Jess’s Book Pick for September: Sci-Phi: Philosophy from Socrates to Schwarzenegger by Mark Rowlands

Books Interviews

By Jessica Schneider Sep 1, 2008, 5:59 GMT

To start off, I picked a non-fiction book that discusses the philosophical elements present in many Sci-Fi films. My interest was piqued from a recent online interview with the author here.

An excellent review of the book can be found here. Originally the book was under a different title, but it has since been reissued courtesy of St. Martin's Griffin. Some of the films the book discusses are:
1) Frankenstein: the meaning of life (actually Kenneth Branagh’s Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein).
2) The Matrix trilogy: the certitude of ontology.
3) The Terminator 1 and 2: the mind/body problem.
4) Total Recall and The Sixth Day: identity and reality.
5) Minority Report: free will as illusion.
6) Hollow Man: the will to morality.
7) Independence Day and the Alien series: the limits of morality.
8) Star Wars: the concepts of good and evil.
9) Blade Runner: death as the key to life.“The book takes the novel approach of explaining some of the basic ‘big’ problems of philosophy via some of Hollywood’s biggest sci fi smashes,” the reviewer mentions. So check this book out for yourself, (visit Amazon for more details, as well as the interview with Rowlands here).

Elsewhere on the Web

The Decade: Film's 10 Best Music Moments In The Aughts

The Decade: Film's 10 Best Music Moments In The Aughts - Cinema Blend
Steam erupts from Dell's Alienware gaming PCs - The Tech Herald
Scientists have now created a baby bottle that heats itself up in 60 seconds. A perfect gift for parents who can't be troubled to spend that kind of time on their children [Interesting] - Fark
First Look At The Losers - Cinema Blend

Books

Jess’s Book Pick for September: Sci-Phi: Philosophy from Socrates to Schwarzenegger by Mark Rowlands

Books Interviews

Elsewhere on the Web

Your Talkback on this Story

Similar articles

Latest Headlines in Books

Older Talkback

Sci-Phi: Philosophy from Socrates to Schwarzenegger

Related Articles

In Monsters and Critics

Corporate

The Fine Print