028 - Science Fiction and Philosophy with David Roman

This wide-ranging conversation between KMO (host) and David Roman (historian and writer) covers several major topics, starting with Roman's recent trip to China and observations about its development over his 27 years of visiting the country. The discussion then delves deeply into science fiction literature, publishing, and the current state of the genre. The conversation also explores generational ships in science fiction, AI, cultural representation in fiction, and ends with a discussion about philosophy, particularly continental philosophy and the work of Slavoj Žižek. Table of Contents:Introduction and China Discussion (00:00-05:00)David Roman's background in ChinaObservations on China's developmentContrasts between modernization and traditional elementsTechnology and Development in China (05:00-10:00)Discussion of AI and robotics advancementReality vs. social media representationInfrastructure and development contrastsMedia Platforms and Content Creation (10:00-25:00)Experiences with YouTube, Facebook, and SubstackDiscussion of platform censorship and monetizationContent creator challengesScience Fiction Literature (25:00-45:00)Discussion of various authors including Peter WattsAnalysis of current trends in science fictionGeneration ship novels and themesCultural Representation in Science Fiction (45:00-60:00)Discussion of diversity in future scenariosCritique of current publishing trendsCultural authenticity in character writingPublishing Industry Analysis (60:00-75:00)Changes in editing and publishingSelf-publishing vs. traditional publishingImpact on science fiction genrePhilosophy Discussion (75:00-end)Continental vs. Analytic philosophyDiscussion of Slavoj Žižek's workRoman's work on Chinese and Western philosophy