science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

, uplift is a developmental process to transform a certain species of animals into more intelligent beings by other, already-intelligent beings. This is usually accomplished by cultural, technological, or evolutional interventions like

genetic engineering Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including ...

but any fictional or real process can be used. The earliest appearance of the concept is in H. G. Wells's 1896 novel '' The Island of Doctor Moreau'', and more recently appears in

David Brin Glen David Brin (born October 6, 1950) is an American scientist and author of science fiction. He has won the Hugo,Uplift series'' and other science fiction works.

History of the concept

The concept can be traced to H. G. Wells's novel '' The Island of Doctor Moreau'' (1896),FROM THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU TO LIVES OF THE MONSTER DOGS: UPLIFTED ANIMALS, WISH FULFILLMENT, AND ORIGINAL SIN
at web.syr.edu in which the titular scientist transforms animals into horrifying parodies of humans through surgery and psychological torment. The resulting animal-people obsessively recite the Law, a series of prohibitions against reversion to animal behaviors, with the haunting refrain of "Are we not men?" Wells's novel reflects Victorian concerns about

vivisection Vivisection () is surgery conducted for experimental purposes on a living organism, typically animals with a central nervous system, to view living internal structure. The word is, more broadly, used as a pejorative catch-all term for experiment ...

and of the power of unrestrained scientific experimentation to do terrible harm. Other early literary examples can be found in the following works: *

Mikhail Bulgakov Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov ( rus, links=no, Михаил Афанасьевич Булгаков, p=mʲɪxɐˈil ɐfɐˈnasʲjɪvʲɪtɕ bʊlˈɡakəf; – 10 March 1940) was a Soviet writer, medical doctor, and playwright active in the fir ...

's '' Heart of a Dog'' (1921) tells the story of a stray dog, who is found by a surgeon, and undergoes extensive brain surgery for experimental purposes to create a New Soviet man. * L. Sprague de Camp's "Johnny Black" stories (beginning with " The Command") about a black bear raised to human-level intelligence, published in '' Astounding Science-Fiction'' from 1938–1940. *

Olaf Stapledon William Olaf Stapledon (10 May 1886 – 6 September 1950) – known as Olaf Stapledon – was a British philosopher and author of science fiction.Andy Sawyer, " illiamOlaf Stapledon (1886-1950)", in Bould, Mark, et al, eds. ''Fifty Key Figures ...

's ''

Sirius Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Greek word , or , meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated α Canis Majoris, Latinized to Alpha Canis Majoris, and abbreviated Alpha CM ...

'' (1944) explores a dog with human intelligence. * In

Cordwainer Smith Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger (July 11, 1913 – August 6, 1966), better known by his pen-name Cordwainer Smith, was an American author known for his science fiction works. Linebarger was a US Army officer, a noted East Asia scholar, and a ...

's ''

Instrumentality of Mankind In the science fiction of Cordwainer Smith, the Instrumentality of Mankind refers both to Smith's personal future history and universe and to the central government of humanity within that fictional universe. ''The Instrumentality of Mankind'' is ...

'' series "underpeople" are created from animals through unexplained technological means explicitly to be servants of humanity, and were often treated as less than slaves by the society that used them, until the laws were reformed in the story "

The Ballad of Lost C'Mell "The Ballad of Lost C'Mell" is a science fiction novella by American writer Cordwainer Smith. It was first published in October 1962 in ''Galaxy Magazine'', and since reprinted in several compilations and omnibus editions. The main characters ar ...

" (1962). Smith's characterizations of underpeople are frequently quite sympathetic, and one of his most memorable characters is C'Mell, the cat-woman who appears in "The Ballad of Lost C'Mell" and in ''

Norstrilia ''Norstrilia'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Paul Linebarger, published under the pseudonym Cordwainer Smith. It is the only novel he published under this name, which he used for his science fiction works (though several related ...

'' (1975). David Brin has stated that his

Uplift Universe The Uplift Universe is a fictional universe created by American science fiction writer David Brin. A central feature in this universe is the process of biological uplift. His books which take place in this universe are: * '' Sundiver'' (1980) * ' ...

was written at least in part in response to the common assumption in earlier science fiction such as Smith's work and ''

Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...

'' that uplifted animals would, or even should, be treated as possessions rather than people.David Brin
at www.scifi.com As a result, a significant part of the conflict in the series revolves around the differing policies of Galactics and humans toward their client races. Galactic races traditionally hold their uplifted "clients" in a hundred-millennium-long

indenture An indenture is a legal contract that reflects or covers a debt or purchase obligation. It specifically refers to two types of practices: in historical usage, an indentured servant status, and in modern usage, it is an instrument used for commercia ...

