After Dinner Conversation - Examining the Past

Philosophy | Ethics Short Story Fiction

By: Robert Colling, Rosalind Goldsmith, Paul Hilding, Garrett Davis, Matias Travieso-Diaz, J. Grace Pennington, Olga Pavlinova Olenich, Paul Brownsey, Jesse Rowell, Ville V. Kokko

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Ranked Top 10 "Best Lit Mags of 2023" by Chill Subs

Synopsis: Carefully curated stories from our monthly magazine to create a themed short story book about the philosophy and ethics as we revisit and examine our past as individuals. Perfect for classrooms and book clubs, each story is 1,500-7,000 words and comes with five suggested discussion questions.

• The Man Who Killed The Dog: A man slowly goes crazy because he is unable to come to terms with his past.
• The Free Will of Professor Sturmhauser: A depressed philosophy professor is a deep believer in the lack of free will.
• Taps: A draft dodging trumpet player seeks redemption by playing at veteran funerals.
• They Got Their Show: A taxi driver is assigned to pick up the newly exonerated murderer of his 16-year-old daughter.
• Christmas In Ushuaia: A sorrowful man heads to the ends of the earth to dispose of his most painful memories.
• All My Tomorrows: A down on his luck man in his twilight comes into a "memory storage facility" to trade his remaining days for the chance to re-experience his "last good day."
• Momentary Paradise: The narrator watches a late-night movie that makes her question what moment in her life would be her personal framework for heaven.
• The Causes of the First World War: A gay romance causes a downward spiral for one partner, and questions of ethics and responsibility for the other.
• The Stone Piles: A young boy seeks the approval of his father through hunting, but finds he doesn't have the stomach for it.
• The Only Punishment: A street-hardened criminal is forced to live his crimes from the perspective of his victims.

Reviews ★★★★★
“With Science fiction we can explore other galaxies and alien conflicts, but with philosophical fiction we can explore other minds and ethical conflicts. Let this book take you on a Phi-Fi adventure.”
— William Irwin, Ph.D. - Philosophy Professor, King's College

“After Dinner Conversation has taken up the initiative to write themed collections of short stories that fit focused ethics courses – say, a course on bioethics, AI ethics, Tech ethics etc. These collections can offer a spine for such courses or individual stories could be added to a course as illustrative material to stimulate discussion. The stories are lively and engaging and followed by a set of questions to start classroom discussion. Also, outside of educational contexts, the stories will work nicely to stimulate conversation in families, elder hostels, youth clubs, or book groups.”
— Luc Bovens, Ph.D. - Philosophy Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill