ONLINE: "Philosophy in Sci-Fi: Asimov’s Worlds and Wisdom"

This is "Science Saturday" - a Saturday afternoon meeting for Socrates Cafe and Orlando Stoics. It's online. We meet every 2 weeks.

Wikipedia summarizes the life of Isaac Asimov (1920-1992): he was an American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. During his lifetime, Asimov was considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers, along with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke. A prolific writer, he wrote or edited more than 500 books [plus] an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards. Best known for his hard science fiction, Asimov also wrote mysteries and fantasy, as well as much non-fiction.

This meeting, we will review the futuristic and philosophical ideas of this great author. From the novel “Foundation”, what is the future of populations and can we predict their behaviors? From “I, Robot”, Asimov explores the ethics of how robots and human interact, notably the “Three Laws of Robotics.” In “Caves of Steel”, the author explores how much humans depend on technology and what will come of this relationship. In “The Gods Themselves”, Asimov asks far-reaching questions about parallel universes, entropy, and unregulated energy consumption. In “The End of Eternity”, the author thinks ahead about the implications of time travel and the ethics of altering events in history.

Hope you can join us! Our meeting starts with an introduction or a dialogue, and then proceeds to an open discussion. You don't need to read any materials in advance.

READING MATERIAL

Wikipedia bio on Asimov
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov

TIMEZONES

Meeting time (USA):
3:00PM Eastern
2:00PM Central
1:00PM Mountain
Noon Pacific

For our international friends:
Please use the free tool here https://www.worldtimebuddy.com/

ZOOM LINK

CLICK TO START MEETING - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83266410503

If you don't have a computer with camera, you can also dial using a phone. Pick one of these numbers and add ID 832 6641 0503#
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)
+1 253 215 8782 US
+1 301 715 8592 US

Our group enjoys open-minded, respectful conversations on Philosophy and how it relates to science, culture, other belief systems, and even pop culture (books and movies). Sometimes "we agree to disagree", but the long-term goal is to improve our minds via group discussions.

This meeting is free and open to the public.