Conférence - Philosofictions – Archives Henri-Poincaré

Philosophical readings by the Archives Henri-Poincaré

"Fiction is the lie by which we tell the truth". Albert Camus' paradoxical phrase illustrates, in its own way, the singular place that fiction occupies in philosophy. From Plato's myth of the cave to contemporary thought experiments, allegorical narratives have been found throughout history, used as a means of exposing theoretical problems, or as drivers of questioning in thought processes.

Through a selection of readings, we'll be proposing fictions that are properly philosophical, but also scientific and literary, in which we'll come across clever geniuses, statues endowed with sensitivity, brains in vats and young scientists living in a colorless universe. And we'll ask ourselves: what are fictions? How do fictional beings exist? And how can we understand that, faced with fictional situations, we can feel real emotions or learn something valuable about the world? In the end, there's no doubt that we'll all enjoy feeling that the false, the illusory and the fictional can help us to think about the real and the true.

Practical information:
Prices from 1 euro.
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