The best books to explore philosophy through fiction

On its surface, Solaris is about a protracted, largely failed attempt to communicate with alien life. That in and of itself provides the basis for a great philosophical novel, as it immediately invokes questions of the nature of language, our place in the universe, and so on. However, what makes Solaris special is that it simultaneously implicates communication between human beings in the questions it asks. It takes seriously the problems of epistemology (the study of knowledge) and of the philosophy of mind. What is consciousness, and how can I know it? How can I understand the consciousness of an alien, if I cannot even understand the consciousness of another person? Solaris uses the vehicle of science fiction to do what science fiction is best poised to do: ask crucial questions in extreme scenarios to bring out their truth… or at least the difficulties associated with those questions.

Anathem is remarkable for having a gripping plot and fantastic, epic-fantasy-grade worldbuilding, while uncompromisingly exploring philosophical questions ranging from Platonic Idealism to string theory, to phenomenology, and much else. It’s rare for a novel to be so entertaining without sacrificing its intellectual commitments. At times, it reads like a giant love letter to philosophy. It was a joy for me to find endless references to the history of philosophy and science, often in the guise of alternate-universe versions of the relevant philosophers, with different names and histories, but enough that is familiar to make the informed reader point at the page and think things like, “That’s the Kant of this world!” Anyone can enjoy Anathem, but it especially rewards those curious and knowledgeable about philosophy.

Last and First Men is an imagined history of the human race over two-billion years into the future. The beauty of this work is its ability to give the human race meaning and significance, whereas most other works of such scope instead seek to dwarf humanity and its significance under the scale of the universe. Stapledon achieves this by infusing his narrative with compassion, and with an underlying admiration for the process of evolution. Moreso than Darwinian evolution, the process humanity undergoes is more aligned with Hegelian, idealist dialectical movements, and implicitly evokes many questions about the nature of consciousness, our place in the universe, and what is essential about humanity. Though I cannot quite say why, the book has a refreshingly optimistic quality. I read this book shortly after being diagnosed with cancer, and it brought me much vitality.

Nausea does not rely on the extreme or outlandish scenarios of science fiction to explore philosophical themes. Rather, this novel is about a person’s growing malaise over his conscious relationship to objects, people, and ultimately himself. It reaches into some very fundamental aspects of our relationship to the world, and asks you to look at the mere structure of existence after all particularities (names, shapes, colors, history, etc.) are wiped away, and then asks you how you feel about it. Through an existentialist lens, it also explores certain political questions. And for those more technically interested in philosophy, the novel does a better job of showing existentialism’s relationship to phenomenology than many academic papers. 

It feels like a bit of a shame to include such a ubiquitously known philosophical novel when I have the chance to recommend others, but I feel compelled to include this novel because of the profound effect it had on me. There are endless things that can be said about the various philosophical, existentialist, and theological themes of this novel, so I will limit myself to praising one which was affecting to me. No other novel I have read so profoundly and deeply explores the notion of forgiveness. The reader is asked to consider forgiveness, its limits, its demands, its place in morality and religion, the hypocrisies and duties associated with it, and who might deserve it. It’s a life-changing book in many ways, in large part because it succeeds at making issues of philosophy very personal for the characters, and ultimately the reader.