More Philosophical Science Fiction You Need to Read

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Philosophical science fiction is my favorite subgenre of science fiction. I love the way that science fiction writers can explore philosophy in many different ways. Today’s video touches on consciousness, AI, memory, personal identity, and more.
Beginning 00:00
Children of Time 00:40
Snow Crash 4:13
Hyperion 6:56
A Memory Called Empire 10:31
Ancillary Justice 13:08
Previous videos on the subject:
• Philosophical Science ...
• 7 Philosophical Scienc...
Enjoy!
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[@insert_moniker]

For anyone interested in reading Snow Crash, I recommend the Audible version of the book. The narrator does an excellent job portraying the different characters and the way it was edited makes it feel like an old radio broadcast. Also, linguistics plays a huge role in this book, so if language theory interests you then it is a definite read.

[@S.F.Sorrow]

thanks for the suggestion!!! im a massive old time radio fan and have been wanting to read this book for a while so this definitely helps!!!

[@leerickss]

I also recommend reading (it's not a scifi book) "the sovereign individual" if you really liked Snow Crash; super relevant and it'll be even better if you've already read SC :)

[@insert_moniker]

Glad I could help! Have you had a chance to listen to it yet?@@S.F.Sorrow

[@LawSchoolJourneys]

Ted Chiang's short story, "The Story of Your Life," is a great dive into the practical question of "how would humanity communicate with aliens?" While also experimenting with the idea of how language affects thought or even perception of things, such as time. I love that short story. The movie, "Arrival," is a film adaptation based on the story. While it is very good, the short story does a better job exploring the types of language use that may not be so common to western civilization and really gets at the impact of language in reference to perception. The movie does a better job illustrating the potential struggles of contacting an alien life-form. Highly recommend.

[@ssssssstssssssss]

The movie did a great job at this exploring the impact of language in reference to perception. But a lot of that was shown through visuals. I mean that was at the heart of what the movie was about.

[@LawSchoolJourneys]

@@ssssssstssssssss Yeah, I would agree with that. It wasn't so obvious in dialogue but it definitely demonstrated it well. I suppose that is a more accurate summation. The book just really gets into the "how?" and "why?" of language affecting perception, but misses the mark on application. I read that many people felt a disconnect to the plot, especially the end of the movie, because the explanation of how language could affect perception was largely missed in the dialogue of the movie. I appreciate your insight and contributions!

[@hanniffydinn6019]

In real life, alien contact reports show that aliens are smart enough to know our language English, but also use telepathy primarily! So the short story is pure nonsense really. 🤯🤯🤯🤯

[@Yesica1993]

Oh, I loved the movie and want to read the story. I found the premise fascinating.

[@leerickss]

I think it's called "story of your life" to be exact and the book (collection of short stories) it's in overall is really good (Stories of your life and others); other short stories I liked in it were "Understand" and "Hell is the absence of god"

[@amydebuitleir]

Another philosophical science fiction book I'd recommend is A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers, as well as the rest of her Monk and Robot series. On the surface, it's a delightful sweet story... but there's a lot of complexity just below the surface. It will make you think about what it means to be a "person", what brings meaning to life, what we owe each other, how we make up for injustices committed by past generations, and more.

[@NicJ27]

Hi Jared, just wanted to say I'm so glad I found your channel - keep it up

[@CainOnGames]

I love reading science fiction, but you have insights and call out relationships to other books in a deeper way than I tend to, and I appreciate those points you make. Plus I’ve only r ead 4 of the 5 books you discuss, so now A Memory Called Empire is in my list. Thanks!

[@Witty_Jackson]

I would definitely recommend the Endymion books. They are splendid. They are slightly slower paced than Hyperion, but they are fantastic and well worth a read.

[@user-mc9sg9fw3w]

I 100% agree! Loved both of them as well

[@rikkubeans]

I've read both Hyperion and saw the bad reviews for Endymion, guessing because they're expecting another Hyperion Cantos. I think I'll give the Endymion series a go 😊

[@LightningRaven42]

It's also a book about a 'messianic' figure grappling with the message they want to pass on. Dan Simmon's universe is beautiful and I wish we could be like the Ousters someday.

