Science Fiction and Philosophy (Forum for Philosophy)

Zombies, time travel, brain transplants… science fiction and philosophy have a lot in common. Indeed, they have a shared history, with some of the most important figures of the Enlightenment writing science fiction alongside their better-known philosophical work. And Naomi Alderman, Liu Cixin, and China Miéville are among the many that ensure this close relationship persists right up to today. From Francis Bacon’s utopian island to Margaret Cavendish’s polar bear army, our literary and philosophical experts discuss how science fiction and philosophy have influenced one another, putting the ‘phi’ back into ‘sci-fi’.

Speakers
James Burton
Lecturer in Cultural Studies and Cultural History, Goldsmiths University of London
Lewis Powell
Professor of Philosophy, University of Buffalo
Lisa Walters
Senior Lecturer in English Literature, Liverpool Hope University

Chair
Clare Moriarty
Fellow, Forum for Philosophy & IRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Trinity College Dublin

This online event is free and open to all. Participation via Zoom will require registration here, but it will also be streamed via the Forum’s Facebook page.