Is There Anything You Can Do About Asimov's Three Laws?

2min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

You're one of the most optimistic, most pro science. What is it in you that has produced that? I don't know. Maybe I'm just an optimist. Just an optimist from birth. You've seen a lot more from technology and in fact in robotics. And control. It's all about control technology. Yes. But you've got to bear in mind. "I feel like I've got about 50 centuries of human history to back up my point of view," he says.

Before writing a single word of his new book Artemis, Andy Weir worked out the economics of a lunar colony. Without the economics, how could the story hew to the hard sci-fi style Weir cornered the market on with The Martian? And, more importantly, how else can Tyler find out much a Cantonese meal would run him on the moon?

In addition to these important questions of lunar economics, Andy and Tyler talk about the technophobic trend in science fiction, private space efforts, seasteading, cryptocurrencies, the value of a human life, the outdated Outer Space Treaty, stories based on rebellion vs. cooperation, Heinlein, Asimov, Weir’s favorite episode of Star Trek, and the formula for finding someone else when stranded on a lonely planet.

Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links.

Recorded November 15th, 2017 Other ways to connect

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram
Follow Tyler on Twitter
Follow Andy on Twitter
Email us: cowenconvos@mercatus.gmu.edu
Subscribe at our newsletter page to have the latest Conversations with Tyler news sent straight to your inbox.