Alien and Philosophy: I Infest, Therefore I Am

by Jeffrey A. Ewing (Editor), Kevin S. Decker (Editor)

Alien and I Infest, Therefore I Am presents a philosophical exploration of the world of Alien, the simultaneously horrifying and thought-provoking sci-fi horror masterpiece, and the film franchise it spawned.

The first book dedicated to exploring the philosophy raised by one of the most successful and influential sci-fi franchises of modern times Features contributions from an acclaimed team of scholars of philosophy and pop culture, led by highly experienced volume editors Explores a huge range of topics that include the philosophy of fear, Just Wars, bio-weaponry, feminism and matriarchs, perfect killers, contagion, violation, employee rights and Artificial Intelligence Includes coverage of H.R. Giger’s aesthetics, the literary influences of H.P. Lovecraft, sci-fi and the legacy of Vietnam, and much more!

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Horror, Essays

221 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 27, 2017

Reviews

[Edward Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a fine line that philosophers walk in regard to marrying both popular fiction and the tried and true old school tenants of philosophies. Here we do not have this full marriage but it comes damn close in Ewing's hands. Too many times have I seen (Star Wars, Dr. Who, Zombies & Philosophy, etc.) that try this but again, they all seem the miss the mark. Applying things like corporate greed, chaos theory, and monsters crafted from the mind of man do not seem to fit with what we would think of philosophic entities. It also stops in 2017, so we miss out on the (train wreck) final thoughts on Alien: Covenant but maybe someday there will be an updated version.

Final thoughts:

- Fan of the Alien Universe: Read it
- Fan of the marriage of Sci-Fi/Horror with Philosophy: Give it a glance but there is no rush
- Fan of philosophy: Skip it (unless desperate)

[Andrew Garvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the Alien franchise isn't always the most intelligent thing in either science fiction or horror (some of the sequels and Predator-related spinoffs, and some of the comics are, to be kind, as dumb as a box of rocks) it's core ideas, and the first, genuinely brilliant film lend themselves almost perfectly to the sort of philosophical treatment this book gives it across nineteen mostly excellent, and never less than thoughtful, interesting chapters.

What is a person? Just how evil is Weyland-Yutani? Or is the company's seemingly cold utilitarianism actually (somewhat) justified? What would Karl Marx have made of it all? What does the company's dominance tell us about governmental/state failure? Is it moral to destroy, or attempt to destroy the Xenomorph species? What kind of a mother is Ripley? Is it just Jaws in space? Is exposure to violence and horror actually beneficial to children? Is the Alien series Lovecraftian? And what does it tell us about the nature of horror? What does the series tell us about rape and rape culture? Are the Xenomorphs really Nietzsche's Ubermensch? And should we actually be cheering for them instead of the humans?

All of these (and more) questions are considered and discussed in clearly argued, accessible chapters largely focused on the first four films. The contributors' arguments are all well-grounded in philosophy but, just as importantly, in genuine love or, at the very least, respect for the Alien franchise and it's world.

It would be easy for a book like this to fall into the trap of overthinking the subject matter and while this collection sometimes veers close to that, it does a great job of making it's many cases in ways that make even me, someone who thinks Alien is one of the greatest films ever made, think about, and appreciate it, in new ways.

[Artur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just like with the vast majority of books consisting of short stories or essays, there are some ups and downs. Interestingly enough the ups and downs in this books are connected not to essays themselves but to the topic (part of the book). Ethics, Identity and moral considerability? Great! Moral psychology, sex and gender? Way to speculative for my taste which left a feeling that the authors had some ideas that they really, really, really tried to shuehorn in to the alien universe.

Some other chapters were pretty out there, but fun to read nonetheless even if I don't fully agree with. A honorable mention goes to the comparison between Alien universe and Lovecraft. I could see the pattern, was left unconvinced, but appreciated that someone made that connection.

[Circa Girl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting perspective on what deserves moral status and whether Ripley really represents a feminist perspective of ethics. The only problem was a lot of the contributors ended up having some overlap in their thesis. It started to feel a little repetitive at times.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

As fun as it was to read about Camus and Ripley in the same sentence it didn't excite me as I hoped it would.

Some essays were spot on and others were trying too hard to find an opening from philosophy into the Alien universe.

[Dann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alien and Philosophy: I Infect Therefore I Am takes a look at the meanings and messages within the Alien franchise. Discussing such topics as personhood, business ethics, and Just War Theory, several essayists critique the characters a storylines throughout the film series (and even some of the comics). A couple of the articles are quite fascinating, but most of them are rather lackluster; though they still make interesting points. Also, a number of the same points are repeated in a couple different essays, noticeably, and on the whole they don’t make very good use of the Alien-verse; focusing mainly on a handful of characters and storylines. While it offers some insightful commentary, Alien and Philosophy: I Infect Therefore I Am has trouble creating engaging discussions.