Fallout and Philosophy

Explore the deep philosophical questions lurking in the Fallout wasteland

The Fallout franchise welcomes you to the Wasteland through both the post-nuclear role-playing games and the Amazon streaming series. Set against a retro-futuristic world of mutants, warlords, and weird science, the decent and wicked alike eke out survival despite the irradiated dangers surrounding them. But beneath the irreverent humor and constant violence, Fallout forces its players and characters into circumstances with weighty philosophical implications, and it compels fans of all stripes to consider complex, sometimes harrowing moral dilemmas.

Fallout and Philosophy tackles these issues head-on. In the 26 essays included in this volume, philosophers follow the implications of Fallout’s dystopian world and the challenging questions it raises to their logical conclusions. Even if war never changes, could wars be waged justly? Is freedom possible in the closed and controlled world of the Vaults? Are “kill everything” playthroughs harmless fun, or are they ethically suspect?

• Are the Institute’s synths mere machines, or are they people? How can we tell?
• Is the Brotherhood justified in hoarding pre-War technology?
• Is Lucy’s Golden Rule too idealistic for the world outside her Vault?
• Is it defensible to bring children into a postapocalyptic wasteland?
• “Everyone disliked that” ending of Fallout 3, but why?

If you’re a fan of the franchise and you want to think more deeply about - and more fully appreciate - all things Fallout, then it’s time to climb out of your Vault and strap on your power armor. Let Fallout and Philosophy be your Wasteland Survival Guide.

Nathan Kellen received his PhD in philosophy from the University of Connecticut in 2019 and is currently a Teaching Assistant Professor in Philosophy at Kansas State University. He is a co-editor of The Nature of Truth: Classic and Contemporary Perspectives (2021) and has contributed to several popular culture and philosophy books including Joker and Philosophy (2024), Star Wars and Philosophy Strikes Back (2023), and The Last Airbender and Philosophy (2022).

Nathan Sheff earned his PhD in philosophy in 2017 from the University of Connecticut. When he's not teaching philosophy, he's observing the birds and pollinators that visit his yard. Fallout and Philosophy is his first co-edited book.

Joshua Heter earned his PhD in philosophy from Saint Louis University in 2013, and he’s a Professor of Philosophy at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, MO. He’s published several popular culture and philosophy books, including Back to the Future and Philosophy (2025), The Godfather and Philosophy (2023), and Punk Rock and Philosophy (2022).