Angus Fletcher on Wonderworks: Seek The Untold Story

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Prof. Angus Fletcher is a story scientist working at the intersection of story and neuroscience. Angus started as a neuroscientist at the University of Michigan but eventually decided to pursue a Ph.D. in Shakespeare at Yale. Then he went to Stanford University and worked with clients in Hollywood, DARPA, and the US special forces. Angus is the author of Wonderworks and the upcoming Storythinking. He has become known for coming up with proof that computer AI lacks the physical hardware to replicate human creativity, let alone innovate or plan to take over the world.

During our 2-hour conversation with Angus Fletcher, we cover a variety of interesting topics such as what computer science is all about; why a neuro/scientist should study literature; why the brain is not a computer; what a Shakespeare Ph.D. can teach/consult DARPA and Spec Ops on; literature as a tool to heal and grow your brain; building a story machine that can establish cause-effect narratives; why story is the operating system of the brain; literature as the engine of science; the mission of Project Narrative; my definition of story; computer vs human creativity; the singularity and transhumanism story; Jonah Sach’s myth-gaps as the greatest leadership opportunity to ReWrite the Human Story; growth as the ability to change our minds; why multiplicity is better than a singularity; humanism and AI-ism.

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Who is Angus Fletcher?

Angus Fletcher is Professor of Story Science at Ohio State’s Project Narrative. His most recent books are Wonderworks (Simon & Schuster, 2021) and Storythinking (Columbia University Press, 2022). He has written on the limits, and the future, of Artificial Intelligence in Wired, Nautilus, Modern Warfare, and the academic journal Narrative. His writings and media appearances can be found at angusfletcher.co