Philosophical fiction refers to works of fiction in which a significant proportion of the work is devoted to a discussion of the sort of questions normally addressed in discursive philosophy. These might include the function and role of society, the purpose of life, ethics or morals, the role of art in human lives, and the role of experience or reason in the development of knowledge. Philosophical fiction works would include the so-called novel of ideas, including a significant proportion of science fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, and Bildungsroman. The modus operandi seems to be to use a normal story to simply explain difficult and/or dark parts of human life.
Prominent philosophical fiction
There is no universally acceptable definition of philosophical fiction, but certain works would be of key importance in its history.
Many philosophers write novels, plays, or short fiction in order to demonstrate or introduce their ideas. Common ones include: Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, Ayn Rand, Albert Camus, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Authors who are fans or followers of certain philosophers tend to incorporate many of their ideas in their novels, but they are not necessarily considered philosophical novels. Generally a novel needs to explicitly reference and discuss many philosophical ideas before it can be considered a philosophical novel. Some of these examples include: The Moviegoer (Kierkegaard), Wittgenstein's Mistress (Wittgenstein), and Speedboat (post-structuralism).
Oncology and epidemiology professor Allison Kurian ’95, M.S ... Both Kurian and Caswell-Jin’s journey to medicine happened to be centered by French philosopher Albert Camus’s novel “The Plague” and by storytelling ... “We represent the problem as the doctor.
By then, he had already published both fiction and philosophical texts, including the successful trilogy of novels “Homo Sapiens,” and started being recognized as a relevant voice within the new ...
Has written a novel about the climate crisis and impending world warFor starters. He was an empathic, earnest, philosophically minded young man ... On transgender issues, I found his responses to be emotional rather than philosophical.
... brilliant novels are coming to the screen ... Netflix is joining forces with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone filmmaker Chris Columbus to bring Richard Osman’s bestselling novel to the screen.
Despite his socially charged narratives, Benegal’s films never felt preachy ... 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... 4 ... 5 ... Based on Dharmvir Bharati's novel, this philosophical film uses a unique narrative structure to explore the nature of truth and love through interconnected stories.
The system integrates with both blockchain and Web2 applications, offering a novel solution to data protection ... This paradigm shift is not just technical but philosophical, embodying the broader Web3 ethos of decentralization.
Gogol Bordello, the punk rock band, lends its name in more ways than one to DaveMolloy’s energetic, beautifully cast rock opera musical of Tolstoy’s realistic and philosophical War and Peace novel, ...
What’s interesting about Roberts is how he doesn’t just go for the action and suspense in his novel, there are characters trying to define utopias, there are philosophical discussions on AI and our ...
Despite this novel’s setting in an Alpine sanatorium in pre-World War I Europe and the endless philosophic discussions among the patients on themes of life/death, sickness/health, democracy/autocracy, ...
Our vision was to capture the grandeur of Tolstoy's novel, while translating its complex characters and deep philosophical themes into the vibrant, emotional language of musical theater," says Zhang.
... in all eight of the movie adaptations, will likely be the show's primary antagonist in its debut season, which will be based on the first novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
Rereading the novel gave Jacobsen some welcome insight elsewhere in his life, too. "The novel is also the ... "I think this rereading of the novel has clarified some of the song's meaning.".
The first half of the story is set in the city of Uncibal, a place in the grip of a “novel philosophical energy” known as “egalism”, which aims to achieve “human ...
This finely crafted verse novel combines hard SF, adventure and philosophical meditation ... Hur’s superbly written novel explores humanity, love, beauty and death with beautiful resonance.
