We've read Children of Time (https://amzn.to/2QqYKII), and boy do we have a lot to say about it! This episode we discuss the structure of the book, whether novels need strong characters, how animal consciousness might differ from our own, and how to stock a ship designed to re-seed the human race on another planet. Adrian gets to jabber on about the Baldwin Effect & octopuses, and Matt makes some sharp points about the importance of empathy. Truly this podcast represents the future liberals want.
As always, here's a list of stuff we discuss in the episode. If the links don't show up in your podcatcher, they will on spectology.com. All links are referral links.
* Startide Rising by David Brin
* The Bees by Laline Paull
* The White Bone by Barbara Gowdy
* Watership Down by Richard Adams
* The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov
* Goedel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter
And finally, a few books on consciousness, language, and evolution that weren't mentioned by name, but which Adrian recommends:
* Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness by Peter Godfrey-Smith (octopus researcher mentioned)
* Adam's Tongue by Derek Bickerton (language evolution & the Baldwin Effect)
* The Crucible of Consciousness by Zoltan Torey (language & consciousness)
* The Perplexities of Consciousness by Eric Schwitzgebel (essays on the difficulty of introspecting consciousness)
* The Ego Tunnel by Thomas Metzinger (laying out the ideas behind the phrase "consciousness is an illusion" for a lay audience)
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We'd love to hear from you, either by chatting with us on twitter at @spectologypod, sending us an email at spectologypod@gmail.com, or submitting the episode to r/printSF on reddit. We'll reply, and shout you out in the next podcast when we talk about your comment.
And if you like the episode, subscribe at spectology.com or whever you listen to podcasts, and share it with your friends!
Many thanks to Dubby J and Noah Bradley for doing our music and art.
In Conversation: Our Favorite Aliens in Science Fiction
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24.2: Wittgenstein's Mistress post-read: In February reading this seemed like a good idea.
Things We Like: Quarantine Edition! What to do, watch, and play while you're stuck inside.
24.1: Wittgenstein's Mistress pre-read: Philosophical Science Fiction & being lonely at the end of the world
23.2: The Ghost Network post-read w/ Ben Roswell: Celebrity, Internet Culture, Architecture, and Secret Utopias
In Conversation: 2019 Recap, Book Stats, & Reader Questions
23.1: The Ghost Network pre-read w/ Ben Roswell: Experimental Narratives, Storytelling Games, and Postmodern Literature
22.2: A Memory Called Empire post-read: Matters of Taste, Culture Shock, and Historical Worldbuilding
In Conversation: How & Why to Vote for the Hugo Awards
22.1: A Memory Called Empire pre-read: Martine's academic work, historical ambassadors, and what it means to be a member of an empire
18.3: Stanley Chan discusses Chinese Science Fiction, the process of translating his novel Waste Tide, and trends in technology.
21.4: Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand w/ Bee: Radical visions of Identity, Class, and Gender
21.3: Ice by Anna Kavan post-read with Charlotte Geater: Experimental & Postmodern Fiction, and Death Meditations
21.2: Childhood's End post-read w/ Seth Heasley: Religion, Psionics, and Big Ideas in Science Fiction
21.1: Classic SF pre-read: On creating cannons, and how to read problematic fiction & authors.
20.2: An Unkindness of Ghosts post-read: Slave States, Trauma, and Theocracy
In Conversation: Fancasting Binti, Black Tom, the Culture, and Ninefox Gambit
20.1: An Unkindness of Ghosts pre-read: Reading with privilege, using genre conventions, and truth in fiction
19.2: Zone One post-read: Depression, Surviving the Apocalypse, and New York City in fiction
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