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Abstract:

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This article analyzes the use of fictionalization in popular science communication</div>
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as an answer to changing demands for science communication in the</div>
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mass media. It concludes that a new genre&mdash;Ficta&mdash;arose especially with the</div>
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work of Michael Crichton. The Ficta novel is a fiction novel based on a real</div>
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scientific problem, often one that can have or already does have serious</div>
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consequences for our culture or civilization. The Ficta novel is a new way for</div>
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the entertainment society to reflect on scientific theories, their consequences</div>
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and meaning. Jurassic Park is chosen for an in-depth analysis in order to</div>
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bring out the essential characteristics of Ficta, showing how its reflections on</div>
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complexity, fractals, self-reference, non-linearity and unpredictability in</div>
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science transform our view of scientific knowledge as being the tool for</div>
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deterministic control into a second order reflection on complexity and the</div>
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limits of control and predictability.</div>