Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Cory Doctorow on Singularity 1 on 1: The Singularity As A Progressive Apocalypse

 

Published on 11 Sep 2012
http://www.singularityweblog.com/cory...

Cory Doctorow is one of my all time most favorite science fiction writers. So it is no surprise I had so much fun interviewing him.

I don't know how he does it, but Cory is one of those rare individuals who can juggle successfully being a father, an avid reader, a blogger, an activist, a journalist and a prolific science fiction writer, all at once.

It is for this reason that I was persistent in chasing Cory for over 2 years so that I can finally get him on Singularity 1 on 1. And it was totally worth it: Doctorow is indeed a very dynamic, eloquent, passionate, challenging and fun interlocutor.

During our conversation Cory covers a wide variety of topics such as: how Star Wars inspired him to become a science fiction writer; Cory's initial jobs as a bookstore seller, Greenpeace activist, web developer, entrepreneur and director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation; the intimate relationship between being a science fiction writer, a blogger and an activist; the motivation and goals behind his work; what science fiction is about and what it is good and bad at doing; Doctorow's take on the technological singularity as a "progressive apocalypse"; his "militant atheism" and technology activism.

Some of my favorite quotes that I will take away from this interview with Cory are:

"Science fiction is very good at predicting the present."

"Evolution is not perfection. Evolution is suitability."

"We have failed to appreciate the gravitas of the internet and continue to regulate it as if it is a glorified video on demand service. And as we do this, we put everything that we do on the internet -- which is everything -- in jeopardy."