1. Humanism, and the Value of Science Fiction | Jonathan Craig

Counterturn

In this episode, Nelson talks to Jonathan Craig about Science Fiction, and whether it has literary value. Jonathan is a writer, policy advisor, accessibility consultant, and the former editor of Blind Citizen's News. He was an artistic advisor for Convergence: a speculative game about climate emergency.

The theme song is 'Zaftik' and was composed and performed by Nelson Rufatt.

Books and Other Pieces that were Mentioned

1)

“Ian McEwan: ‘Who’s going to write the algorithm for the little white lie?’”

By Tim Adams

The Guardian, April 2019

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/apr/14/ian-mcewan-interview-machines-like-me-artificial-intelligence

2)

Machines Like Me

By Ian McEwan

Jonathan Cape, 2019

3)

Orthodoxy

By G. K. Chesterton

First published by John Lane, The Bodley Head in 1908

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/130

4)

“The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species”

By Ken Liu

Printed in Lightspeed, August 2012

https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/the-bookmaking-habits-of-select-species/

5)

Mr. Bennett and Mrs. Brown

By Virginia Woolf

The Hogarth Press, 1924

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/63022

6)

Frankenstein, Or The Modern Prometheus

By Mary Shelley

First printed without being attributed to Shelley by Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, and Jones on 1 January, 1818

7)

The Machine Dynasty Trilogy

By Madeline Ashby published between 2012 and 2020 by Angry Robot

8)

The Lifecycle of Software Objects

By Ted Chiang

Subterranean Press, 2010

9)

“Hobbits in Space?”

By J. G. Ballard

Appeared in Timeout, 1977

https://markingham.org/2015/12/24/hobbits-in-space/

10)

The War of the Worlds

By H. G. Wells

First published in hardcover by William Heinemann in 1898

11)

Nineteen Eighty-Four

By George Orwell

Originally published by Secker and Warburg on 8 June, 1949

12)

“Science Fiction and Mrs Brown”

By Ursula K. Le Guin

First printed in The Language of the Night

Putnam, 1979

13)

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

By Philip K. Dick

Doubleday, 1968

14)

The Cement Garden

By Ian McEwan

Jonathan Cape, 1978