功利主义视域下的瘟疫书写与伦理抉择——以《十字》和《末日之战》的比较为例

The Writing of Plague and Ethical Choices from the Perspective of Utilitarianism:A Comparative Study of The Cross and World War Z:An Oral History of the Zombie War

《十字》与《末日之战》都写到了人类在面临瘟疫威胁时,以牺牲少数人的生命或健康为代价来成全人类群体的发展延续,这种“非人道”取舍行为饱含了功利主义的伦理色彩。王晋康与布鲁克斯的瘟疫书写为科幻小说灾难题材的创作提供了一种范式,即不着眼于苦难的隐喻,而是强调现实。这种现实呈现带来的伦理悖论及其背后的历史想象,也拓展了文学伦理学批评的阐释空间。

Both The Cross and World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War have described when human beings face the threat of plague, they sacrifice the lives or health of a few people to achieve the development and continuation of the entire human group. This “inhumane” behavior implies the ethical color of utilitarianism. Wang Jinkang and Brooks’ writings on the plague provide a paradigm for the creation of catastrophe theme in science fiction that does not focus on the metaphor of sufferings, but emphasizes the reality. The ethical paradox brought about by this realistic presentation and the historical imagination behind it expand the interpretive space of literary ethics criticism.