It is too long to post here, but I had an interesting disagreement over the value of science fiction as a literature of ideas over at Library Thing.
In short, I think SF is a great genre for limbering ones mind, which is requisite for philosophy. Further, philosophy has some interesting overlap with SF, particularly when it come to much used and abused thought experiments. This overlap is pedagogically useful, as well as, occasionally, philosophically fruitful.
A few relevant links:
- The SciPhi Show: A blog devoted to science fiction and philosophy.
- SciPhi Journal Sci Phi is the journal of Science Fiction and Philosophy. Each quarterly issue contains science fiction short stories with a philosophical theme and popular level philosophy articles with a science fiction theme. The editor of the magazine is long time Sci Phi Show host Jason Rennie. (from the ‘About’ page)
- Science Fiction and Philosophy: a book (to be released in ‘09) on the intersection between science fiction and philosophy, featuring some big names in contemporary philosophy (Brian Weatherson and David Chalmers, etc).
