This paper conducts a cross-cultural comparison of The Songs of Distant Earth and The Wandering Earth to explore the narratives of "homeland" and the writing of human destiny. Under the classic sci-fi motif of "interstellar migration amidst an apocalyptic crisis," Clarke and Liu Cixin construct distinct "homeland" narratives. The analysis is conducted across three dimensions: technological space, perceptive space, and symbolic space, uncovering differences in technological outlooks, ecological perspectives, and philosophical reflections on the future, rooted in their respective cultural contexts. Clarke’s portrayal of "leaving Earth" envisions an ecological utopia and an optimistic future for humanity, while Liu’s depiction of "wandering with Earth" reflects a profound meditation on apocalyptic anxiety and the darker aspects of human nature. Together, these works highlight the universal value of sci-fi literature in addressing questions of technology, ecology, and human destiny, offering literary insights into humanity's quest to answer the question: "Where is the future of our future?"

Sakyo Komatsu’s iconic science fiction novel “Japan Sinks (Nihon Chinbotsu),” published in 1973, represents an intersection of humanities and science. This paper analyzes Komatsu’s integration of scientific imagination and cultural critique, focusing on the "cultural memory" metaphor through the concept of using cultural relics to save the nation, as well as the novel’s reflection on Japan’s identity within a globalized world.

“Japan Sinks” portrays a dual strategy for survival—one rooted in scientific advancements and another in using cultural relics to save the nation. While advanced technologies enable the accurate prediction of natural disasters, they ultimately fail to prevent Japan’s sinking. This shift in focus from science to cultural artifacts signifies Komatsu’s critique of technological determinism and his exploration of the symbolic role of cultural memory in national and individual identity.

Komatsu’s treatment of science in “Japan Sinks” is marked by ambivalence. On the one hand, he showcases science as a powerful tool for understanding natural phenomena and informing policy decisions. On the other, he questions its sufficiency in addressing human and cultural dimensions of crises. This tension between scientific progress and its limitations is a recurring motif, reflecting Komatsu’s post-war skepticism about Japan’s reliance on technological prowess, arguing for the integration of spiritual and cultural survival strategies. The central theme of using cultural relics to save the nation manifests as a negotiation tool with foreign nations to secure migration for displaced Japanese citizens. The Buddhist statues, symbolic of Japan’s cultural and spiritual heritage, serve as a counterbalance to the dehumanizing forces of technological and economic determinism. Their inclusion in the migration strategy not only secures physical survival but also preserves the essence of Japan’s identity, emphasizing the role of cultural artifacts in sustaining a nation’s soul amidst displacement and globalization.

In summary, Sakyo Komatsu’s “Japan Sinks” offers a compelling synthesis of humanities and science, weaving together themes of cultural memory, technological critique, and global solidarity. The novel serves as both a cautionary tale about the limits of scientific progress and a visionary exploration of how cultural heritage can guide humanity through collective crises. Its enduring relevance lies in its ability to inspire interdisciplinary dialogue and to challenge readers to rethink the interplay between technological innovation and the preservation of human values in an uncertain future.

With the iterative development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, interactive narratives between human and non-human agents in science fiction are profoundly reconstructing the cognitive boundaries of “subjectivity” and “linguistic power”. However, existing research predominantly focuses on ethical philosophy or narratology, lacking linguistic decoding of the cognitive mechanisms underlying meaning negotiation in language interaction. This study integrates the “reality-cognition-language” tripartite model of Embodied Cognitive Linguistics, Conceptual Blending Theory, and Metaphor-Metonymy Theory to explore the cross-agent linguistic cognition negotiation and power reconfiguration mechanisms between humans and non-humans in science fiction narratives. Taking human-AI dialogue excerpts from Kazuo Ishiguro’s soft science fiction, Clara and the Sun, and William Gibson’s cyberpunk classic, Neuromancer, as corpus sources, this research employs a mixed-methods approach combining AntConc for quantitative analysis (e.g., frequency of conditional clauses, emotional vocabulary density) and NVivo for qualitative analysis to extract linguistic features in meaning interactions across agents. By analyzing how non-human agents use linguistic strategies such as metaphor and vague reference to break through anthropocentric cognitive frameworks and reconstruct power dynamics in human-AI interaction, and by deconstructing the ontological foundation of AI language through the lens of embodied cognition, the research critically examines the paradigmatic challenges posed by “disembodied linguistic interaction” in AI narratives to traditional cognitive models of language. Finally, it reveals the cross-agent cognitive mechanisms of meaning negotiation in “human-nonhuman” dialogue. It is hoped that his research provides a methodological paradigm for linguistics-based analysis of science fiction narratives and offers cognitive perspectives for power allocation in human-AI interaction within AI ethics.