Erica Neely IF HoF

Filker and philosophy professor, Erica Neely has been involved in fandom since 1996, a fact which she finds vaguely terrifying to contemplate.  She has released two CDs, Hello Stranger and Not Everybody Dies, with songs that span a wide range of topics, from high fantasy to science fiction and everything in between; she also has written several songs in what she calls the “Great Works of Literature Through Filk Singing” series, because nothing screams “filk” like a Steinbeck novel.  Or something like that.  Her music tends toward the serious side, although it’s actually rare that anyone dies in her songs.  She will be working on a third album Real Soon Now.

Professionally, she specializes in the philosophy of technology with two main threads to her research.  One of these is on philosophical issues arising from video games, such as whether video games could develop our moral thinking.  The other is on ethical issues that stem from emerging technologies such as 3D printing and augmented reality; she is probably the only person ever to write an article for the Times Literary Supplement about 3D printing bodies.  As a great deal of science fiction has philosophical elements running through it, her fannish and professional interests dovetail nicely.  She occasionally blogs about her research interests on her website, www.ericaneely.com.