Robert J. Sawyer

Robert J. Sawyer on Quantum Night: There is nothing inherently unknowable

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About 4 1/2 years ago I interviewed Robert J. Sawyer on his fantastic non-dystopian AI trilogy WWW. To this day people keep telling me it is one of my very best interviews ever. Unfortunately, the last time we spoke via Skype, we had a pretty bad video connection. So I vowed to myself that next time I will make sure we have the best possible quality of production I can deliver. And here we are today with my first cinema-wide 4k interview ever, which we shot at Robert J. Sawyer’s penthouse. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

During our 60 min discussion with Robert J. Sawyer we cover a variety of interesting topics such as: what Quantum Night is all about; the Philosopher’s Zombie phenomenon and the Penrose-Hameroff Orch OR Quantum Theory of Consciousness; why he keeps situating his novels in Canada; why good science fiction is about ethics and social commentary; the 2018 bicentennial anniversary science fiction party…

My favorite quotes that I will take away from this interview with Robert J. Sawyer are:

Canada is the bridge of the Enterprise writ large.

There is nothing inherently unknowable.

As always you can listen to or download the audio file above or scroll down and watch the video interview in full. To show your support you can write a review on iTunes, make a direct donation, or become a patron on Patreon.

Who is Robert J. Sawyer?

Robert J. Sawyer is one of only eight writers in history — and the only Canadian — to win all three of the world’s top Science Fiction awards for best novel of the year: the Hugo, the Nebula, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award (the full list of such winners: Paolo Bacigalupi, David Brin, Arthur C. Clarke, Joe Haldeman, Frederik Pohl, Kim Stanley Robinson, Robert J. Sawyer, and Connie Willis), and he’s the first author in thirty years to receive a Lifetime Achievement Aurora Award.

Rob is also an award-winning scriptwriter and an in-demand keynote speaker.

“Robert J. Sawyer is just about the best science fiction writer out there these days.” —Denver Rocky Mountain News

“Robert J. Sawyer is by any measure one of the world’s leading (and most interesting) science-fiction writers.” —The Globe and Mail

“Robert J. Sawyer is a writer of boundless confidence and bold scientific extrapolation.” —The New York Times

“Robert J. Sawyer is the science fiction genre’s northern star — in fact, one of the hottest SF writers anywhere. By any reckoning Sawyer is among the most successful Canadian authors ever.” —Maclean’s: Canada’s Weekly Newsmagazine

“Robert J. Sawyer is on a par with giants like Asimov and Heinlein — and, perhaps more than any other science fiction writer working today, he understands that it’s a genre about ideas.” —Mystery News

“Robert J. Sawyer is one of the most popular and successful science fiction authors in the world today.” —Philosophy Now

“Robert J. Sawyer is one of the foremost science fiction writers of our generation.” —SF Site

“Robert J. Sawyer is the leader of SF’s next-generation pack.” —Barnes and Noble

“Robert J. Sawyer is one of the world’s most prominent science fiction writers.” —The Calgary Sun

“Robert J. Sawyer is arguably the world’s top science fiction writer.” —The Hamilton Spectator

“Robert J. Sawyer is the 21st century’s Asimov, Clarke and Heinlein, all in one.” —Ethical Society of Saint Louis

“Robert J. Sawyer is a highly successful and accomplished novelist, a gentle giant of a writer.” —The New York Review of Science Fiction

“Robert J. Sawyer is the dean of Canadian science fiction.” —CBC Radio

“Robert J. Sawyer is Canada’s leading SF author.” —Booklist

“Robert J. Sawyer is probably the best sci-fi writer Canada has ever produced.” —Planet S: Saskatoon’s City Magazine

“Robert J. Sawyer is Canada’s premier science fiction writer.” —Quill & Quire

“Robert J. Sawyer is the dean of Canadian science fiction.” —The Ottawa Citizen

 

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Robert J. Sawyer on Humanity 2.0

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Robert J. Sawyer and Socrates

Robert J. Sawyer is one of my all-time favorite science fiction writers. Thus, when I heard that the Literary Review of Canada and TV Ontario’s Big Ideas are co-hosting a talk by Robert at the Gardiner Museum, I simply had to attend.

Robert J. Sawyer is one of those very rare people who truly know a lot about everything and — even rarer ones — who can communicate clearly and convincingly about what they know. Below you can watch the recording of Sawyer’s very engaging, eloquent and empassionate presentation touching up on a variety of issues such as cosmology, SETI, transhumanism, the singularity, longevity, mind uploading and other ways of upgrading humanity to version 2.0.

