What Stops Our Interstellar Future? - Devon Eriksen, Theft of Fire #260

The DemystifySci Podcast

Devon Eriksen is the author of the ongoing Space Orbital trilogy, which opened up with Theft of Fire, described as a "Shoot-em-up space opera, [of] mysterious alien artifacts, freedom-minded Belters versus corporate oligarchs..." In his work, Devon explores many of the themes we tinker with on the show - particularly the ethics of space exploration. A steadfast exploration of space-colonization, Devon brings a very different perspective to the human project not often embraced by the analytic academics we often encounter, who seem to be concerned with de-growth and the scaling back of our material economy. We talk about the role of government in space exploration, the colonial perils of the past in the context of the New Frontier, and the role of fiction in shaping objective reality.

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00:00 Go!
00:05:16 Theft of Fire & an optimistic sci-fi
00:11:53 Cultural wars...in space
00:20:56 Are we doomed to repeat the past?
00:34:32 Is there a way out?
00:45:35 An ever-present risk of technological decay
00:55:22 Why'd we lose the taste for space?
01:05:10 A faulty arc of pessimism
01:13:31 The design of future children
01:19:02 Is fertility panic misguided?
01:29:07 a conversation about race
01:39:32 How to balance progress with fairness?
01:44:18 Full speed ahead, but what about porn addiction?
01:49:32 Closing thoughts

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PODCAST INFO: Anastasia completed her PhD studying bioelectricity at Columbia University. When not talking to brilliant people or making movies, she spends her time painting, reading, and guiding backcountry excursions. Shilo also did his PhD at Columbia studying the elastic properties of molecular water. When he's not in the film studio, he's exploring sound in music. They are both freelance professors at various universities.

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