I'm thrilled to be attending both Worldcon in Glasgow, Scotland and Eurocon in Rotterdam, Netherlands in the next few weeks! I'm attending both as a fan (obviously!), but also in my capacity as the President of the Science Fiction and Philosophy Society. The Society has been working with the editors of the Sci-Phi Journal to plan panels at both Worldcon and Eurocon focusing on science fiction and philosophy. I will also be serving as a moderator for a panel on cosmic horror at Worldcon. Details on all panels below!
I've been on the academic program at two past Worldcons (2016 in Kansas City and 2018 in San José), but this will be my first time on the main program. The scheduling process is ... complicated and delicate to put it mildly. I don't envy the organizers at all. The schedule wasn't finalized until just the other day. Thanks and congrats to the Worldcon organizers!
While in Scotland, I'm also planning a trip to Islay to visit my favorite whiskey distilleries (Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and Ardbeg), and while in the Netherlands, I plan to visit friends and family who live there and maybe get a strropwafel and some Belgian beer.
I'm ridiculously excited!
Here are the panel details! There are even more details on the Worldcon and Eurocon websites.
The Horror Out of Space (Worldcon, Thursday Aug. 8, 14:30)
I'm the moderator of this one, with panelists Charles Stross, Nick Mamatas, and Tania Chen.
The deepest reaches of space are haunted by aliens so powerful they are godlike. The ocean's floor holds ancient civilisations that predate humanity, overseen by beings from beyond time itself. And a colour can drive anyone who sees it mad in an instant. Cosmic horror is everywhere and utterly unknown. Our panellists discuss its attraction and ongoing power.
Do Philosophers Dream of Electric Sheep? (Worldcon, Monday Aug. 12, 10:00)
From Mary Shelley's Frankenstein to Martha Wells' Murderbot Diaries, speculative fiction has long been used as a medium to explore philosphical concepts such as free will, the nature of persons and transhumanism. Join this panel as they discuss speculative fiction as a legitimate and versatile avenue for 'doing' philosophy.
"Do philosophers dream of electric sheep? - Bringing speculative philosophy to a global audience through SF" (Eurocon, Friday Aug. 16, 13:45-14:30)
Panelists: The Science Fiction and Philosophy Society will be represented by its president, Dr. Ethan Mills, and Sci Phi Journal by its co-editor Adam Gerencsér, joined by SF scholar Dr Jim Clarke.
The aim of the panel is to discuss speculative fiction as an avenue for ‘doing’ philosophy and, in that light, introduce the new Science Fiction and Philosophy Society and venues for this sub-genre, such as Sci Phi Journal. Panelists will explore, also by involving the audience, what the sub-genres of SF and various branches of philosophy can contribute to each other, and how adding a pinch of speculative philosophy (in literature but also in popular media, such as films and games) can enrich the semantic diversity of SF through narrative thought-experiments. Let’s tackle the Trolley Problem… with alien systems of ethics!
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