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The document is a letter to the editor written by Eileen M. Hunt, a political science professor, reflecting on her research on Mary Shelley's novel "The Last Man." Hunt discusses the relevance of the novel to contemporary debates on artificial life and intelligence, especially in the context of disasters. She explores the metaphorical and postapocalyptic readings of the novel, particularly in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. Hunt also delves into the philosophical themes of hope, redemption, and human responsibility portrayed in Shelley's work, emphasizing the novel's potential for inspiring bravery and resilience in the face of disaster. [Extracted from the article]

This author-meets-critics book symposium engages with Eileen M. Hunt’s concluding book in her trilogy on Mary Shelley and political philosophy, The First Last Man: Mary Shelley and the Postapocalyptic Imagination (2024). It brings together some of the leading scholars of apocalyptic political thought (Nomi Lazar, Alison McQueen, Ben Jones) alongside philosophers and political theorists (David Gunkel, Samuel Piccolo, Eileen Hunt) concerned with the question of the ethical relationship between human artifice and the plagues, real and metaphorical, that beset humanity and the world at large. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]