Social Science Talks Science Fiction » Podcasts

Social Science Talks Science Fiction » Podcasts

Follow Social Science Talks Science Fiction » Podcasts
Share on
Copy link to clipboard

A podcast in which social scientists, philosophers and researchers discuss the themes and works of science fiction.

Social Science Talks: Science Fiction


    • Apr 28, 2017 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 29 EPISODES


    Search for episodes from Social Science Talks Science Fiction » Podcasts with a specific topic:

    Latest episodes from Social Science Talks Science Fiction » Podcasts

    [032] Social Science Talks: Warhammer and The Eisenhorn Trilogy, by Dan Abnett

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2017


    ‘In the grim darkness of the far future…’   This month, we try and take on the Warhammer universe by reading the Eisenhorn Trilogy, by Dan Abnett. Does knowledge require […]

    [031] Social Science Talks: 1984, by George Orwell

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2017


    ‘It was a bright cold morning in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen…’ After much pressure, and the election of Donald Trump, we finally get round to covering 1984 […]

    [030] Social Science Talks: His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2017


    “I stopped believing there was a power of good and a power of evil that were outside us. And I came to believe that good and evil are names for […]

    [029] Social Science Talks: Babylon 5

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2017


    The Babylon Project was a dream given form… It’s a new year, and carrying through on a resolution that we’ve had since we started the podcast, we got together to […]

    [028] Social Science Talks: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 21, 2016


    So long, and thanks for all the fish! As we wind down for Christmas, we crank up the improbability drive to a level where it produces, fully formed, and episode […]

    [026] Social Science Talks: The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2016


    “We were the people who were not in the papers. We lived in the blank white spaces at the edges of print. It gave us more freedom. We lived in […]

    [025] Social Science Talks: Star Trek

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2016


    Following the 50th Anniversary and the recent film Star Trek: Beyond, we sit down at Social Sci-Fi towers to discuss what we love and hate about the Star Trek franchise. […]

    [024] Social Science Talks: Dune, by Frank Herbert

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 23, 2016


    “The Fremen were supreme in that quality the ancients called “spannungsbogen” — which is the self-imposed delay between desire for a thing and the act of reaching out to grasp […]

    [023] Social Science Interviews: Penny Fielding, on Spies and Genre Fiction

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2016


    It’s conference season once again, and Matthew got the long train to Edinburgh in order to talk to Professor Penny Fielding about spies and genre fiction. It’s a great follow up […]

    [022] Social Science Talks: Independence Day

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2016


    After a film night at Social Science Towers, Alex, Matt, Jess and Bleddyn discuss the beginning of the large-scale disaster film, Independence Day. Join us as we discuss 90s pop […]

    [021] Social Science Talks: Utopia, By Thomas More

    Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2016


    “We did not ask if he had seen any monsters, for monsters have ceased to be news. There is never any shortage of horrible creatures who prey on human beings, […]

    [20] Social Science Talks: Embassytown, by China Miéville

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2016


    “Word spread because word will spread. Stories and secrets fight, stories win, shed new secrets, which new stories fight, and on.”   This month we discuss Embassytown, by China Miéville. […]

    [019] Social Science Talks: Woman on the Edge of Time, by Marge Piercy

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2016


    What would you do if your actions would change the course of history? Lydia, Charlotte, Sorana and Jess take the spotlight on the podcast this month in this episode, recorded […]

    [018] Social Science Talks: The Player of Games, by Iain M. Banks

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2016


    Common misconception that; that fun is relaxing. If it is, you’re not doing it right. Would you like to play a game? This month, we read the Player of Games, […]

    [017] Social Science Talks: Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2016


    We are all susceptible to the pull of viral ideas. Like mass hysteria. Or a tune that gets into your head that you keep humming all day until you spread […]

    [016] Social Science Talks: Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2015


    I have told my sons that they are not under any circumstances to take part in massacres, and that the news of massacres of enemies is not to fill them […]

    [015] Social Science Interviews: Georg Loefflmann, on Man in the High Castle

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 24, 2015


    It’s been a rough month here at Social Science Towers, and we were unable to record a new episode. Luckily for you, we have an interview with friend of the […]

    [014] Social Science Talks: War of the Worlds, by HG Wells

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2015


    “No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man’s and yet as […]

    [013] Social Science Talks: Watchmen, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 18, 2015


    Never compromise. Not even in the face of Armageddon. That’s always been the difference between us, Daniel. Today, we deal with Watchmen, because Matt had the bright idea of doing […]

    [012] Social Science Interviews: Georg Loefflmann, on the Pentagon vs. Aliens

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2015


    It’s conference season, and we dispatched our one-man-army Matt to interview a series of scholars studying science fiction at the British International Studies Association 2015 conference in London. This time […]

    [011] Social Science Talks: Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2015


    I have thus endeavoured to preserve the truth of the elementary principles of human nature, while I have not scrupled to innovate upon their combinations. Today we discuss Mary Shelley’s […]

    [010] Social Science Interviews: Matt Davies on Joss Whedon and Dollhouse

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2015


    Even if this is something that isn’t saying ‘this is how you need to change your thinking about international politics’, it gives you a place to stand to begin to […]

    [009] Social Science Talks: Starship Troopers

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2015


    Come on you apes, do you want to live forever? Continuing his march through the hostile environment of BISA 2015, Matt tracks down Malte Riemann, Senior Lecturer at Sandhurst to […]

    [008] Social Science Interviews: Heroes, with Alexandra Martens

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2015


    The biggest power a superhero has is to go beyond their society. It’s conference season, and we dispatched our one-man-army Matt to interview a series of scholars studying science fiction […]

    [007] Social Science Talks: Agent Carter

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2015


    We talk Agent Carter today, a recent TV spin-off of Captain America that has made waves for making feminist science fiction possible in a commercial setting. Spies, explosions and fabulous […]

    [006] Social Science Talks: Zombies

    Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2015


    In this episode, the discussion from Social SciFi Towers turns to Max Brooks’ World War Z, as well as Dan Drezner’s Theories of International Politics and Zombies. Why is it […]

    [005] Social Science Talks: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?/Blade Runner

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2015


    The Social Science Talks team discusses Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? today, as well as the film adaptation, Blade Runner. While the film is well known for setting the […]

    [004] Social Science Interviews: Ways of Knowing, Imagined Worlds and Teaching Using Science Fiction, with Patrick Thaddeus Jackson

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2015


    “Students will say ‘I don’t know whether I’m reading a novel or a piece of theory.’ And I’ll say ‘Exactly, that’s the point.” We caught Patrick Thaddeus Jackson as he […]

    [003] Social Science Talks: Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2015


    In this episode, we discuss Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley. What would society look like if we considered order the highest value to strive for? Treading the line between […]

    Claim Social Science Talks Science Fiction » Podcasts

    In order to claim this podcast we'll send an email to with a verification link. Simply click the link and you will be able to edit tags, request a refresh, and other features to take control of your podcast page!

    Claim Cancel