story . As Krueziger says , “ Apocalypse as story first of all reveals story as that which shapes our search for meaning ” ( 5 ). The revelation , the unfolding , therefore is the story itself as well as what the story means . We can read Chiang ’ s stories as apocalyptic because they reveal our disillusionment with our world and our inability to find meaning in religion alone . For Krueziger , science fiction as apocalypse illustrates our disillusionment with “ the failure of the promise of technology and science to deliver the world from poverty , ignorance , disease , war , famine , plague , and death . . . .”( 6 ). Although I agree that many science fiction works address these particular disillusionments , Chiang ’ s stories , I would argue , have a certain similarity to the apocalyptic writings of John . People disappointed at the failure of the Second Coming to occur during their lifetime lost faith in the promise of God . John ’ s writings deal with crises of both history and faith . Thus , Chiang ’ s stories are similar to John ’ s writings in that they deal with the disillusionment and failure of faith and religion .
Before discussing the stories , it may behoove us to consider the definitions of faith , religion , and belief . Although we may feel we know what these words mean , and may even think they are synonymous , the distinctions among them are of importance to this essay . As John Bishop states , “. . . at its most general , ‘ faith ’ means the same as ‘ trust ’.” Greg Popcak defines faith more narrowly , asserting that faith “ is merely the innate drive to search for meaning , purpose and significance .” Religion , at its most basic , can be defined as a specific form of human activity as a means of achieving spiritual or material improvement . However , this form of human activity is often cultural because it is a system of behaviors and praxes uniting a community . Belief , according to Eric Schwitzgebel , refers 131