The Philosophy of Science Fiction Film (The Philosophy of Popular Culture) - Hardcover

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9780813124728: The Philosophy of Science Fiction Film (The Philosophy of Popular Culture)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0813124727 ISBN 13: 9780813124728

Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky, 2007

The science fiction genre maintains a remarkable hold on the imagination and enthusiasm of the filmgoing public, captivating large audiences worldwide and garnering ever-larger profits. Science fiction films entertain the possibility of time travel and extraterrestrial visitation and imaginatively transport us to worlds transformed by modern science and technology. They also provide a medium through which questions about personal identity, moral agency, artificial consciousness, and other categories of experience can be addressed. In The Philosophy of Science Fiction Film, distinguished authors explore the storylines, conflicts, and themes of fifteen science fiction film classics, from Metropolis to The Matrix. Editor Steven M. Sanders and a group of outstanding scholars in philosophy, film studies, and other fields raise science fiction film criticism to a new level by penetrating the surface of the films to expose the underlying philosophical arguments, ethical perspectives, and metaphysical views. Sanders's introduction presents an overview and evaluation of each essay and poses questions for readers to consider as they think about the films under discussion.The first section, "Enigmas of Identity and Agency," deals with the nature of humanity as it is portrayed in Blade Runner, Dark City, Frankenstein, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Total Recall. In the second section, "Extraterrestrial Visitation, Time Travel, and Artificial Intelligence," contributors discuss 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Terminator, 12 Monkeys, and The Day the Earth Stood Still and analyze the challenges of artificial intelligence, the paradoxes of time travel, and the ethics of war. The final section, "Brave Newer World: Science Fiction Futurism," looks at visions of the future in Metropolis, The Matrix, Alphaville, and screen adaptations of George Orwell's 1984.

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From the Inside Flap:

From Metropolis (1927) to The Matrix (1999), science fiction films have captivated audiences worldwide for more than seven decades. In recent years, philosophers have turned their eyes towards the same screen, attracted by the salient storylines, conflicts, and themes nestled amongst the new technologically and time altered landscapes. They have discovered that science fiction films offer more than an imaginative escape from the real world -- they also provide a rich medium through which to address issues of identity, consciousness, agency, space, time, causality, and other categories of experience.

Editor Steven M. Sanders argues that the appeal of science fiction films has led to a proliferation of misguided interpretations and weak arguments in the film criticism of the genre. The Philosophy of Science Fiction Film aims to restore integrity to science fiction film criticism by penetrating the surface of the films in order to unearth the presupposed philosophical arguments, ethical perspectives, and metaphysical views that underlie them.

The first section, "Enigmas of Identity and Agency" treats issues of identity, moral agency, and the meaning of being human in films such as Total Recall (1990), Blade Runner (1982), and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956). In the second part, "Extraterrestrial Visitation, Time Travel, and Artificial Intelligence," contributors dissect such films as 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Terminator, and The Day the Earth Stood Still to examine the implications of new technology on civilization, the paradoxes surrounding artificial intelligence, and the possibilities offered by time travel. The final section, "Braver New World: Science Fiction Futurism" looks at Metropolis, The Matrix, Alphaville, and screen adaptations of Orwell's 1984 to analyze our visions of the future and humans' role in it.

The Philosophy of Science Fiction Film highlights the interconnectivity of the science fiction genre and philosophy. The contributing philosophers, film critics, and scholars highlight the relationship between philosophy and science fiction film, offering original philosophical perspectives on the logical possibility and paradoxes of personal identity, the nature of consciousness and artificial intelligence, time travel, encounters with extraterrestrials, and transformations of the future.

About the Author:

Steven M. Sanders, emeritus professor of philosophy at Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts, is coeditor of The Philosophy of TV Noir. He lives in Franklin, Massachusetts.

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