The event was held on November 21, 2011 in Toronto and it took a couple of months before it was eventually aired on TVO and posted online.

Program Synopsis: When Marshal McLuhan published Understanding Media, in 1964, the U of T English professor’s radical arguments about technology’s role in shaping human existence made him a unique media oracle. Now, 100 years after McLuhan’s birth, many simply take as given that our future will be shaped, not by ethical or cultural precepts, but by our fast-changing technological advances.

In fact, we’re approaching the moment —not too far off—at which computer intelligence will exceed that of humans. Today, some already dream of uploading their consciousnesses into artificial bodies or virtual worlds; others wish to radically prolong their lives or enhance their bodies through biotechnology. These changes are feared by some, embraced by others, and point to key questions: What will it mean to be human in the future? Can we look forward to a Utopian tomorrow? Might some of us simply become obsolete? What will it mean to be human in the future?

Robert J. Sawyer discusses how to approach our brave new future without (too much) fear and trembling and points out that uploading consciousness into virtual worlds and prolonging life through biotechnology are already being contemplated.

Who is Robert J. Sawyer?

Called “The Dean of Canadian Science Fiction” by The Ottawa Citizen and “just about the best science-fiction writer out there these days” by The Denver Rocky Mountain News, Sawyer is one of only eight writers in history (and the only Canadian) to win all three of the science-fiction field’s top honors for best novel of the year – the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. He has taught writing at the University of Toronto, Ryerson University, Humber College, the National University of Ireland, and the Banff Centre. His keen insights into the human impact of technological change have led to consulting work for corporate clients such as Google, and Sawyer has also advised bodies from the Canadian Federal Department of Justice to the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

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The WWW Trilogy: Wake, Watch and Wonder Book Review

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A few months ago I was taking a ride on the Toronto subway and couldn’t help it but notice the posters for Robert J. Sawyer‘s novel WWW: Wake.

The idea of a blind girl seeing the internet and connecting with an emerging virtual intelligence peaked my curiosity so I had to read the book. I thought it was so captivating and brilliant that I went ahead and got book 2 (WWW: Watch) and 3 (WWW: Wonder) as soon as I finished book 1.

After finishing the complete trilogy I can honestly say that the story only gets better and better as one moves through the different parts. I recommend it highly because in contrast to the well-known Matrix or Terminator-type apocalyptic plots, the WWW trilogy explores a near-unique post-singularity scenario of peaceful coexistence between a super-smart artificial intelligence and humanity. This phenomenon does not develop without its share of existential threats and potential for violence yet all out conflict is avoided not because of the wisdom and peace-loving nature of humanity but because of the AI.

Socrates’ Verdict: 10 out of 10

WWW Trilogy Book 1: Wake Trailer

Robert Sawyer visits Google’s Waterloo office to discuss his book WWW: Wake. This event took place on May 28, 2009, as part of the Authors@Google series.

Robert J. Sawyer: Past Interview Highlights

On Abundance:

On Living Forever:

Who is Robert J. Sawyer?

Robert J. Sawyer — called “the dean of Canadian science fiction” by The Ottawa Citizen and “just about the best science-fiction writer out there these days” by The Denver Rocky Mountain News — is one of only eight writers in history (and the only Canadian) to win all three of the science-fiction field’s top honors for best novel of the year:

  • the World Science Fiction Society’s Hugo Award, which he won in 2003 for his novel Hominids
  • the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America’s Nebula Award, which he won in 1996 for his novel The Terminal Experiment
  • and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, which he won in 2006 for his novel Mindscan

Rob is also the only writer in history to win the top SF awards in the United States, China, Japan, France, and Spain. In addition, he’s won an Arthur Ellis Award from the Crime Writers of Canada as well as eleven Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Awards (“Auroras”). The ABC TV series Flashforward
is based on his novel of the same name.

Maclean’s: Canada’s Weekly Newsmagazine says, “By any reckoning, Sawyer is among the most successful Canadian authors ever,” and Barnes and Noble calls him “the leader of SF’s next-generation pack.”

Rob’s novels are top-ten national mainstream bestsellers in Canada, appearing on the Globe and Mail and Maclean’s bestsellers’ lists, and they’ve hit #1 on the bestsellers’ list published by Locus, the U.S. trade journal of the SF field. His twenty novels include Frameshift, Factoring Humanity, Calculating God, WWW: Wake, and the popular “Neanderthal Parallax” trilogy consisting of Hominids, Humans, Hybrids.

He’s often seen on TV, including such program as Rivera Live with Geraldo Rivera, Canada A.M., and Saturday Night at the Movies, and he’s a frequent science commentator for Discovery Channel Canada, CBC Newsworld, and CBC Radio.