[@LightningRaven42]

@@rikkubeans It's a single PoV story, following Raul Endymion. The first book is a chase/river quest, the second is where all the answers are given and you get to visit some insanely interesting worlds. I loved all four books.

[@LordLuisIII]

Endymion is bad but Rise of Endymion could easily be the best book of the series. It also has a lot of philosophical argument.

[@jeremyd8068]

I am glad I found your channel. We have similar interests in literature and I really enjoy your comments, reviews, and suggestions. Thank you, sir.

[@Yuuteimiya]

Awesome video! I was always loved this part of scifi that explored interesting philosophical ideas and accidentally found your video perfectly aligning with it. Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge!

[@anna-lenakuhner7635]

Love this channel! Thank you!

[@alfaalfa99]

Thanks for sharing your readings.

[@zarleewoodland]

My goodness, I had no idea someone would make a video that I needed so badly. You are awesome, thank you.

[@mikeprendergast1826]

Just wanted to say 'HI'. I have just found your channel and I have enjoyed your videos, I especially liked the Science fiction/philosophy fiction books. So, a big thanks for the time and effort it takes for the videos. Keep up the great work and may your channel keep growing

[@Krilin84]

Love this genre, keep em coming!

[@howloudcansilenceget8884]

I loove your philosophical sci-fi recommendation videos ❤ I dont when I will have the time to read them all but they are on my tbr list

[@rishabhaniket1952]

Recently watched your interview with Steve and nice to see you flexing your strong suite of SF booklists. Hope this one gets the views you desire.

[@LaughingStockfarm1]

Really appreciate your choices and the fact the you are not about the cult of the new, but bringing forth some older works. I’d love to see you visit LeGuin’s catalogue from a philosophical view point.

[@bartsbookspace]

Viewing the accelerated evolutionary progress of spiders -and their civilization- through their eyes (and legs) in Children of Time, was fascinating. Tchaikovsky does a great job of effortlessly dropping us into the body and mind of an animal that we have little in common with, forces us to suspend our preconceived notions and find comfort. This sparked many thoughts and emotions in me including how I touched I was by the plight of males in the arachnid society. Great book, as are all books mentioned in this video. Hyperion!

[@MD-ib4ix]

Really good Jared keep it up.

[@zuzanamadaras]

I don't know if it was mentioned already in the previous video, but "Silently and very fast" by Catherine M. Valente is one of the most beautiful explorations into how AI develops/learns/grows. It's not your typical scifi, but I have never before seen AI/robots described in such a way (a deep dive into how consciousness begins, what would be the psychology of an AI, how it would communicate and develop naturally if it didn't need to copy human examples etc.)

[@Read2live]

Hi, I haven't read much science fiction or fantasy because usually it is harder for me to find good works in this gerne that I will enjoy (I read mostly classics, but not only) but also I haven't been exposed to much of good science fiction. On the other hand, I have enjoyed the genre when it has a philosophical twist and not romance focused or horror for the sake of horror. I'm very interested in the philosophical aspects of science fiction and the few works I have read, I have enjoyed them mostly for how thought provoking can be. I'm looking for good books of this genre and I watched your videos. I just started reading Hyperion and Dune because of your video, and I'm surprised how much I love it! Having said that, I'm only in the beginning of Hyperion. I just finished the prologue, but I'm so impressed! I can't wait to continue reading it and I have high hopes that I will continue loving it. The Dune, I got the first book, the free sample on my kindle and I loved reading it also, so I will be continuing it. The Hyperion, I bought it for very cheap on my kindle and I like that I could click instantly on every difficult or unknown word to me to make my reading start easier. Now, that I'm into the first chapter, it is easier to understand what's going on, so I also ordered the physical book and I will be going back and forth from the kindle and the book. Thank you! I hope you make more videos like these. They are very helpful! I was also wondering what you think of Soren Kierkegaard and if you would make a video on him. I'm no where near understanding philosophy, but I do like reading when I can. I love Soren Kierkegaars although I barely understand the surface. Let's say, I love some quotes by him, I don't agree with everything he says, I don't understand most of it as I don't know anything about the philosophy he was responding to (I think he was responding to some things by Hegel, but I don't know exactly what). I have read Sickness Unto Death, which I love even if I don't agree with everything, and I love what he says about despair and faith. I have also read Fear and Trembling and I found it very interesting, not sure I understood much. I read both books years ago and I'd love to reread them. Can you suggest some tips on how to read Kierkegaard in a productive way? I have also read a couple other books by him. I loved The Lily of the Field and The Bird of the Air, and I really loved Purity of Heart. I have only read parts of Either Or, but I haven't finish it. I would love to reread them all one day, but with a goal to understand more and better.

