Philosophy and Science Fiction

by Michael Phillips (Editor)

An examination of philosophical themes in science fiction, with seventeen stories, by Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, Robert Heinlein, Jorge Luis Borges, Brian Aldiss, Stanislaw Lem, and others.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories

400 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1984

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[J.H. Lee]

I really like how you connect this collection to studying science fiction as philosophy.
The Machine Stops still feels unsettlingly relevant today.
Do you think stories like this work better as short fiction than as full novels?

[CapnKath · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a couple of interesting stories but overall it was not enjoyable.

[Kasper · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant selection of sci-fi short stories.

My two favorites were 'The Machine Stops' by E.M. Forster and 'Breath's a Ware That Will Not Keep' by Thomas F. Monteleone.

'Impostor', 'The Show Must Go On' and 'The Weed of Time' were really good as well.

The anthology is divided into parts, each supplied with interesting subject introductions and relevant study questions. Highly recommended!

[Jules · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this during my university degree back in the 90s, as part of the Philosophy of Science Fiction module, & loved it. I had a huge interest in TV, film & toy robots as a child, so it was great being able to study the subject at uni.