“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 visited the UK, and had the opportunity to ask him a few questions about his take on the place of science fiction in International Relations, and social science more generally. Having been an inspiration to the start of our podcast, Patrick is at the forefront of a movement to, in his words, expand the realm of what counts as a legitimate voice when it comes to making contributions to what our common future might be.
Patrick Jackson is Associate Dean and Professor of International Relations at the School of International Service, American University Washington. He is the author of The Conduct of Inquiry in International Relations, on the role of the philosophy of science in International Relations and has taught at Columbia University and New York University. He tweets @profptj
Social Science Talks Science Fiction 