Shaping Hope in Sacrifice and Survival: A Critical Analysis of the Collective Survival Ethos in the Film The Wandering Earth

AbstractThe concept of hope and its significance in the human psyche isfrequently studied by fields of psychology and philosophy alike. Westernformulations of hope often root itself in individualistic cognitive capabilities andpersonal perceptions of the future, while recent studies from Indian philosophyreintroduce the concept in its intimate relation to spirituality. This paper intendsto explore the concept of hope in the dimensions of collective survival andindividual desires by analysing the Chinese science-fiction film The WanderingEarth (2019).The Wandering Earth (2019) portrays a future where the impendingexpansion of the sun forces humanity and the planet to go on a 2500-yearjourney in search of a new home in a different solar system. The movie relaysevents 17 years into this journey navigated by the quantum computer systemMOSS, where the survival of Earth is threatened due to the gravitational pull ofJupiter. This study will critically examine the central motif of ‘individualsacrifices for the collective good’ to bring out an altruistic sense of hope relyingon an imagined future beyond the present suffering. The paper intends tocompare this concept with traditional Western apocalyptic narrativeshighlighting individualistic heroism and honour even amidst stories of collectivedestruction. Furthermore, the paper will also investigate how similarconceptions of hope and sacrifice work through non-human entities in themovie.Key Words: Hope, Collective Survival Ethos, AI Ethics, Individualism vsCollectivism, Apocalyptic Narratives.