[@pattyfalls7801]

A Psalm for the Wild-Built, and A Prayer for the Crown Shy, both by Becky Chambers, are wonderful!

[@KDIY]

I was going to sugest Becky Chambers as well. A Closed and Common Orbit is the first book that made me interested in this kind of reading.

[@pattyfalls7801]

@@KDIY, I haven’t read that one but will put it on my list.

[@NamasteH]

Thank you for this. I'm currently reading The Immortal King Rao by Vauhini Vara which has the same corporate theme as you discussed in Snow Crash (one of my favorite books). I'm enjoying it very much. I'm only halfway through so I can't conclusively suggest it to anyone - but I'm having a hard time putting it down!

[@martinbrisebois1831]

Hi Jared! As a fan of Hyperion Cantos, I would recommend that you forget about the two following books, Endymion and The Rise of Endymion. They are not bad, they explore the theme of people living in a reversed flow of time but in fact, there's a generic space opera aura around those books. Instead, look up Illium and Olympos, also by Dan Simmons. Just as Hyperion, there are unconnected stories that eventually converge together. The ideas explored are even wilder than those touched upon in Hyperion. There is a strong presence of Greek mythology, so much that I rushed to read the Iliad and the Odysseus in between the two books.

[@blsk8s]

Read Endymion. There is a scene in an ice cave that is the most moving and beautiful things I've ever read. Absolute brilliance.

[@SantamanitaClauscaria]

You MUST read books 3 and 4 of the Hyperion Cantos!! There are so many loose ends and unknowns that were not revealed in the first two books that get fleshed out. Endymion, and especially Rise of Endymion, contain very profound philosophical messages and commentary on religion, and I think you'll love the storyline as well.

[@e.matthews]

Reading Ancillary Justice now! Love the concept, not yet swept up in the story however.

[@MrJlindley3]

It was nice to see you bring Neal Stephenson into your discussions (maybe you did cover him - sorry if I missed that). In my opinion, Neal Stephenson handles some interesting topics - technology/society. Keep up the great work - nice to have your perspective!

[@_jared]

He's great. I never considered Stephenson a favorite, and then I realized that every time I read one of his books I loved it. He might be my favorite living science fiction writer (though I'd have to think long and hard about that).

[@swift6642]

i could listen to Jared talk about books all day not kidding

[@FIT2BREAD]

Love seeing the scifi content. Can I add to your radar: Solaris/Lem Diaspora/Egan (ai not in a human body..existing as data on a hardrive.. hard to beat) The Thing Itself/Adam Roberts (Kant's transcendental realism + SETI)... Also love children of time and snow crash etc. I felt Ancillary Justice, while not as great as Left Hand of Darkness, accomplished more in a philosophical approach to gender and language than Left Hand did...

[@shwetasinghnm]

Loved the spider species in Children of time series.

[@nanimaonovi2528]

I recommend 'Semiosis' by Sue Burke. It's about a human colony losing civilization in the struggle to survive until they make a dangerous choice to give up some autonomy and partner with a resident species. 'A Darkling Sea' by James L. Cambias has fantastic alien intelligences too.

[@e.matthews]

Semiosis is truly incredible. I was folding my laundry while listening to a certain "negotiation" scene and it blew my mind! Thankfully my socks were already off

[@everrit]

You are going to love the book 2 & 3 of Adrian Tchaikovsky. Yes for Snow Crash.

[@starkmastery215]

CS Friedman has a couple of books that explore what a future that incorporates virtual reality might be like, although most of the action does not occur in it-This Alien Shore is the first. Tad Williams also has a series that explores VR, called the Otherland Series.

[@jjcrazi]

Have read the first three books and I have the Leckie trilogy on my shelf which I’ll get to before the end of the year. Reading P.K.D man in the high castle right now. You were mentioning the Byzantine, A Tchaikovsky’s fantasy novels Shadows of the Apt (I’ve only read 4) but there are elements which made me think of the Ottoman Empire … probably completely wrong on that because I don’t know enough in the Empire but there were elements that could be construed that way.

