Robert J. Sawyer is one of the best known sci-fi authors of today. Nick DiChario talks to him about the philosophical ideas embedded in his books.
http://philosophynow.org/issues/80/Robert_J_Sawyer
Robert Sawyer interview
Re: Robert Sawyer interview
This sounds whimsical and fried, what Sawyers says: "It has the working title Greener Grass, and will be a juxtaposition of philosophers’ zombies with the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics."
Do philosophers have zombie thoughts? That sounds oxymoron like. Are there any zombie philosophers?
In conjunction with quantum mechanics, is he thinking about zombie protons or electrons? Is he thinking a zombie waves and particles of light that wreak havoc with the universe, which scientists can't explain but philosophers can? Perhaps in this case philosophers have the upper hand and Stephen Hawking be dammed.
Do philosophers have zombie thoughts? That sounds oxymoron like. Are there any zombie philosophers?
In conjunction with quantum mechanics, is he thinking about zombie protons or electrons? Is he thinking a zombie waves and particles of light that wreak havoc with the universe, which scientists can't explain but philosophers can? Perhaps in this case philosophers have the upper hand and Stephen Hawking be dammed.
Re: Robert Sawyer interview
Wow ! Great interview - of particular interest to me, the Creative Process and Product :
ND: I’d like to ask you a question about your creative process. Before you begin writing a novel, do you have a philosophical concept in mind that you want to address, or is the philosophy a byproduct of the science, the characters, or the story itself?
RJS: It’s absolutely the philosophy that comes first. I work out what I want to say thematically, what my arguments are going to be, and then discover the characters and the plot twists that support that while I’m actually writing the book.
I haven't read any of Robert Sawyer's - must rectify soon !
Intriguing idea of a Pope called Mary - Quality....
I wonder if in the process, the characters take on a life of their own and Sawyer gains insight as the plot unfolds ?
ND: I’d like to ask you a question about your creative process. Before you begin writing a novel, do you have a philosophical concept in mind that you want to address, or is the philosophy a byproduct of the science, the characters, or the story itself?
RJS: It’s absolutely the philosophy that comes first. I work out what I want to say thematically, what my arguments are going to be, and then discover the characters and the plot twists that support that while I’m actually writing the book.
I haven't read any of Robert Sawyer's - must rectify soon !
Intriguing idea of a Pope called Mary - Quality....
I wonder if in the process, the characters take on a life of their own and Sawyer gains insight as the plot unfolds ?
Re: Robert Sawyer interview
Sawyer says: "I’m also working on the research for the novel I will write after that. It has the working title Greener Grass, and will be a juxtaposition of philosophers’ zombies with the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics."
I found this strange, that Sawyer is working on something about zombies and quantum mechanics. What connection could they possibly have? It sounds like he is just throwing anything together for the sake of his science fiction.
However, there is a relationship between zombies and quantum mechanics and it has to do with complementarity, a topic which is also featured in issue 80 of PN in an article by Allister MacFarlane: http://philosophynow.org/issue80/80macfarlane.htm
Simply, zombies lack consciousness. Consciousness arises from the complementarity of mind and body. The connection with quantum physics is that quantum physics, through Niels Bohr, introduced to the world and philosophy the concept of complementarity. It is all about vitality. Zombies lack the vitality of the complementarity whereas quantum mechanics and related phenomena is abundant with the complementarity and its vitality.
I found this strange, that Sawyer is working on something about zombies and quantum mechanics. What connection could they possibly have? It sounds like he is just throwing anything together for the sake of his science fiction.
However, there is a relationship between zombies and quantum mechanics and it has to do with complementarity, a topic which is also featured in issue 80 of PN in an article by Allister MacFarlane: http://philosophynow.org/issue80/80macfarlane.htm
Simply, zombies lack consciousness. Consciousness arises from the complementarity of mind and body. The connection with quantum physics is that quantum physics, through Niels Bohr, introduced to the world and philosophy the concept of complementarity. It is all about vitality. Zombies lack the vitality of the complementarity whereas quantum mechanics and related phenomena is abundant with the complementarity and its vitality.