January 5, 2009 - 10:37pm
Review - Feminist Philosophy And Science Fiction
Utopias And Dystopias
by Judith A. Little (Editor)
Prometheus Books, 2007
Review by Bob Lane, MA
Jan 6th 2009 (Volume 13, Issue 2)
Thought
experiments are a staple in philosophy. We all remember the unconscious
violinist, the Thomson lamp, Galileo's complex objects, People seeds,
and Einstein's elevator. These "experiments" are narratives designed to
stimulate thought on some philosophical problem or other and to
encourage discussion. Often challenging, they ask readers to reconsider
long held beliefs and pay attention to the consequences of a position.
For example, imagine that there is a village in which all the adult
males are clean shaven. In the village is a barber. The barber shaves
all and only those adult males who do not shave themselves. So, if Bob
shaves himself then the barber does not shave Bob. And, if Bob does not
shave himself then the barber does shave Bob.
Question: Does the barber shave himself?
Tags: In the Community