[@alixbarks]

Uplift Series by David Brin Earth! by David Brin, especially for a musing on Gaia. Almost coming real today.

[@jp-st8vn]

Two books of ted Chiang could also be added . Story of your life and exhalation .

[@victormelendez9676]

I am having a really hard time getting through Snow Crash, so I decided to take a break from it. I'm hoping to return to it at some point, but Children of Time sounds like an intriguing substitute for now.

[@angeles814]

Incredible. I heard some years ago about Neal Stephenson. I thought its prose was horrific, like a middle school student writing, so I left it behind. However, now I realize about something important: I didn't read the original version rather the translated one to my own language. So there was, probably, a lot of meaningful and relevant content lost in translation. I will look for the English version of it, I bet it'll be a more pleasant reading.

[@omgbaiser]

Although your channel is mostly philosophy based I read a quote from Emil Cioran in which he states, 'What makes bad poets worse is that they read only poets (just as bad philosophers read only philosophers), whereas they would benefit much more from a book of botany or geology.' Was wondering if you could do a list or maybe even a short reply of books to give 'aspiring' philosophers a broadened view of the world and other literature outside of philosophically inclined works.

[@_jared]

I could perhaps make a video about this, but for now let me just recommend Dante’s Comedy, Bullfinch’s Mythology, Emily Dickinson, and Walt Whitman’a Leaves of Grass.

[@omgbaiser]

​@@_jared If you make a video or not this comment is very greatly appreciated! Thank you

[@_BiologyMatters_]

8:58 background kitty!

[@reginahay5211]

The old science fiction must not be overlooked here. We are still dealing with those issues brought up in When Worlds Collide (Balmer&Wylie, 1930s), She (Haggard, 1900s), and even 20,000 Leagues (Verne, 1860s).

[@humanangst8801]

found this channel after researching le guin and staying for all these interesting topics! sub

[@apollosgadfly]

Hi Jared, I love your videos. Have you read Michael D. O’Brien’s “Voyage to Alpha Centauri”? It has elements of Catholic theology for sure, but it does cover important philosophical questions covering the use/misuse of advanced technology and whether it is better for us to have technology that has both the capacity to help humanity as well as bring destruction or whether it is best to lose it so that it does not fall in the wrong hands.

[@thembamabona9809]

Looking forward to Ancillary Justice!!!🎉….technically it’s weird fiction but i strongly believe Vandermeers Borne has a place here 😊

[@SerifSansSerif]

You missed the most interesting idea in snowcrash which was that of intelligence being a linguistic virus/disease much like computer programing. The same theme is explored in the horror movie/radio play (easy to find on youtube) , Pontypool.

[@Belemrys]

Interesting choice to use Teixcalaan instead of Book of the New Sun for memory as identity! Both are on my TBR because of that theme. As a student of Ortega y Gasset I am very interested in this discussion!

[@_jared]

I've discussed Book of the New Sun in several videos, so I wanted to branch out a bit. Both are good explorations.

[@sallivanplay5402]

Thank you! Good account)

[@BlueRoseFaery]

Two sci-fi works that I personally got a lot out of philosophically are The Sparrow (& sequel Children of God) by Mary Doria Russell & Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy. The first deals with religion (and just personal interaction) in the face of contact with extraterrestrial civilization, but content warning for SA & medical body horror. The second is a utopia/dystopia story, viewed through the eyes of an impoverished woman sent to a mental institution, and is as much a good story as it is a look into the feminist & queer & civil rights ideology of the late 60s & 70s via the utopia & contrasting dystopia. I enjoy a lot of Piers Anthony’s works & some do lean philosophical while others are mostly silly fun, but Dead Morn co-written with Roberto Fuentes gets a bit more philosophical than most of his works, and is still very accessible to people who aren’t into harder sci-fi.

[@michaelvcelentano]

I would add John Scalzi’s series to this. He uses his philosophy degree from University of Chicago to bring levity and deeper thought to Sci-fi. I’d start with Red Shirts

[@Cuckold_Cockles]

It's more so labelled Fantasy, but as I read it, I considered it more Sci-Fi: Thief of Time --- great book!

