın içinde bulur. Distopik eser özellikleri irdelenerek uyuşturucunun karakterlerin sosyal yaşamına kadar ulaşmasının etkileri incelenmektedir. Makale, romanda tasvir edilen sözde ütopik fakat gerçekte birçok uyuşturucu problemi olan distopik hayatın içinde uyum sağlama çabalarını incelemeye odaklanmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• distopya
• grotesk
• kemokratik
• Gelecekbilim Kongresi
• Ijon Tichy

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