The left hand of darkness, by Ursula K. Le Guin, as thought experiment: an examination of literature as philosophy

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31977/grirfi.v21i3.2423

Keywords:

Thought experiment; Ursula K. Le Guin; Science Fiction; Metaphilosophy.

Abstract

This essay intersects literature and epistemology in order to understand what it means to take “The left hand of darkness” (1969), as proposed by the author Ursula K. Le Guin, as a thought experiment. As we look at Science Fiction as a literary genre and how it relates to the notion of thought experiment, we conclude that Science Fiction authors, through the imaginary displacement they perform as they create people, worlds, political organizations, and explore the relations between subjects within these imaginary structures, also draw thought experiments that are able to deal with important aspects of the human experience.

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Author Biographies

Bruna Schneid da Silva, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ)

Doutorando(a) em Filosofias na Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), Rio de Janeiro – RJ, Brasil.

Jade Bueno Arbo, Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPel)

Doutorando(a) em Literatura, Cultura e Tradução na Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPel), Pelotas – RS, Brasil..

References

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Published

2021-10-28

How to Cite

SCHNEID DA SILVA, Bruna; BUENO ARBO, Jade. The left hand of darkness, by Ursula K. Le Guin, as thought experiment: an examination of literature as philosophy. Griot : Revista de Filosofia, [S. l.], v. 21, n. 3, p. 99–111, 2021. DOI: 10.31977/grirfi.v21i3.2423. Disponível em: https://periodicos.ufrb.edu.br/index.php/griot/article/view/2423. Acesso em: 3 jul. 2024.

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Articles