The Humanism of Doctor Who: A Critical Study in Science Fiction and Philosophy

by David Layton

From 1963 to 1989, the BBC television program Doctor Who followed a time-traveling human-like alien called "The Doctor" as he sought to help people, save civilizations and right wrongs. Since its 2005 revival, Doctor Who has become a pop culture phenomenon surpassing its "classic" period popularity and reaching a larger, more diverse audience. Though created as a family program, the series has dramatized serious themes in philosophy, science, religion, and politics. Doctor Who 's thoughtful presentation of a secular humanist view of the universe stands in stark contrast to the flashy special effects central to most science fiction on television. This examination of Doctor Who from the perspective of philosophical humanism assesses the show's careful exploration of such topics as justice, ethics, good and evil, mythology and knowledge.

Genres: Doctor Who, Nonfiction, Philosophy

364 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

David Layton is author of the acclaimed memoir Motion Sickness. David grew up all over the world and now divides his time between Toronto and Barbados.
He is the son of the acclaimed Canadian poet Irving Layton and American author and journalist Aviva Cantor.

Reviews

[Katherine Sas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a weird reaction to this book. On the one hand, Layton's book is well thought out, researched, and written. He makes a compelling case for Doctor Who's being essentially humanist in outlook. On the other hand, I can't help but disagree with his entire thesis. Layton successfully performs a humanist reading of the series, but to do so inevitably ignores the weird undercurrent in Doctor Who: the magical, mystical, alchemical, miraculous, and eucatastrophic moments are (for me) the moments when it transcends itself and becomes something mythic. Yes, the Doctor himself is skeptical, rationalist, and humanist in outlook. But is the Doctor meant to be the absolute paragon of morality? I'm not sure I can put the Doctor on such a high pedestal as Layton seems to want to. There are more than a few moments when the Doctor is suspect, or just plain wrong. I do think the Doctor is heroic and admirable, and Layton is probably right that most of the writers have historically infused the program with a humanist philosophy. But, as in life, I can't help but find humanism (noble and attractive thought it is) as a bit unsatisfying. Layton's argument holds together well enough, but I suspect that if Doctor Who were as rigidly and exclusively humanist as he argues it wouldn't be the program that I feel so passionate about.

[Shaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Staggering. This book gives a lot of context for the show, and now I want to go back and watch the episodes discussed (which were quite a few...)