Metaphysics

Dan Simmons's far-future science fiction epic Hyperion Cantos, in which seven disparate individuals become enmeshed in a convoluted plot to enslave humanity, provides extensive support for British theologian John Hick's theory of transcendental pluralism. Using the central figures of the Shrike, a mysterious killing machine, and the Technocore, a collective of autonomous artificial intelligences, Simmons demonstrates Hick's postulation that all major Western religions actually focus on the same divine being (God) by creating a negative divine being, akin to Satan, to which characters of various religions react in similar ways. Simmons's pilgrims each represent a particular spiritual outlook, from specific organized religions to less-defined positions such as secularism and agnosticism, but each pilgrim's tale contributes to the evidence of transcendental pluralism. This thesis explores each characters' experiences as they relate to the Shrike, the Technocore, and, ultimately the theory of transcendental pluralism.

Willard Van Orman Quine and Charles Sanders Peirce each create systems in which counterfactual conditionals can be meaningful. A counterfactual conditional is a statement whose antecedent is known to be contrary to fact. Counterfactual conditionals are important in making predictions. It would be irresponsible to implement any major change in the current state of affairs without first assessing the consequences. Quine's work seems to undermine the use of counterfactual conditionals, but I show that his system does allow for certain types of counterfactual conditionals to be meaningful. I conclude that counterfactual conditionals are more meaningful in Peirce's system because the ability to make predictions is a primary concern for him. Although Peirce's system gets more meaning out of counterfactual conditionals than Quine's system, Quine's system aids in the understanding of science.