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Science Fiction

Life As Simulacrum: Stanislaw Lem’s Sci-Fi

Leszek Koczanowicz on a writer whose novels explore the search for meaning within simulated realities.

Science fiction, although now associated with popular writing, has its noble origin in Plato’s Republic. The story of an unreal but socially perfect city has been repeated again and again over the centuries ever since, giving testimony not only to the longing for an ideal but also to the need for combining philosophy and literature. Could it be that abstract philosophy alone was not able to convince people to believe in social ideals? Perhaps bare argument must be supplemented with narrative. “Once upon a time” is hypnotic, but “if a, then b” is boring. However, the problem lies not only in the feeling of excitement or boredom.

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