The Future in Film and Literature

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Book Cover of ''Metaplanetary'' by Tony Daniel

Futuristic films and literature of the 20th century imagined everything from space aliens to homicidal computers affecting - and sometimes eradicating - the human race. Although the reality of scientific and technological advancements is perhaps stranger than fiction, we can learn a lot about modern society by looking at how writers of the past viewed the future. Host Frank Stasio talks about conceptions of the future in literature and film, and our current understanding of science and space exploration with Devin Orgeron, associate professor in North Carolina State University’s film studies department; Tony Daniel, a science fiction writer and editor at Baen Books; Andre P. Mazzoleni, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at North Carolina State University; Warren Jasper, professor in the college of textiles at North Carolina State University; and Brent Carter, a student in the College of Textiles at North Carolina State University.