Robert J. Sawyer

The Future in Fiction

A conversation with science-fiction author

 

Robert J. Sawyer has attained celebrity status among sci-fi enthusiasts. Noted for his ability to wrap substantial characters and believable plots around futuristic science, Sawyer, it turns out, is the perfect spokesperson for his work. In this interview with WIE's Tom Huston, he proves to be an engaging, articulate subject, a man who is sincerely absorbed in the scientific, social, and sometimes deeply ontological questions that inform his novels. Ontological questions in a sci-fi novel? That's right. Sawyer's interest in exploring the edges of science and reality, of what we believe and why, of what is possible and therefore probable, are perfectly suited to the science fiction genre, where the real and the fantastic freely mingle. No wonder then, that when the interview moves beyond an initial discussion about the Hollywood potential of his latest novel, Mindscan, the intriguing questions of consciousness, identity, and reality that occupy its pages take hold. Interviewer and interviewee merge minds as they drill down into the nature of consciousness, soul and mind, genetics and evolution, cloning and identity, quantum physics, religion, and the transcendent nature of existence. It's not surprising that Sawyer's personal mission as a writer is to “combine the intimately human with the grandly cosmic,” a goal we think he achieves in this exclusive WIE interview.

more about:

Robert J. Sawyer
bio & resources
 

Interviewed by:

Tom Huston

 

Recorded on: 10/9/2004

Topics:

Biotechnology
Evolution of Consciousness
Futurism

 

The Future in Fiction

FREE Sample Clip  (2 min)
 
 
 
Section 1
Mindscan and other new novels (12 min)

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Section 2
Future technology and the nature of consciousness (11 min)

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Section 3
Important questions about the mind and soul (19 min)

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