Photo by Chris Saunders
Carien Smith
is an award-winning South African writer and academic, currently a PhD candidate in philosophy at the University of Sheffield. In her creative work, she mainly works in the genre of short fiction. In her academic work, she works on the epistemology and morality of belief, specifically conspiracy theory beliefs. Her other research interests include climate change ethics, meaning in life, and the apocalypse. She is also interested in how catastrophe is portrayed in fictional works and what impact this has on our responses to catastrophes we face now, such as climate change. These research questions and topics are very closely related to her fictional work. She completed her Master’s Degree in Philosophy at the University of Johannesburg (under the supervision of Thaddeus Metz), and her Honours and BA Degrees at the University of Fort Hare (all Cum Laude).