Sci-Fi Fuel #13
The Vatican’s A.I. Expert + Science/Tech News & Jokes + The Birth Of Psychedelic Science
— This is a longer post than usual, so if you’re reading this via email, you might want to hop on over the the web version here to read the full thing! —
In This Newsletter:
Welcome to Sci-Fi Fuel #13
The Vatican’s A.I. Expert + quick analysis!
Weird science/tech news + jokes!
TV/film/video/podcast recommendations
Sci-phoria (Sci-Fi Moment Of Zen)
Yoda had a lot of fun on the set.
Welcome to Sci-Fi Fuel #13! —
— an Alternate Timeline series highlighting news from the realms of science, tech, history, and pop culture to help fuel your imagination.
Something wonky happened with last week’s post, so if you happened to notice a few odd errors in the web version, please rest assured I’m not THAT bad of a writer. But they should be resolved now.
I write these updates because it’s nice to have at least one cogent thought about my favorite genre on a weekly basis. And I enjoy toiling through the maze of abstraction to find words other than “cool” to describe an exciting sci-fi film or “interesting” to describe a brain tingling quote.
What’s fueling my sci-fi these days? Well, I’m currently reading Black Space: Imagining Race In Science Fiction Film by Adilifu Nama — a book I referenced in Sci-Fi Fuel #1 and one of the twelve books I hope to finish reading by the end of the year.
It’s making me want to dive into so many films, and prepping me to watch them with an analytical lens.
For instance, I’ve still never seen all of Logan’s Run (1976). And while I really enjoy the general theme and plot, the fact that the utopic society it depicts is devoid of non-white humans AND that the only Black voice is used for a robot named Box who freezes those who try to run away — has me excited to watch this bizarre artifact of post-60s white anxieties.
I’m glad we’re in an era now where Black anxieties (and those of other marginalized groups) can be thoroughly explored in mainstream sci-fi and horror films. It’s something that Jordan Peele brought to the forefront with Get Out (2017). And is some ways, is what I’d like to do here. Many of the Alternate Timeline stories have focused on the rapid evolution of technology, which I think is our collective anxiety of the moment. But how often do we think about it from a non-white perspective?
For instance, there are many negative aspects to ride share apps. However, they are an advancement that has made getting a ride home more reliable for Black people than the older system of waving a hand at a cab.
I wonder sometimes if the inevitable robo-cops will in some ways be preferable than the homo sapien-cops. Sure, racial bias will undoubtedly infest their code, but if it turns out they’re less likely to shoot without cause, I’d rather have a metal hand knock on my door than one made of flesh and bone.
- Tim
Okay, NOW… let’s dive in!
UFind past Alternate Timeline stories here.
QUANTUM QUOTE:
An article from last week that I haven’t been able to get out of my head comes from the Associated Press in a piece titled The Vatican’s top expert on AI ethics is a friar from a medieval Franciscan order (LINK):
“What is the difference between a man who exists and a machine that functions?” said Benanti in an interview this week with The Associated Press during a break at the Pontifical Gregorian University, where he teaches courses such as moral theology and bioethics to students preparing for the priesthood. “This is perhaps the greatest question of these times, because we are witnessing a challenge that every day grows more profound with a machine that is humanizing.”
SCI-FI ANALYSIS:
Leave it to a friar from a medieval Franciscan order to put our modern anxieties around A.I. into such digestible terms.
His question boils down to the difference (or lack thereof) between existence and function.
Here’s how our pal Miriam-Webster defines those two words:
Existence (LINK):
1 a: the state or fact of having being especially independently of human consciousness and as contrasted with nonexistence
1 b: the manner of being that is common to every mode of being
1 c: being with respect to a limiting condition or under a particular aspect
Function (LINK):
1 : professional or official position : occupation
His job combines the functions of a manager and a worker.
2 : the action for which a person or thing is specially fitted or used or for which a thing exists : purpose
3 : any of a group of related actions contributing to a larger action
especially : the normal and specific contribution of a bodily part to the economy of a living organism
Let’s combine 1b of “existence” with 2 of “function” —
If existence is the manner of being that is common to every mode of being, how is that any different than an object that performs an action that is common to every mode of being?
Of course, this makes me think of Blade Runner (1982)!
It’s funny seeing how accurate or inaccurate certain concepts of the future are. Blade Runner is set on 2019, and yet we still don’t have reliable flying cars. However, it feels like we’re a mere decade away from truly grappling with the question Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.
Friar Paolo Benanti is just the tip of the iceberg of ethical/religious conversation we’ll be having about technological progress. And, honestly, makes the Jedi order in Star Wars make a lot more sense.
Hidden within the original Star Wars trilogy is the friction between mysticism and technological advancement, and I think its no mistake that the villainous Darth Vader is “more machine than man,” as Obi Wan describes him to Luke Skywalker.
But its the prequel trilogy that oddly parallels our current fears. For instance, drones and robot dogs are used in our actual war zones, much like the battle droids deployed in The Phantom Menace.
And it is the era of advancement from droids to clone armies that the Jedi Order begins to crumble.
How willing are you to bring new technology into your spiritual life. And, if a robot finds the perfect algorithm to deliver a beautiful sermon, is its impact any different from a human do does the same thing?
Just a little sci-fi fuel to digest for the rest of the week…
— This is a large post, so if you’re reading this via email, you might want to hop on over the the web version here to read the full thing! —
ATTACK OF THE JOKES:
A few weird science/tech news items made it into my daily joke series over at Letters from African America last week:
Apple is asking its San Diego Siri quality control team to relocate to Texas.But now that senator Ted Cruz has quality control over them, its only a matter of time before our phones direct us to an evangelical church instead of a hospital, Black history museum or U.S. border.
Speaking of Elon, NASA says it has no evidence of drug use at Musk’s SpaceX. NASA further stressed that it stands for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, not the Narks And Snitches Assembly.
With Chicago temperatures sinking below zero, electric vehicle charging stations are filled with low batteries, confrontational drivers and lines stretching out onto the street. Granted, half of that line are gas drivers placing bets. “$200 on Blue Tesla punching Red Tesla’s lights out!”
Some American states are making attempts at convincing “super drivers” to switch to electric vehicles. They almost convinced the Fast & Furiousfranchise to go electric, but producers worried that silent chase scenes would free up enough mental space for audience members to ask, “Wait, what’s the plot here exactly?”
A hypothetical virus dubbed Disease X has world leaders convening at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland this week to discuss how to prevent the threat of another cataclysmic pandemic. It’s important to note that DiseaseX doesn’t yet exist, but when it does, Elon Musk will definitely sue it for copyright infringement.
Climate change is terrifying the ski industry — prompting the Biden administration to place skiing onto the “Endangered White Activities”list (along with ice hockey and Rolling Stones concerts).
Japan landed a transforming robot onto the moon. Despite a brief confrontation with a Decepticon, things ran smoothy. “It only asked about something it sent to Earth in the 70s called Jay Leno,” explained Japanese officials.
A gene-edited pig liver was attached to a person, and worked for 3 days — until the human decided to see other pig livers.
So… did ya laugh? Mash that comment button if you’d like to tell me which was your favorite.
INCOMING TRANSMISSIONS:
PODCAST: Paradigm Shift — “Copyright & Fanfiction: Who Owns What?”
TV: A Murder at the End of the World
RADIO/PODCAST: Fresh Air — “The Birth Of Psychedelic Science”
SCI-PHORIA (Sci-Fi Moment Of Zen)
Yoda had a lot of fun on the set (Star Wars: Episode III DVD Easter Egg)
I’ll see you the week after that with more…