Science Fiction and Philosophy

Science Fiction and Philosophy

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  • Author: Susan Schneider
  • Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
  • ISBN: 1118922611
  • Category : Philosophy
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 439

Featuring numerous updates and enhancements, Science Fiction and Philosophy, 2nd Edition, presents a collection of readings that utilize concepts developed from science fiction to explore a variety of classic and contemporary philosophical issues. Uses science fiction to address a series of classic and contemporary philosophical issues, including many raised by recent scientific developments Explores questions relating to transhumanism, brain enhancement, time travel, the nature of the self, and the ethics of artificial intelligence Features numerous updates to the popular and highly acclaimed first edition, including new chapters addressing the cutting-edge topic of the technological singularity Draws on a broad range of science fiction’s more familiar novels, films, and TV series, including I, Robot, The Hunger Games, The Matrix, Star Trek, Blade Runner, and Brave New World Provides a gateway into classic philosophical puzzles and topics informed by the latest technology


The Intersection of Science Fiction and Philosophy

The Intersection of Science Fiction and Philosophy

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  • Author: Robert Myers
  • Publisher: Praeger
  • ISBN: 0313224935
  • Category : Literary Criticism
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 0

Robert E. Myers has assembled a collection of essays which explore aspects of the relationship between science fiction and philosophy. Contributing authors focus on significant issues, questions, and ideas that penetrate to the center of our individual and social conceptions of human existence, and affect the ways in which we attempt to comprehend our world, ourselves, and others. The authors bring to this study the insights of diverse disciplines: philosophy, social science, poetry, linguistics, future studies, medical humanities, and literature. Dealing exclusively with topics relating to science fiction and philosophy they offer an initial exploration of the philosophical problems within science fiction and their implications.


Philosophy through Science Fiction Stories

Philosophy through Science Fiction Stories

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  • Author: Helen De Cruz
  • Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
  • ISBN: 135008123X
  • Category : Philosophy
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 264

Bringing together short stories by award-winning contemporary science fiction authors and philosophers, this book covers a wide range of philosophical ideas from ethics, philosophy of religion, political philosophy, and metaphysics. Alongside the introductory pieces by the editors that help readers to understand how philosophy can be done through science fiction, you will find end-of-story notes written by the authors that contextualize their stories within broader philosophical themes. Organised thematically, these stories address fundamental philosophical questions such as: *What does it mean to be human? *Is neural enhancement a good thing? *What makes a life worthwhile? *What political systems are best? By making complex ideas easily accessible, this unique book allows you to engage with philosophical ideas in entertaining new ways, and is an ideal entry point for anyone interested in using fiction to better understand philosophy.


Philosophy Through Science Fiction

Philosophy Through Science Fiction

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  • Author: Ryan Nichols
  • Publisher:
  • ISBN: 9780415957564
  • Category : Literature
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 0

First Published in 2008. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.


How to Live Forever

How to Live Forever

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  • Author: Stephen R L Clark
  • Publisher: Routledge
  • ISBN: 1134800061
  • Category : Philosophy
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 217

Immortality is a subject which has long been explored and imagined by science fiction writers. In his intriguing new study, Stephen R.L.Clark argues that the genre of science fiction writing allows investigation of philosophical questions about immortality without the constraints of academic philosophy. He reveals how fantasy accounts of issues such as resurrection, disembodied survival, reincarnation and devices or drugs for preserving life can be used as an important resource for philosophical inquiry and examines how a society of immortals might function through a reading of the vampire myth. How to Live Forever is a compelling study which introduces students and professional philosophers to the possibilities of using science fiction in their work. It includes extensive suggestions for further reading, both fictional and philosophical, and examines the work of such major science fiction authors as Arthur C. Clarke, Frank Herbert, Larry Niven, William Gibson, and Colin Wilson.


Philosophy and Science Fiction, Volume XXXIX

Philosophy and Science Fiction, Volume XXXIX

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  • Author: Peter A. French
  • Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
  • ISBN:
  • Category : Philosophy
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 0

Science Fiction and Philosophy deals with science-fictional thought experiments and their long history in philosophy, with roots back to the mythological inventions of ancient philosophers such as Plato and Zhuangzi. These thought experiments play a prominent role especially in current metaphysical theorizing about personal identity, artificial minds, and the nature of time. This issue includes reflections on the nature of science fiction, on the epistemology of science fictional thought experiments, on our possible moral and social relationships with future intelligent beings, on the prospects of human or post-human self-transformation, and on time travel. While most of the contributions are expository essays written in the typical style of journal articles, two of the contributions are original short stories written by prominent SF writers whose writing is informed by the advanced graduate work they have done in philosophy.


