Science Fiction Language in Action

In this book, Jennifer Kelso Farrell investigates the way in which L. Ron Hubbard used his background in science fiction to create a language for his religion that served to gatekeep outsiders out and insulate insiders. Examining the works of science fiction authors such as George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, Anthony Burgess, and Samuel Delany, Farrell explores the relationship between language and reality and the role language can play in reprogramming individuals. The author also draws upon high profile biographies from former members such as Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology and My Billion Year Contract to display how indoctrination into such language often causes a language barrier between those within Scientology and those outside of it, thus further isolating members and perpetuating Scientologese within their inner circle. Bridging the gap between fiction and reality, Farrell illustrates how this language came to be, and how it continues to persist today.