Games, Minds, and Sci-Fi

Abstract

Sci-Fi, probably more than other popular literature, directly deals with the deep sociological and philosophical problems of the age. Dealing with the problem or implications of other minds is at the heart of the work of some of the most influential theorists of the 20th century, and understanding interactions between agents who are aware of each other as conscious and thinking beings has perhaps been the major challenge and accomplishment of of 20th century philosophy and social science. The paper is an attempt to determine the extent to which just this question has also been a concern in an admittedly partial selection of Sci-Fi stories and novels, with specific reference to certain works of Rob Sawyer.