HAPSAT Graduate Workshops - First 2026 Winter Session
When and Where
Speakers
Description
HAPSAT GRADUATE WORKSHOPS
Monsters, Metaphors, and Misinformation: Reimagining Science Communication Through the Philosophy of Horror
In-person event | Wednesday, December 3 from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m.
VC303
Abstract: How can the aesthetics of horror help us communicate scientific knowledge in an age of misinformation? While traditional science communication relies on clarity, neutrality, and authority, horror cinema operates through tension, affect, and ambiguity - qualities that philosophers of horror have long recognized as central to how we confront the unknown. Drawing on my research in collaborative filmmaking, this talk explores how genre conventions such as dread, suspense, and “monstrous metaphors” can open new pathways for public engagement with science and medicine. Rather than treating horror as merely sensational, I argue that its philosophical function - foregrounding uncertainty, vulnerability, and embodied experience - can make scientific ideas more relatable and resilient against dismissal. By examining both theoretical foundations and practical outcomes, this presentation proposes a framework for “genre-based epistemic storytelling,” showing how horror’s narrative strategies can reanimate science communication and deepen public understanding in ways conventional formats cannot.
