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+--- Thread: Philosophical SciFi in literature (/thread-23395.html)
Philosophical SciFi in literature - DavidS - 09-26-2013
So, any fans of philosophical SciFi here, in the vein of Stanislaw Lem, Phillip K. Dick, the Strugatzkys, Isaac Asimov or you name it?
Got inspired to open this thread as I want to watch Ari Folmans "The Congress" (losely based on Lems "the Futurologic Congress"...)
I never really got 100% in touch with Hard-Fi/more technologically serious sci fi (like Ringworld) though.
Anyways, my favorites include:
Dick: Ubik, Martian Time Slip, (naturally) Blade Runner
Lem: Katar, Transfer, The Invincible, Pirx short stories.
especially transhumanist themes and the big "what am I?" in conflict with an ever more advanced and intelligent technology is very interesting to me.
RE: Philosophical SciFi in literature - Acies - 09-26-2013
I think 'The matrix' series, although the sequels not being too great, poses a lot of interesting questions on 'being' and how to 'view the world'. The movie touches on buddhist themes - as if 'there is no objective world, only your image of what you percieve as the world'. Stetching that further, one could say that there are no innately 'bad/sad/glad actions', merely actions which you percieve as such and assign them an emotion. There are of course more 'themes' within the movies.
'1984' by George Orwell was another work which interested me. The book, and the 2+2=5 example was an interesting example of indoctrination. Although not that extreme; commercials, values and so forth influence people to make unconscious decisions regarding women, the world and money (etc). The concept of doublethink:
“The power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them... To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just as long as it is needed, to deny the existence of objective reality and all the while to take account of the reality which one denies – all this is indispensably necessary. Even in using the word doublethink it is necessary to exercise doublethink. For by using the word one admits that one is tampering with reality; by a fresh act of doublethink one erases this knowledge; and so on indefinitely, with the lie always one leap ahead of the truth.[3]
Was very interesting too as I at the time was reading about 'cult behaviour'. It's also appliable to religious beliefs, at least in my case, as I both believe in a 'god' and the big bang (science etc). To some extent, being both religious and 'scientific' require doublethink.
RE: Philosophical SciFi in literature - Draug - 09-26-2013
Kind of reminds me on "Fantastic planet".
Such a great movie, I love it. Really weird stuff.
RE: Philosophical SciFi in literature - Danny Boy - 09-26-2013
I love how freaking terrible that trailer is. It completely avoided giving any information about the story and characters (assuming those things exist in this movie. Because I haven't seen it yet. So I can't comment much.) And gave only recommendations to watch it rather than giving interest points for the viewer to be interested in. Not to mention the unmotivated woman reading the text that was already right in front of us.
If it weren't for it's visuals. I would skip the trailer if it were on tv.
RE: Philosophical SciFi in literature - Bridge - 09-26-2013
Not really related to the topic at hand but holy hell did you guys know that the bodyguard dude in A Clockwork Orange is David Prowse? My mind is blown.
RE: Philosophical SciFi in literature - Froge - 09-27-2013
(09-26-2013, 11:57 PM)Bridge Wrote: Not really related to the topic at hand but holy hell did you guys know that the bodyguard dude in A Clockwork Orange is David Prowse? My mind is blown.You mean the movie? I don't remember a bodyguard in the book.
RE: Philosophical SciFi in literature - Danny Boy - 09-27-2013
(09-27-2013, 03:15 AM)Chronofrog Wrote:(09-26-2013, 11:57 PM)Bridge Wrote: Not really related to the topic at hand but holy hell did you guys know that the bodyguard dude in A Clockwork Orange is David Prowse? My mind is blown.You mean the movie? I don't remember a bodyguard in the book.
Like as if the actor inside Darth Vader was in the book for you to remember. So yeah its the movie.
RE: Philosophical SciFi in literature - Adrianis - 09-27-2013
Ahhhhhhh psychological sci fi! Good idea for a thread
Blade runner always gets a shout out, or rather Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep to use its more Dick-ian name
My favourite Lem has to be Solaris, such a fantastic book, such a strong sense of mystery & the unknown that I probably think it's one of the scarier books I've read. One of only 2 Sci Fi novels that I've read that have *really* done alien aliens, incomprehensible other life forms. I love both of the films too, for different reasons, Soderbergs one had fantastic music & visual presentation, Tarkovski's was much more psycological.
Less on the psychological, but Olaf Stapledon's Last and First Men was another fantastic one, basically a 'history of the future', going through many future ages of Man. This was the other book to do fantastic alien's, which had a fascinating culture resulting from their origins & biological makeup
Another for Phillip K Dick would be 'Eye in the Sky' & 'Flow My Tears, The Policemen Said', both of which are deeply confusing and unforunately both of which aren't as good in the latter parts, but the rest was so excallent that it was worth it.
Finally Arthur C Clarke's 'The City and the Stars', fantastic sci-fi adventure book but also a really interesting look at a potential future society & culture for humanity
RE: Philosophical SciFi in literature - Froge - 09-27-2013
(09-27-2013, 03:57 AM)Danny Boy Wrote:My logic circuits imagined it was totally plausible for Burgess to insert real people in his book.(09-27-2013, 03:15 AM)Chronofrog Wrote:Like as if the actor inside Darth Vader was in the book for you to remember. So yeah its the movie.(09-26-2013, 11:57 PM)Bridge Wrote: Not really related to the topic at hand but holy hell did you guys know that the bodyguard dude in A Clockwork Orange is David Prowse? My mind is blown.You mean the movie? I don't remember a bodyguard in the book.