[@marcc16]

Philosophize This podcast is doing an excellent series on consciousness at the moment, most recently covering pansychism if you enjoyed Nagles essay.

[@skeller61]

Michael Crichton’s books, to me, are great explorations of philosophy through extrapolating today’s technologies to possible scenarios. The common theme is, just because we have the ability to do something, should we?

[@radishesonmars9309]

You absolutely should read Endymion and Rise of Endymion. It's like the New Testament by way of Star Wars.

[@stevens-universe]

I will also recommend Children of Time ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@grrggrrg4805]

Would you consider Infinite Jest or 1984 philosophical scifi? or does the sci-fi element not play a big enough role?

[@willk7184]

Regarding the memory/identity theme, just wanted to mention there's a character in Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun that 'lives on' through another character in a rather interesting way.

[@tmoh99]

Miles / jonah ??

[@dionysianapollomarx]

Will read all these after the thesis is done lol great recoms

[@hasanalhabib5746]

How about three-body problem novel?

[@mikesbookreviews]

Still hoping to get to Snow Crash this year. Just bought that stunning deluxe edition.

[@_jared]

Have you read Stephenson before? It isn’t my favorite of his, but I do like Snow Crash a good bit.

[@mikesbookreviews]

@@_jared I have not.

[@_jared]

@@mikesbookreviews You're in for a treat. I think you'd like some of his writing. If you ever read Anathem (my favorite book by him) I'd love to chat.

[@Brahlam]

Interesting... you should ready A Deepness in the Sky from Vernor Vinge. It has some similarities to Children of Time.

[@smite5555]

I typically only recommend the first two Hyperion books, for a couple of reasons. In my mind the first book is a masterpiece that (rightly in my mind) doesn't tie up any strings, and the second book is a good tying-up-of-strings. The other reason is I just didn't like the later books, though it's hard for me to say if they're lower quality or if I just don't like theological or philosophical views the books espouse. For another discussion of superhuman AI, and also the experience of very different minds, I recommend Vernor Vinge's _A Fire Upon the Deep_, and prequel _A Deepness in the Sky_

[@Yesica1993]

I've never heard of these last two or even that author. Thanks, I will look them up.

[@ducatidude4483]

What about the ender game series?

[@dariolandi480]

A legend of the future by Augustine Rojas

[@canopus78]

No has hablado de Ray Bradbury, un escritor muy importante dentro del género..

[@dqan7372]

Haven't read it myself yet, but there is "Hard to be a God" by the brothers Strugatsky.

[@michaelking9818]

It’s a slog

[@miyayume_eclectic_dream]

I haven't read any of A. C. and Children of Time pop op so often that it is like to-get-to-book. At this point in time I don't want to read a series, so can Children of Time be read as a stand alone? Also what stanalone book of his would you recommend?

[@jwi1085]

Arachnids not insects. Also, would like to recommend Speaker for the Dead, Orson Scott Card

[@thembamabona9809]

….no William Gibson? 😮

[@stevenredpath9332]

I wonder if you would consider The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester to be a philosophical book? Its’ examination of a human society where telepaths exist.

[@FL-by9xz]

Recently discovered your channel - more of a sci-fi dabbler over the last 40 years, and after discovering LotR in 1982, didn’t read much fantasy after that as I found I compared everything to Tolkien. My bad! Your comments re Snowcrash were very interesting - I’ll have to look up Private Govt. Re the future being more of the metaverse type thing - I wonder if it may be limited by resources. We’re already seeing chip shortages, and a large proportion of the global population isn’t even online yet. Might this hold it back? I find that after growing up with computers in the 80s (born early 70s) it’s not uncommon to find people of my generation retreating from technology as they’re just fed up with it. It’s not a philosophical decision, just a reaction to the pervasiveness of technology in our lives. It just wears you out. Thanks for the videos, they’re very interesting, and you’re style is easy to engage with. More power to you! Regards from 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@experiongallup]

If you see them, tell James Kelman and Alan Warner I said hi.

