Earliest sci fi story lines featuring corporate domination.
October 27, 2008 11:05 AM Subscribe
A friend is searching for early references in science fiction literature (a genre that I am not very well read in) where a corporation runs the world. I thought of Philip K. Dick's 1968 novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Are there earlier references?
Haldeman's MindBridge isn't about corporations running the world, but that's part of the story (they also run the major religions). However, I now see it was written in 1976. Gonna plug it anyway. Great book.
posted by nax at 11:24 AM on October 27, 2008
posted by nax at 11:24 AM on October 27, 2008
The Demolished Man, from 1953, is considered one of the first sci-fi novels to have that cyberpunk "megacorps run everything" flavor.
posted by johngoren at 11:25 AM on October 27, 2008
posted by johngoren at 11:25 AM on October 27, 2008
By no means the earliest, I'm sure, but Pohl and Kornbluth's 1953 The Space Merchants might qualify despite, as I recall, having a syndicate of corporations running the world:
In a vastly overpopulated world, businesses have taken the place of governments and now hold all political power. States exist merely to ensure the survival of huge trans-national corporations.
posted by jamjam at 11:26 AM on October 27, 2008
In a vastly overpopulated world, businesses have taken the place of governments and now hold all political power. States exist merely to ensure the survival of huge trans-national corporations.
posted by jamjam at 11:26 AM on October 27, 2008
The Sleeper Awakes, H.G. Wells, 1910.
The story follows the fortunes of a late nineteenth century Englishman identified only as Graham. After a struggle with a highly unusual case of insomnia, Graham falls into a strange coma referred to by Wells as a "trance." He awakens two hundred years later to find that he has inherited sizeable wealth. During that time, his money was put into a trust which managed Graham's money in his name. Over the years, the members of that trust used Graham's unprecedented wealth to establish a vast political and economic order that spans the entire world.
posted by Fuzzy Monster at 11:30 AM on October 27, 2008
The story follows the fortunes of a late nineteenth century Englishman identified only as Graham. After a struggle with a highly unusual case of insomnia, Graham falls into a strange coma referred to by Wells as a "trance." He awakens two hundred years later to find that he has inherited sizeable wealth. During that time, his money was put into a trust which managed Graham's money in his name. Over the years, the members of that trust used Graham's unprecedented wealth to establish a vast political and economic order that spans the entire world.
posted by Fuzzy Monster at 11:30 AM on October 27, 2008
Snow Crash. Not one corporation, but many big ones.
posted by ewkpates at 12:22 PM on October 27, 2008
posted by ewkpates at 12:22 PM on October 27, 2008
Fuzzy Monster is on the right track, but it's worth pointing out that in a lot of the forefathers of science fiction--late-19th/early-20th century authors--it isn't that easy to tell whether the author is talking about a government or a corporation. Details weren't necessarily delved into to the extent that would permit one to make such a distinction.
A good example is E. M. Forester's "The Machine Stops". It's not clear from the story whether The Machine is run by a world-state or a megacorp, but it doesn't really matter for the purposes of the story.
posted by valkyryn at 12:46 PM on October 27, 2008
A good example is E. M. Forester's "The Machine Stops". It's not clear from the story whether The Machine is run by a world-state or a megacorp, but it doesn't really matter for the purposes of the story.
posted by valkyryn at 12:46 PM on October 27, 2008
Jack London wrote a futuristic, dystopian novel called The Iron Heel in 1908 describing a socialist revolution against an oligarchy who derives its power from monopoly trusts.
posted by nanojath at 1:15 PM on October 27, 2008
posted by nanojath at 1:15 PM on October 27, 2008
Robert Sheckley's Immortality Incorporated (1959). An excellent, very funny and thought-provoking read...
posted by Chairboy at 1:29 PM on October 27, 2008
posted by Chairboy at 1:29 PM on October 27, 2008
Pohl and Kornbluth were also on the case in Gladiator-at-Law in '54. Various Sheckley short stories like "Cost of Living", 1952. Heinlein's "Logic of Empire", 1941. It was a commonplace theme in the fifties.
posted by Zed_Lopez at 10:34 AM on October 28, 2008
posted by Zed_Lopez at 10:34 AM on October 28, 2008
The Machine Stops featutures a single monolithic machine that takes care of all humanities needs and which humanity lives in.
posted by Artw at 12:16 PM on October 28, 2008
posted by Artw at 12:16 PM on October 28, 2008
(That's probbaly more of a Socialist vision, being a response to HG Wells, but I'm sure it informed the corporatre visions of 50s SF)
posted by Artw at 12:17 PM on October 28, 2008
posted by Artw at 12:17 PM on October 28, 2008
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posted by pracowity at 11:20 AM on October 27, 2008