Philosophy and the cinematic allure of fantasy and science fiction are kindred spirits, yet rarely is this kinship taken as seriously as it should be. Both philosophy and these genres are inspired by a sense of wonder and force us to see the familiar world in new and surprising ways. Though philosophical ideas frequently look beyond our commonplace experiences and make interesting but abstract claims, and these cinematic genres often deal with similar issues with more immediacy but less precision – one is liable to identify their shared interests and arsenal of questions. Both delve, in their own unique ways and methodologies, into questions of skepticism, personal identity, self-knowledge, free will, determinism, possibility and necessity. Both are fascinated by the possibilities of virtual reality, space travel and time travel, extraterrestrial life and intelligence, artificial life and intelligence, the technological alteration of human nature (e.g., cloning, genetic engineering, cybernetics, transhumanism, posthumanism, and so on), and by the impact of technology on society and on the meaning (or meaninglessness) of life.

Reflection on these topics, while investigating (and questioning) the murky boundaries between the fields, will be the focus of our seminar. We will examines philosophical topics through science fiction, but also, and more important, how science fiction can help us to think about what we are doing and where we are headed. We will do so by thematically examining some classic works of science fiction and approaching them through a variety of philosophical lenses. Similarly, we will constantly question the film-studies conventions and predispositions which articulate Sci-fi and fantasy as cinematic genres, if only in order to endorse them with this contemplative potential, and make them into a fascinating subject of theoretical inquiry, and a no-less valid candidate for inquisitive philosophizing.