Episode · Lex Fridman Podcast · 2024-12-22
Books mentioned on #455 – Adam Frank: Alien Civilizations and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life
Adam Frank is an astrophysicist studying star systems and the search for extraterrestrial life and alien civilizations. Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.
Adam Frank recommended Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson, and discussed Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan, Eon by Greg Bear, and Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas R. Hofstadter. Lex Fridman discussed The Blind Spot by Adam Frank and others.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Aurora
Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson is a science fiction novel that follows a multi-generational colony ship traveling across space to settle a distant star system.
Recommended“You know, there's an alternative view though, which is, there's this great book by Kim Stanley Robinson called "Aurora."”
Where to get it
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Altered Carbon
Altered Carbon is a science fiction novel by Richard Morgan that explores a futuristic world where human consciousness can be digitized and transferred between different physical bodies, or sleeves.
Discussed“"Altered Carbon" is a great series on this concept. I think it’s on Netflix; it's a really good series where that’s exactly the idea of sleeves.”
Where to get it
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Eon
Discussed“This is the plot, actually, of a great science fiction book called "Eon" by Greg Bear.”
Where to get it
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The Blind Spot
The Blind Spot by Adam Frank, Marcelo Gleiser, and Evan Thompson is a philosophical critique of Western science that examines the limitations of materialism and advocates for the inclusion of human experience in scientific inquiry.
Discussed“So this is something that you write about in "The Blind Spot: Why Science Cannot Ignore Human Experience," sort of trying to pull the fire into the process of science.”
Where to get it
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Gödel, Escher, Bach
Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R.
Discussed“And every koan, you know, if you've ever read 'Godel, Escher, Bach', he's got a whole chapter on koans. They're kind of non-logical problems that you have to work on.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (3) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“You wrote a book about aliens. So the big question, how many alien civilizations are out there?”
“This is the frontier we are in, and that was the topic of my last book, "Light of the Stars." You've got to do the astrobiology of the Anthropocene.”
“This is the frontier we are, and that was the topic of my last book, "Light of the Stars." It's like you've got, you have to do the astrobiology of the Anthropocene.”