[@FL-by9xz]

@@experiongallup Will do! If you have a liking for Scottish experimental writers, I highly recommend Lanark by Alasdair Gray. Read a library copy about 25 years ago when it was out of print. Happy to say it’s back in print. I keep meaning to buy a copy and read again. I felt, at the time, that it had maybe influenced the style of Iain Banks’ The Bridge. Both great books. 🙂

[@the_artisan]

Thanks Jared, I will check these out. What do you think of Dune?

[@_jared]

Dune is one of top 10 science fiction works. I talk about it in a few other videos!

[@sufficientmagister9061]

​​@@_jared Which one is better in your opinion: Dune or Foundation? I think Foundation has more scientific accuracy in it; Hari Seldon is such an unique character (and his science of psycho-history is also unique).

[@_jared]

@@sufficientmagister9061 Dune.

[@3choblast3r4]

P.s. You haven't mentioned the book of the new sun. Probably the most philosophical sci-fi I've ever read. But it really requires you to read all 4 books .. and probably more than once. I've glanced at your other vids and it wasn't there either (maybe I missed it)

[@JohnZomB.]

Hyperion and Endymion are amazing, but I dont see it as a continuation of the other. Hyperion is a story of its own, Endymion is a story of its own, set in Hyperions universe. if that makes sense.

[@ip6289]

I couldn't find Strugatsky's books in your list. Given you appreciation of Stephensen, Lem, and other deep and original thinkers, and mentioning some less significant authors, I suspect that books of the Brothers somehow missed your attention. Strength and depth of their books was steadily increasing from just "intersting" in 1950s, to really original and great in 60s (Hard to be a God, Snail on the Slope, "Prisoners of Power"), to masterpieces, like 70s "Roadside Picnic", "The Doomed City", "Space Mowgly", to special "Beetle in the Anthill" and "The Waves Extinguish The Wind" in 80s, (concluding the "World of Noon" and slightly related to earlier in this pseudo-series, like aforementioned "Prisoners..." and "Mowgly") Works of Strugatsky's are characterized by multilayered structure of meanings, starting on the surface from intense and engaging plots, which provides a cover (and a backbone) for a intellectual and philosophical quests taking as deep or as far as a Reader is ready to follow. In case you find your way to those treasures I wish you a great journey.

[@Yesica1993]

Will there be spoilers in this video? I want to read several of these books. "Thinky" Sci Fi is my favorite!

[@_jared]

I try to avoid spoilers. There might be minor spoilers, but I don’t do plot summaries.

[@Yesica1993]

@@_jared Cool, thanks. I adored Hyperion, btw. That book still haunts me.

[@StopFear]

I tried to read Snow Crash in 2002 when I was a senior in high school, I tried to read it almost exactly 20 years later when I was moving and stumbled upon the same physical copy of it, and I still cannot enjoy it. It is just impossible to take it seriously when it is written in present continuous tense. The whole "cyberpunk" thing also just seemed to be so outdated in 2002 already.

[@HIgginFlips]

Have you read Solaris by Stanislaw Lem?

[@FlosBlog]

I read all of them this year - damn I am on a role 😂

[@psikeyhackr6914]

Robert Heinlein doesn't get mentioned that much in relation to philosophical SF but another unmentioned thing about him is somewhat of a connection back to reality. Heinlein got interested in General Semantics by Alfred Korzybski in the late 1930s. Some of this can be seen between the lines in Stranger in a Strange Land and Moon is a Harsh Mistress. The mention of LOGLAN, Logical Language, in The Moon is a Harsh Mistress makes it more obvious. The Tyranny of Words by Stuart Chase Chase is mentioned in an essay by George Orwell about politics and he was part of FDR's brain trust having written the book, A New Deal. But Tyranny of Words is more readable than Science and Sanity by Korzybski. Heinlein's thinking gets kind of drowned out by the hullabaloo made about sex and religion in Stranger and sex and economics and politics in Harsh Mistress. Personally I think Heinlein was too intelligent to be a Libertarian.

[@coaldoubt2879]

Blindsight

[@petehurd5301]

CJ Cherryh - Downbelow Station. Hugo award winner. Reading it as a teen back in the day, issues of moral duty to refugees during conflict were chewy.

[@HABYKOSHYMATHEW]

Children Of TImeDavid BrinMarie Dorie RusselWalter MillerPhilip Jose Farmer.Connie WIllis Tchaikovsky did a great job by giving homage by standing on the shoulders of those giants of scifi.