, during which the "patrons" have extensive rights and claims over clients' lives and labor power. In contrast, humans have given their uplifted

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the b ...

s and chimpanzees near-equal

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life ...

, with a few legal and economic disabilities related to their unfinished state. A key scene in ''

Startide Rising ''Startide Rising'' is a 1983 science fiction novel by American writer David Brin, the second book of six set in his Uplift Universe (preceded by '' Sundiver'' and followed by '' The Uplift War''). It earned both Hugo and Nebula Awards for Best ...

'' is a discussion between a self-aware computer (the Niss) and a leading human (Gillian) about how the events during their venture (and hence the novel's plot) relate to the morality of the Galactics' system of uplift.

Uplifting in science fiction

Timeline of works

Related terms and ideas

* Accelerated (Evolution): In the graphic novel ''

Grease Monkey ''Grease Monkey'' is a comic book created by Tim Eldred. There were two issues published in color by Kitchen Sink Press in 1996, then Image Comics reprinted the first four stories in black and white in 1998. Currently Tor Books has released in ...

'', Tim Eldred uses the term "Accelerated" to describe gorillas uplifted in this fashion. * Cultural Uplift: Cultural uplift is distinguished from biological uplift in that it does not physically alter the organism. * Forced Evolution: In her '' Canopus in Argos'' series,

Doris Lessing Doris May Lessing (; 22 October 1919 – 17 November 2013) was a British-Zimbabwean novelist. She was born to British parents in Iran, where she lived until 1925. Her family then moved to Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), where she remain ...

uses the term forced evolution to encompass the conscious influencing of both biology and culture. * Progressor (Evolution):

Boris and Arkady Strugatsky The brothers Arkady Natanovich Strugatsky (russian: Аркадий Натанович Стругацкий; 28 August 1925 – 12 October 1991) and Boris Natanovich Strugatsky ( ru , Борис Натанович Стругацкий; 14 A ...

coined the term "

Progressor The Noon Universe ( Russian term: "Мир Полудня" or "Мир Полдня" – "World of Noon"; also known as the “Wanderers’ Universe”) is a fictional future setting for a number of hard science fiction novels written by Arkady and B ...

" for those who carry out this sort of work.

Sergey Lukyanenko Sergei Vasilyevich Lukyanenko (russian: Серге́й Васи́льевич Лукья́ненко, ; born 11 April 1968) is a Russian science fiction and fantasy author, writing in Russian. His works often feature intense action-packed plots, ...

also used it in two of his novels. * Provolution: ''Orion's Arm'' uses the term ''provolution'' (''pro''active or ''pro''gressive e''volution'') to describe the act of accelerating evolution: a species which has had its evolution accelerated is called a ''provolve''. * Raelian Uplift: Several

UFO cult A UFO religion is any religion in which the existence of extraterrestrial (ET) entities operating unidentified flying objects (UFOs) is an element of belief. Typically, adherents of such religions believe the ETs to be interested in the welfar ...

s including Raelianism believe that humanity was biologically uplifted in the past or will be uplifted in the future. ''

The Urantia Book ''The Urantia Book'' (sometimes called ''The Urantia Papers'' or ''The Fifth Epochal Revelation'') is a spiritual, philosophical, and religious book that originated in Chicago sometime between 1924 and 1955. The authorship remains a matter of sp ...

'' claims Adam and Eve were beings whose job it was to biologically uplift humanity.

References

External links

All Together Now: Developmental and Ethical Considerations for biologically uplifting nonhuman animals
by

George Dvorsky George P. Dvorsky (born May 11, 1970) is a Canadian bioethicist, transhumanist and futurist. He is a contributing editor at io9 and producer of the ''Sentient Developments'' blog and podcast. He was chair of the board for the Institute for Et ...

Great Ape Trust

*

David Langford David Rowland Langford (born 10 April 1953) is a British author, editor, and critic, largely active within the science fiction field. He publishes the science fiction fanzine and newsletter ''Ansible'', and holds the all-time record for most ...

.
Uplift
.

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (SFE) is an English language reference work on science fiction, first published in 1979. It has won the Hugo Award, Hugo, Locus Award, Locus and BSFA Award, British SF Awards. Two print editions appeared ...

edited by

John Clute John Frederick Clute (born 12 September 1940) is a Canadian-born author and critic specializing in science fiction and fantasy literature who has lived in both England and the United States since 1969. He has been described as "an integral part ...