Manifold Ted Chiang on Free Will, Time Travel, Many Worlds, Genetic Engineering, and Hard Science Fiction – #19
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Sep 19, 2019 Renowned science fiction writer Ted Chiang discusses the philosophical implications of science in his stories. They delve into topics such as the illusion of free will, varieties of time travel, perfect memory and life logging, investment in OpenAI, and the role of privilege and luck.
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Chiang's Focus: Internal Consistency
- Ted Chiang prioritizes internal scientific consistency in his stories, exploring the philosophical side.
- He aims to represent how scientists think about the universe.
Libet's Findings and Free Will
- Ted Chiang finds Libet's findings interesting but not impactful on the free will debate.
- He believes they merely show decision-making is a neural process, not instantaneous.
What's Expected of Us and Closed Time-like Curves
- In "What's Expected of Us," a bracelet signals before a person pushes a button.
- Steve Hsu interprets this as a closed time-like curve.