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Podcast logo of a black retro UFO on a red background with the words Every Single Sci-Fi Film Ever*. *Almost.

3. The Creator: David Eagleman's Favourite Sci-Fi Film Ever

As with all episodes of this podcast there are spoilers ahead!

Every once in a while we take a break from watching and learning about old science fiction films and speak to a guest about their favourite sci-fi film. In this episode I speak to David Eagleman about The Creator and what about this 2023 film made it to the top of his list.

 

The guest

David Eagleman is a neuroscientist at Stanford University, a best-selling author of multiple books, and an entrepreneur. He is cofounder of Cognito Entertainment, a production company that focuses on science-based films and documentaries and he also directs the US based Center for Science and Law. David is the host of the Inner Cosmos podcast that delves into topics about the human brain and perception. You can find out more about him at https://eagleman.com/

 

Chapters

00:00 Introduction of show and guest

01:19 Premise of The Creator (with spoilers)

03:24 Why The Creator resonates with David

05:38 Consciousness, AI, and neuroscience

10:16 Human tribalism and prejudice

14:28 AI: Friend, foe, fear and the future

17:50 Mimicry, humanity, and the potential of AI

19:15 Can AI adapt and excel beyond the human brain?

23:01 Sad robots and subjectivity

24:52 Religious AI, heaven and cynical ending

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The shownotes

  • This article from 2020 is an interesting look at how Cro-magnon may have finally beaten Neanderthals. “It’s possible the invention of superior ranged weapons – bows, spear-throwers, throwing clubs – let lightly-built Homo sapiens harass the stocky Neanderthals from a distance using hit-and-run tactics.”

  • Here is an episode of David’s Inner Cosmos podcast titled “What is Consciousness?”.

  • David rightly points out that eyes have very little to do with human empathy. We can hate and demonise all sorts of things with fully functioning eyes including other humans. The study on ‘in groups’ and ‘out groups’ that David mentions is the Robbers Cave experiment carried out in the 1950s by psychologist Muzafer Sharif. You can read more about the experiment here.

  • David’s work on dehumanisation can be found here. Episode 5 of his documentary The Brain has more information about in groups and out groups.

  • ‘Going native’ has a long history in film and in reality. Laurence of Arabia is a good example of both. The first season of the excellent Empire podcast mentions the policy that had to be implemented to prevent British subjects from settling down in India with Indian wives.

  • Brain plasticity is one of David’s specialities. David’s 2020 book Livewired is a look into the ability of the brain to adapt and change.

  • The next film we will be looking at is Aelita Queen of Mars. A 1924 film from Soviet Russia. You can watch the film here on YouTube. You can check whether it's available to stream, rent or buy in your country at JustWatch. The film is available to buy on Amazon in some locations. DVDs of the film are available though not common.

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NEXT EPISODE!

  • The next film we will be looking at is Aelita Queen of Mars. A 1924 film from Soviet Russia.

  • You can watch the film here on YouTube.

  • You can check where it available to stream, rent or buy at JustWatch.

  • The film is available to buy on Amazon in some locations.

  • DVDs of the film are available though not common.

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