Fantastyczne pieniądze. Ekonomia w narracjach science fiction

Fantastic Money. Economy in sci-fi narrationsThe main goal of this text is to show why money is so wildly represented in the sci-fi narrations. The main reason for this is the obscure nature of money – its phantasmatic origin (according to Jan Sowa’s conception). The second reason is the imperative to create a logical and consistent universe in sci-fi narrations. Money, as one of the most important elements of the reality, must be included in the plot. And, last but not least, money and the whole economic and sociological system related to it, is a very useful and powerful tool for critical purposes.In the further parts of the text the author interprets two sci-fi narrations which are emblematic for Polish sci-fi genre – the book Limes inferior by Janusz Zajdel and the movie O-bi, o-ba: Koniec cywilizacji (‘O-bi, O-ba: The End of Civilization’) directed by Piotr Szulkin. These two examples show that money can be used in sci-fi narrations not only as a world-building element, but also as an important critical tool. Because of its nature, the sci-fi genre is particularly predestined to explore the social and political mechanism which stands behind the money and economic system.