Science Fiction and the Moral Imagination

Science Fiction and the Moral Imagination

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  • Author: Russell Blackford
  • Publisher: Springer
  • ISBN: 3319616854
  • Category : Philosophy
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 210

In this highly original book, Russell Blackford discusses the intersection of science fiction and humanity’s moral imagination. With the rise of science and technology in the 19th century, and our continually improving understanding of the cosmos, writers and thinkers soon began to imagine futures greatly different from the present. Science fiction was born out of the realization that future technoscientific advances could dramatically change the world. Along with the developments described in modern science fiction - space societies, conscious machines, and upgraded human bodies, to name but a few - come a new set of ethical challenges and new forms of ethics. Blackford identifies these issues and their reflection in science fiction. His fascinating book will appeal to anyone with an interest in philosophy or science fiction, or in how they interact. “This is a seasoned, balanced analysis of a major issue in our thinking about the future, seen through the lens of science fiction, a central art of our time. Everyone from humanists to technologists should study these ideas and examples. Blackford’s book is wise and savvy, and a delight to read as well.” Greg Benford, author of Timescape.


Personhood in Science Fiction

Personhood in Science Fiction

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  • Author: Juli L. Gittinger
  • Publisher:
  • ISBN: 9783030300630
  • Category : Ethics
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 245

"In Personhood in Science Fiction, Juli L. Gittinger does more than merely survey or even analyse the treatment of persons human, alien, and android across some of the most popular sci-fi franchises of recent years. She engages with one of the most puzzling and ethically challenging questions there is, in conversation with everyone from philosophers to neuroscientists to theologians-and yes, of course, our most beloved science fiction authors. Although engaging with highly technical matters, Gittinger does so in a way that is impressively accessible. The result is a book that is of great significance for all the aforementioned fields and many others, and deserves to be read and discussed widely. Juli L. Gittinger skilfully leads readers on a quest for the souls of androids and aliens, and in the process helps us discover and explore our own."--James F. McGrath, Professor of Religion, Butler University, USA This book addresses the topic of personhood-who is a "person" or "human," and what rights or dignities does that include-as it has been addressed through the lens of science fiction. Chapters include discussions of consciousness and the soul, artificial intelligence, dehumanization and othering, and free will. Classic and modern sci-fi texts are engaged, as well as film and television. This book argues that science fiction allows us to examine the profound question of personhood through its speculative and imaginative nature, highlighting issues that are already visible in our present world.


The Philosopher At The End Of The Universe

The Philosopher At The End Of The Universe

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  • Author: Mark Rowlands
  • Publisher: Random House
  • ISBN: 1448116678
  • Category : Philosophy
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 322

'It's Schopenhauer and the will. It's Plato, it's Hume, Baudrillard and the concept of the Nietzschean superman!' Keanu Reeves on The Matrix The Philosopher at the End of the Universe allows anyone to understand basic philosophical concepts from the comfort of their armchair, through the plots and characters of spectacular blockbusting science-fiction movies. Learn about: The Nature of Reality from The Matrix; Good and Evil from Star Wars; Morality from Aliens; Personal Identity from Total Recall; The Mind-Body Dilemma from Terminator; Free Will from Minority Report; Death and the Meaning of Life from Blade Runner; and much more. As someone once said, things must be said and knowledge known, and the cast list assembled to tell us does not disappoint: Tom Cruise, Plato, Harrison Ford, Immanuel Kant, Sigourney Weaver, Friedrich Nietzsche, Keanu Reeves and Rene Descartes. From characters in the biggest films (with lots of explosions and bad language) to Ludwig Wittgenstein (no explosions and too much language in general), hear all the arguments. I think, therefore... I'll be back!


Philosophers Look at Science Fiction

Philosophers Look at Science Fiction

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  • Author: Nicholas D. Smith
  • Publisher: Burnham Incorporated Pub
  • ISBN: 9780882298078
  • Category : Fiction
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 204