016: Science Fiction with Nate Ward
06/21/19 • 84 min
Science Fiction can be more than cheap genre fiction with little value. Joined by my guest, Nate Ward of The Things We Say Podcast, we discuss how science fiction can inspire and what we think some gets right and some gets wrong.
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Notes:
- My guest is Nate Ward, one of the two hosts of The Things We Say podcast.
- Science fiction as meaningful literature and media
- Levels of science fiction
- Things we think Sci-Fi gets right and wrong
- Star Trek’s Holodecks
- The failure of utopian visions
- Data, AI, and motivation
- AI and the Prime Directive
- Sound in space
- Creating cultures
- Taking human problems to the starts
- Religion in Science Fiction
- Economics in Science Fiction
- Science Fiction we talk about:
- Star Trek
- Star Wars
- Firefly
- The Expanse book series by S.A. Corey
- Battle Star Galactica
- Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds
- The Orville
- A book whose title and author shall not be named…
Facebook: fb.me/SGSTPodcast
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SGSTPodcast
Intro and outro music: Cosmic Pluck from Vycroft. ( https://freesound.org/people/vykroft/ )
“For the Church Segment” transition music: Marketing from Skibka Music. ( https://freesound.org/people/SkibkaMusic/ )
Science Fiction can be more than cheap genre fiction with little value. Joined by my guest, Nate Ward of The Things We Say Podcast, we discuss how science fiction can inspire and what we think some gets right and some gets wrong.
----more----
Notes:
- My guest is Nate Ward, one of the two hosts of The Things We Say podcast.
- Science fiction as meaningful literature and media
- Levels of science fiction
- Things we think Sci-Fi gets right and wrong
- Star Trek’s Holodecks
- The failure of utopian visions
- Data, AI, and motivation
- AI and the Prime Directive
- Sound in space
- Creating cultures
- Taking human problems to the starts
- Religion in Science Fiction
- Economics in Science Fiction
- Science Fiction we talk about:
- Star Trek
- Star Wars
- Firefly
- The Expanse book series by S.A. Corey
- Battle Star Galactica
- Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds
- The Orville
- A book whose title and author shall not be named…
Facebook: fb.me/SGSTPodcast
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SGSTPodcast
Intro and outro music: Cosmic Pluck from Vycroft. ( https://freesound.org/people/vykroft/ )
“For the Church Segment” transition music: Marketing from Skibka Music. ( https://freesound.org/people/SkibkaMusic/ )
Previous Episode
015: Technology and Warfare, PT 2
How will the emergence of new technologies change the face of warfare? On what basis and theological foundation may Christians respond? With so many divergent views, can there be a place for Christians to critique and question these advancements? This is part 2 of 2.
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Topics:
- Disagreement and the challenge of speaking on a Christian view of warfare
- A spectrum of Christian views on warfare
- Holy War/Jihad/Crusade
- Absolutist Pacifism
- Variations in Pacifism
- John Howard Yoder
- Stanley Hauerwas
- Scriptural and theological roots
- Political Realism
- Christian Realism
- Reinhold Niebuhr
- Realist Pacifism
- Just War Perspective
- The Presumption of Justice – the tranquillitas ordinis
- Unjust Peace v. Just Peace
- *In clarification of a comment in the episode regarding Hauerwas
- Hauerwas: “ultimate moral challenge for a pacifist is you may have to watch the innocent die.”
- https://www.premierchristianradio.com/content/view/full/348878 or for a summary: https://juicyecumenism.com/2014/12/24/stanley-hauerwas-nigel-biggar-just-war-vs-pacifism/
- Just War Criteria
- “Lazy” Just War
- “General” Just War
- “Strict” Just War
- Dr. Daniel Bell Jr. “Just War as Christian Discipleship”
- Automation and love of enemy
- Automation and responsibility
- AI decision making, accountability, and proportionality
- Technology and Training
- Col. Dave Grossman’s "On Killing"
- Video games and trained reflexes
- Training without accountability and discipline
- Technology and civilian casualties
- Andrew Walker: Can Weaponry Be Humane?
- https://providencemag.com/2019/05/can-weaponry-be-humane/
- RX9 missile development
- Authority, accountability, and the low cost of entry
- Military technology and non-violent action
- AI and guarding against human passions
- Looking Ahead: Bee Plus
Verses Referenced
- Matthew 5: 39-42
- Matthew 5: 43-44
- Matthew 26:52
- Proverbs 24:11-12
Facebook: fb.me/SGSTPodcast
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SGSTPodcast
Intro and outro music: Cosmic Pluck from Vycroft. ( https://freesound.org/people/vykroft/ )
“For the Church Segment” transition music: Marketing from Skibka Music. ( https://freesound.org/people/SkibkaMusic/ )
Next Episode
017: What about Transhumanism?
What happens when all of our technological predictions converge on the human person? Today we discuss the growing movement of transhumanism. What is it, what are it’s hopes, and can a Christian be a transhumanist?
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Topics:
- Defining Transhumanism
- The history and rise of transhumanism
- Humanity Plus and their definition
- Post-Humanity
- The inevitability of transhumanism
- Transhumanism in fiction
- Criticisms and objections
- Transhumanism is unnatural
- The importance of human limitations
- Transhumanism’s secular edge
- Zoltan Istvan and an atheist transhumanism: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/im-an-atheist-therefore-i_b_4388778
- Christopher Benek’s response to Istvan: https://hplusmagazine.com/2014/03/25/religion-for-humanity/
- Transhumanism as a “secular religion”
- Wesley Smith’s “New Time Religion”: https://www.firstthings.com/article/2014/12/new-time-religion
- Christian Transhumanism: https://www.christiantranshumanism.org/about
- Chief human trait: intelligence or relationality
- Transhumanism and virtue
- Transhumanism: Neo-Gnostic or materialism?
- Micah Redding, Executive Director of the Christian Transhumanist Association: http://christandpopculture.com/can-transhumanism-lead-us-back-to-orthodoxy/
- Balanced Rhetoric
- A technological hermeneutic: https://www.christopherbenek.com/2016/06/developing-a-new-hermeneutic-of-intelligence-and-reality/
- Looking Ahead: STEET and microsleep
Verses Referenced:
- 1 Corinthians 13:11-13
- Genesis 1:31
- Ephesians 1:17-18
Facebook: fb.me/SGSTPodcast
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SGSTPodcast
Intro and outro music: Cosmic Pluck from Vycroft. ( https://freesound.org/people/vykroft/ )
“For the Church Segment” transition music: Marketing from Skibka Music. ( https://freesound.org/people/SkibkaMusic/ )
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