Delusion, Cheating And What We Can Learn From The Future: Recurrent Patterns, #1

By Vaclav Vincalek

Recurrent Patterns' host Vaclav Vincalek interviews David Brin. David is a fiction author, but he's also a scientist, with a PhD in space science. He helped found the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination (UCSD). He serves on the advisory board of NASA's Innovative and Advanced Concepts group. David frequently does futurist consulting for corporations and government agencies. He's also someone who thinks deeply about human nature, society and history. 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vaclav Vincalek
• Release date: Mar 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201954765

Book preview

Introduction

IT’S NOT EVERY DAY you get to meet one of your favourite authors. I feel like I made the most of it.

I’ve been reading David Brin’s Hugo Award-winning science fiction books for decades—and more recently, his non-fiction books on technology, history and culture, like The Transparent Society.

Science fiction authors like David create entire worlds out of their own imaginations, exploring strange alternate realities and distant ecosystems that are very different from our own—or are they?

In fact, these science fiction creations are not just vehicles to take us on a fun journey. They are windows (and sometimes, reflective funhouse mirrors) that help us understand our own past, present and future.

David is a fiction author, but he’s also a scientist, with a PhD in space science. According to Wikipedia, He helped establish the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination (UCSD). He serves on the advisory board of NASA's Innovative and Advanced Concepts group and frequently does futurist consulting for corporations and government agencies. He’s also someone who thinks deeply about human nature, society and history.

In other words, David is the real deal. He is the kind of science fiction and fantasy writer who is able to draw on an incredible depth of knowledge about our past and present, to create compelling visions of what could be.

I am so thankful to him for sharing his thoughts on Recurrent Patterns - where we’re always looking for the patterns that help us explain and predict where we can go.

If only we can get past our unfortunate habits of giving in to delusions and cheating ourselves, then we may become, as David has written, The Ancient Ones, who guide a positive future. It was a wonderful conversation—and now I hope you can enjoy it, too.

Best Regards,

Vaclav Vincalek

About Vaclav Vincalek

Vaclav is an entrepreneur with a deep background in information technology, who uses strategy to align technology with business needs. He is an award-winning technologist specializing in founding and growing service and software organizations, with a strong emphasis on emerging