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On Science Fiction with Kim Stanley Robinson
Manage episode 513683908 series 3676299
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Our guest this week is Kim Stanley Robinson, also know as Stan. He is an American science fiction writer best known for his Mars trilogy of novels. Over his career he has published over 20 books. Many of his novels and stories have ecological, and political themes, featuring scientists as heroes.
Robinson has won numerous awards, including the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award for Best Novel, as well as the World Fantasy Award.
The Atlantic magazine has called Robinson's work "the gold standard of realistic, and highly literary, science-fiction writing." According to an article in The New Yorker magazine, Robinson is "generally acknowledged as one of the greatest living science-fiction writers." Time magazine named him “the hero of the environment” for his optimistic focus on future possibilities.
His most recent novel “The Ministry for the Future” presents a vision for how humanity might unite together to overcome the climate crisis.
We talk about:
- What is science fiction
- The difference between Utopia and Optopia
- Being optimistic whilst remaining vigilant
- Predicting the future
- What the hell is terraforming
- Finance as a tool for changing civilisation
- The current state of American politics
- Championing scientists
- If anything is possible, is nothing interesting?
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Let’s talk about the future!
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Chapters
1. On Science Fiction with Kim Stanley Robinson (00:00:00)
2. Meet Kim Stanley Robinson (00:00:15)
3. What Science Fiction Really Is (00:02:40)
4. Near, Mid, and Far Futures (00:04:07)
5. Optopia: Best Possible Futures (00:06:16)
6. SF as Metaphor and Time Lens (00:08:48)
7. VR, Movies, and Co‑Creation (00:11:41)
8. Becoming a Writer and Early Influences (00:14:48)
9. Alarm Bells and Wet‑Bulb Heat (00:20:56)
10. Geoengineering vs Terraforming (00:27:53)
11. Finance, Carbon Coins, and COP (00:33:41)
12. American Power and Political Decline (00:39:26)
13. Abundance vs Adequacy (00:47:20)
14. Science as a Living Utopia (00:53:17)
15. AI Hype, Agency, and Tech Bros (01:00:03)
16. Recommended Authors and Final Thoughts (01:04:46)
31 episodes
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