The Ethics of Avasarala

The Ethics of Avasarala By Gerald Browning The complexity of the characters and the moral ambiguity of the storylines on The Expanse create compelling programing. And no character is as morally ambiguous and mysterious as the cool, calculating Chrisjen Avasarala (played exceptionally well by Shohreh Aghdashloo). With a stroke of a pen or a whisper…

“We had a garden and we paved it”

“We had a garden and we paved it” The Expanse and the Philosophy of the Anthropocene Diletta De Cristofaro *Note: This essay is excerpted from The Expanse and Philosophy. Captain Martens, of the MCRN Scirocco, had warned Gunnery Sergeant Bobbie Draper about a “dirty” ocean, whose “stench [is] like the recycling vat” (“The Weeping Somnambulist”). Arriving…

Humanity’s Dilemma before Abaddon’s Gate

Humanity’s Dilemma before Abaddon’s Gate Leonard Kahn *Note: This essay is excerpted from The Expanse and Philosophy. James Holden, that hot-headed rogue, manages to convince an alien technology—Abaddon’s Gate, created by the protomolecule—that human beings are not a threat. It opens up 1,300 Einstein-Rosen bridges, providing humanity access to at least as many habitable worlds.…

Just Published: The Expanse and Philosophy

Enter The Expanse to explore questions of the meaning of human life, the concept of justice, and the nature of humanity, featuring a foreword from author James S.A. Corey   The Expanse and Philosophy investigates the philosophical universe of the critically acclaimed television show and Hugo Award-winning series of novels. Original essays by a diverse international panel of experts illuminate how essential philosophical concepts relate to the meticulously crafted world of The Expanse, engaging with topics such as…

Paradigm Shifts: Epstein Drive, Eros, and Thomas Kuhn

Paradigm Shifts Epstein Drive, Eros, and Thomas Kuhn By Nathaniel Goldberg “My drive would give us the edge that we needed to finally break free from Earth and build a new world for ourselves. That’s the wonderful and terrible thing about technology. It changes everything.” “Paradigm Shift,” season 2, episode 6 of The Expanse, mixes…

Call for Abstracts: The Expanse and Philosophy

Call for Abstracts The Expanse and Philosophy Edited by Jeffery Nicholas With a foreword by the creator, James S.A. Corey The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series Abstracts and subsequent essays should be philosophically substantial but accessible, written to engage the intelligent lay reader. Contributors of accepted essays will receive an honorarium. We are looking…

The Expanse and Philosophy

The Expanse and Philosophy “We Can Be Our Own Gods!” Jeffery L. Nicholas   In Season 3 Episode 1, “Fight or Flight,” the crew of the Rocinante change the name of the ship, partly to disguise themselves, to the Pinus Contorta. Prax, the botanist they picked up on Tycho, believes the name is fitting; “Pinus…