[@bartoszdomagala6816]

Has anyone here read Golem XIV by Stanisław Lem? This is just philosophical SF at its highest level.

[@LowHangingFruitForest]

Have any philosophical fantasy?

[@StinFriggins]

Is Infinite Jest scifi?

[@joewinn8631]

Hey bud - think the term metaverse was first used in snow crash

[@pads6367]

That's right

[@wv6538]

Where's Three Body Problem??

[@sanbrochill9399]

YES Hyperion made the list

[@3choblast3r4]

Snow Crash is philosophical? I always thought it was a more satirical and comedic take on cyberpunk .. it's on my TBR and will be read soon. But the one thing I kinda was worried about is that it might be too comedic taking away from the gritty cyberpunk.

[@abhradas6433]

I sometimes find sci-fi too complex with multiple tech themes which makes me like sci-fi less than other genres? Can you recommend some EASY READABLE sci-fi

[@_jared]

Red Rising is a pretty easy read in my opinion, though it is dark. Others that come to mind: Ender's Game, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Stranger in a Strange Land.

[@abhradas6433]

@@_jared Thanks a lot...

[@johncrwarner]

I will have to stop watching your videos as I now have two new philosophers to explore Elizabeth Anderson and Nick Bostrom (Nicklas Boström in Swedish) I think that is enough from one video! I think a short KZbin film of Nick Bostrom's Pascal's Mugging might be interesting to do. My first encounters with philosophy in literature were with Tom Stoppard and his plays which explored a lot of the Analytic Philosophical scene of Britain and North America at the time.

[@dionysianapollomarx]

You forgot to link Schechtmann’s The Constitution of Selves

[@_jared]

Good catch

[@Leo-yn5fx]

Saving

[@rubenlarochelle1881]

I'm relatively new to Sci-Fi, so I ask: is there any science fiction work that _isn't_ philosophical? I mean, I prefer it when it _is,_ but it's so common for sci-fi to be a cover-up for philosphy that I'm wondering whether non-philosphical sci-fi even exists ahah

[@_jared]

Most fiction is going to have some philosophical themes, especially since you're going to find ethical dilemmas or debates in almost every novel. But I do think there's non-philosophical science fiction, or science fiction that doesn't emphasize the philosophical themes as much as the works I've highlighted. To use an author I quite like as an example: I don't think Stephenson's Seveneves is particularly philosophical (except for the ethical dimensions, which we really need to bracket to make the category meaningful). It is heavily focused on technology for the vast majority of the novel.

[@starkmastery215]

Try the space opera or planetary romance subgenres, they incline more towards adventure stories.

[@ChickpeaTwo]

In Ancillary Justice (and it's sequels and spin offs) everyone who lives in the Radch uses feminine pronouns, it's not just the ships. In space outside of the Radch people use a variety of pronouns.

[@_jared]

Oh, I totally forgot that it is everyone in the Radch. It has been awhile - I should have doublechecked.

[@phandao5404]

Can you do for me a huge favor. Please make english subtitle. I think if you make english subtitle, you will have a lot of viewer

[@jameswight6259]

Oh boy! Are you bad for my bank balance!?

[@crux6386]

Diaspora. Greg egan

[@3choblast3r4]

I needed a separate comment just to express how much I despise the Hyperion Cantos .. bruh it's all bad poetry, and a little philosophy and religion which is generally horrifically bad. Dan Simmons at one point claims (his Jewish character does) that God wasn't testing Abraham, Abraham was testing God .. which is legit the dumbest take on that I've ever heard. Both books end with the entire cast coming together to sing a song.. somewhere over the rainbow in the second book.. yeah that didn't make me want to smash my ereader against the wall. I hate hyperion so much, I get triggered when I read "lapis lazuri" in other books ...

[@Yesica1993]

Ancillary Justice If there's no distinction between the sexes, then why didn't the author just use, "it"? "She" has a meaning. It means female. I wouldn't have minded this sort of thing some years ago. But now that real life is erasing the sexes with this "trans' anti-biology insanity (or pretending to, since it's a biological impossibility) I don't need that in my sci fi as well. I don't know if the author is pushing that idea in real life.