Dive into a bizarre blend of fantasy and logic where math lectures sneak into a whimsical narrative. Discover characters navigating the chaotic realm of Dath-Elon, grappling with competence and decision theory. Explore philosophical musings on rationality that question conventional thinking and governance challenges. The intriguing dynamic between superintelligent beings and human emotions unfolds, leading to quirky tangents and deep reflections. It’s a wild journey that fuses intellectual rigor with storytelling.
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Quick takeaways
The podcast discusses the unconventional narrative structure of Planecrash, which blends fiction with educational mathematical lectures and personal critiques.
It highlights the portrayal of exceptionally competent characters like Keltham, who embody rational principles and challenge traditional character tropes in fantasy writing.
Deep dives
Unique Narrative Structure
The work employs a distinctive narrative format, resembling a series of forum posts, which adds an unconventional flair to its storytelling. This structure is combined with extensive mathematical lectures and tangents that, while largely irrelevant to the plot, showcase the author's penchant for deep dives into specific topics like frequentist statistics. This blending of fiction with lecture-style exposition not only delivers educational content but also serves as a vehicle for the author’s personal opinions and critiques, particularly towards figures in the AI and rationalist communities. This self-indulgent storytelling approach allows the narrative to stray into complex philosophical discussions, which Yudkowsky uses as a means of commentary and satire within the science fiction genre.
Competent Characters
A key aspect of the narrative is the portrayal of exceptionally competent characters, diverging from the trope of emotionally flawed protagonists often seen in fiction. This competence is especially highlighted through the character of Keltham, who, despite some annoying verbosity, embodies a problem-solving spirit reminiscent of protagonists in survival stories. His journey in the fantasy world of Kiliacs is marked by a commitment to scientific and rational principles, driving initiatives like delivering logic lectures to combat medieval ignorance and poverty. Another standout character, Carissa, illustrates determination and personal growth, facing the complex challenges of her environment and showcasing a deeply engaging character arc steeped in grit and ambition.
Philosophical Depth
The narrative lays bare a comprehensive philosophical framework, delving into topics such as rationality, decision theory, and utility, and showcasing Yudkowsky's unique perspective on these themes. Through the lens of characters like Keltham, complex concepts such as valid logic, probability, and utility functions are explored in practical contexts, illustrating their significance in rational decision-making. Yudkowsky draws from mathematical principles to highlight the effectiveness of these frameworks in understanding human behavior and interactions, especially in scenarios involving competition and cooperation. This structured philosophical discourse is central to the story, as it underpins the motives and conflicts experienced by the characters within their quasi-utopian yet complicated world.
Political Philosophy of Dath Elon
In the world of Dath Elon, Yudkowsky presents a highly organized and coherent political philosophy that emphasizes accountability and efficient governance. The framework is built around the principle of ensuring each project or regulation has a clear individual accountable for its execution, eschewing complex bureaucratic structures. This design aims to facilitate transparency and trust, enabling citizens to communicate effectively with their representatives and ensuring that power remains decentralized yet organized. Additionally, the philosophy reflects a deep concern for preventing power concentration and maintaining a system where rationality and competence govern decision-making, thereby promoting a society that fervently values intelligent governance and public well-being.
Take a stereotypical fantasy novel, a textbook on mathematical logic, and Fifty Shades of Grey. Mix them all together and add extra weirdness for spice. The result might look a lot like Planecrash (AKA: Project Lawful), a work of fiction co-written by "Iarwain" (a pen-name of Eliezer Yudkowsky) and "lintamande".
(image from Planecrash)
Yudkowsky is not afraid to be verbose and self-indulgent in his writing. He previously wrote a Harry Potter fanfic that includes what's essentially an extended Ender's Game fanfic in the middle of it, because why not. In Planecrash, it starts with the very format: it's written as a series of forum posts (though there are ways to get an ebook). It continues with maths lectures embedded into the main arc, totally plot-irrelevant tangents that are just Yudkowsky ranting about frequentist statistics, and one instance of Yudkowsky hijacking the plot for a few pages to soapbox about [...]
