Worlds of Speculative Fiction
Dr. Sadler's monthly talk series on narrative worlds and philosophical themes of speculative fiction, available worldwide
Your Instructor
After a successful career as a college professor, researcher, and administrator, I started our company, ReasonIO (with my wife and partner, Andi Sciacca) in order to help people study and apply philosophy in public, practical, and professional contexts. I continue teaching philosophy, literature, religious studies, and humanities courses at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design.
I take difficult philosophical texts, thinkers, and topics, and make them accessible for everyday people. That's how philosophy gets traction and remains closely connected with real life! The work I do with ReasonIO includes online course development and teaching, public speaking, organizational and ethics consulting, tutorial sessions, development of philosophy content, and philosophical counseling.
My work and expertise covers a wide range of topics, thinkers, and texts in western philosophy, ranging through ancient, medieval, modern, and late modern periods. Among the schools, movements, and traditions I draw upon are Platonism, Aristotelianism, Stoicism, Patristic and Medieval Christian thought, Dialectical thought, Existentialism, Critical Theory, and Philosophy as a Way of Life.
From 2016 to 2022, I served as the Editor of Stoicism Today. I remain a member of the Modern Stoicism, ltd. team. I am also the producer of the Half Hour Hegel series, which is nearing its completion. I have authored one book (Reason Fulfilled By Revelation), edited two volumes (Stoicism Today Selected Essays, volume 3 and volume 4), and published dozens of articles, book chapters, and encyclopedia entries. Although I work in significant part outside of the academy, I remain actively engaged in research and scholarship.
In recent years, I have held a Research Residency at the Institute for Saint Anselm Studies, been a Visiting Scholar position at European Graduate School, and was a Charles Chesnutt Library Fellow. I am also an APPA-certified Philosophical Counselor.
Course Curriculum
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StartVideo of Session 1 - Philosophy, Fantasy, and Science Fiction: Introduction to the Series
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StartVideo of Session 2 - J.R.R. Tolkien's Saga of Middle Earth
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StartVideo of Session 3 - A.E. Van Vogt's World of Null-A
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StartVideo of Session 4 - C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy
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StartVideo of Session 5 - Isaac Asimov's Foundations Galaxy
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StartVideo of Session 6 - Frank Herbert's Dune Universe
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StartVideo of Session 7 - Roger Zelazny's Amber and Chaos
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StartVideo of Session 8 - Ursula K. Le Guin's Hainish Universe
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StartVideo of Session 9 - Michael Moorcock's Multiverse and the Eternal Champion
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StartVideo of Session 10 - Philip K. Dick's Alternate America
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StartVideo of Session 11 - Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast Trilogy
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StartVideo of Session 12 - George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire
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StartVideo of Session 13 - Philip Jose Farmer's Riverworld
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StartVideo of Session 14 - Madeline L'Engle's Time Quintet
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StartVideo of Session 15 - Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker Galaxy
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StartVideo of Session 16 - Anne McCaffrey's World of Pern
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StartVideo of Session 17 - Orson Scott Card's Enderverse
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StartVideo of Session 18 - Iain Banks Culture Series Galaxy
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StartVideo of Session 19 - H.P. Lovecraft's Universe of the Elder Gods
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StartVideo of Session 20 - William Gibson's Sprawl Trilogy
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StartVideo of Session 21 - C.L Moore's Fantastic Worlds
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StartVideo of Session 22 - Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis Trilogy