Philosophy in science fiction

Typ: Seminar
SWS: 2
Credit Points: k.A.
Homepage: https://lsf.htw-berlin.de

Kursbeschreibung / -kommentar

During this course, we will be learning philosophy through science fiction books and films. From Mary Shelley to Jules Verne and from Phillip K. Dick to William Gibson, the issues dealt have been related always to the problems related to the technological progress. Beyond that, science-deriving fantasy inspired the world of tomorrow. Analyzing science fiction books, films and music in order to reveal the philosophical background behind the genre and to understand it better. Is science the answer to our greatest fears and our greatest hope or the opposite?

We will start by dealing with the optimism of the belle epoque in the 19th century, then heading to the pre- and post-war melancholy in the 20th century. In the third part of our course, we will be trying to understand how technofreaks imagine the not that far away future.
In each lesson, passages of books (or film) are going to be read (resp. shown), analyzed and compared to passages of philosophical books, that are dealing with the same issue.