Science Fiction & Philosophy

James Burton, Lewis Powell (State University of New York, Buffalo), Lisa Walters

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

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