Philosophy and Science Fiction September 16, 2009

Join The Philosophy Shop on a special upcoming 6-evening programme of philosophical discussions, debates and exploration on the serious philosophical questions and themes behind much modern Science Fiction literature, movies and television dramas (SF).

That can be The Matrix's entertaining opening up of the question of ‘how do we know what is real?’ to issues around Personal Identity in a film like Bladerunner to much more complex issues around ethics and epistemology in movies like Solaris or 20001: a Space Odyssey, as well as the many TV shows and literature in the genre. After all, as acknowledged Grand Master SF writer Philip K. Dick once said, “The true protagonist in an SF story is an idea, not a person.”

The programme, bound to be highly thought-provoking as well as entertaining, starts with a general introduction to philosophy, how it is done and links Science Fiction with the key concept of the thought experiment. Dating as far back as Plato, the thought experiment is an imagined scenario in which the philosopher is able to consider the various implications of an idea – which is almost a definition of the SF of the 19th, 20th and now 21st centuries.

The course costs £85 for the six evenings, which will be run on consecutive Wednesdays from 16th September to 21st October from 7 to 9pm at a convenient Central London venue.