Rob — who holds an honorary doctorate from Laurentian University — has taught writing at the University of Toronto, Ryerson University, Humber College, the National University of Ireland, and the Banff Centre. He has been Writer-in-Residence at the Richmond Hill (Ontario) Public Library, the Kitchener (Ontario) Public Library, the Toronto Public Library’s Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation and Fantasy, the Canadian Light Source synchrotron, and at the Odyssey Workshop. And he edits Robert J. Sawyer Books, the science-fiction imprint of Red Deer Press.

Rob has given talks at hundreds of venues including the Library of Congress and the National Library of Canada, and been keynote speaker at dozens of events in places as diverse as Los Angeles, Boston, Tokyo, and Barcelona. He was born in Ottawa in 1960, and now lives just west of Toronto with his wife, poet Carolyn Clink.

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Robert J. Sawyer: The Human Adventure is Just Beginning

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Last Sunday I interviewed Robert J. Sawyer for Singularity 1 on 1.

I have to admit that, despite the fact that he is a very well-known and successful best-selling science fiction writer, I only recently stumbled onto Robert’s work.

I was taking a ride on the Toronto subway and couldn’t help but notice the posters for his novel WWW: Wake. The idea of a blind girl seeing the internet and connecting with an emerging virtual intelligence peaked my curiosity so I had to read the book. I thought it was so captivating and brilliant that I went ahead and got books 2 (WWW: Watch) and 3 (WWW: Wonder) as soon as I finished book 1. After finishing the complete trilogy I can honestly say that the story only gets better and better as one moves through the different parts. I recommend it highly.

Having read the WWW series I just had to interview Robert. During our conversation with him we discuss issues such as: how and why he got interested in science fiction and technology; the motivation behind and goals of his work; his current book and film projects; his take on artificial intelligence and the technological singularity; philosophy and religion; and the future of humanity.

As always you can listen to or download the audio file above or scroll down and watch the video interview in full. To show your support you can write a review on iTunes, make a direct donation, or become a patron on Patreon.

 

Who is Robert J. Sawyer?

Robert J. Sawyer — called “the dean of Canadian science fiction” by The Ottawa Citizen and “just about the best science-fiction writer out there these days” by The Denver Rocky Mountain News — is one of only eight writers in history (and the only Canadian) to win all three of the science-fiction field’s top honors for best novel of the year:

  • the World Science Fiction Society’s Hugo Award, which he won in 2003 for his novel Hominids
  • the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America’s Nebula Award, which he won in 1996 for his novel The Terminal Experiment
  • and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, which he won in 2006 for his novel Mindscan

Rob is also the only writer in history to win the top SF awards in the United States, China, Japan, France, and Spain. In addition, he’s won an Arthur Ellis Award from the Crime Writers of Canada as well as eleven Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Awards (“Auroras”). The ABC TV series Flashforward
is based on his novel of the same name.

Maclean’s: Canada’s Weekly Newsmagazine says, “By any reckoning, Sawyer is among the most successful Canadian authors ever,” and Barnes and Noble calls him “the leader of SF’s next-generation pack.”

Rob’s novels are top-ten national mainstream bestsellers in Canada, appearing on the Globe and Mail and Maclean’s bestsellers’ lists, and they’ve hit #1 on the bestsellers’ list published by Locus, the U.S. trade journal of the SF field. His twenty novels include Frameshift, Factoring Humanity, Calculating God, WWW: Wake, and the popular “Neanderthal Parallax” trilogy consisting of Hominids, Humans, Hybrids.

He’s often seen on TV, including such programs as Rivera Live with Geraldo Rivera, Canada A.M., and Saturday Night at the Movies, and he’s a frequent science commentator for Discovery Channel Canada, CBC Newsworld, and CBC Radio.

Rob — who holds an honorary doctorate from Laurentian University — has taught writing at the University of Toronto, Ryerson University, Humber College, the National University of Ireland, and the Banff Centre. He has been Writer-in-Residence at the Richmond Hill (Ontario) Public Library, the Kitchener (Ontario) Public Library, the Toronto Public Library’s Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation and Fantasy, the Canadian Light Source synchrotron, and at the Odyssey Workshop. And he edits Robert J. Sawyer Books, the science-fiction imprint of Red Deer Press.

Rob has given talks at hundreds of venues including the Library of Congress and the National Library of Canada, and been a keynote speaker at dozens of events in places as diverse as Los Angeles, Boston, Tokyo, and Barcelona. He was born in Ottawa in 1960 and now lives just west of Toronto with his wife, poet Carolyn Clink.