Episode · StarTalk Radio · 2026-02-14
Books mentioned on The Problem With Uploading Your Consciousness | Cosmic Queries #105
Charles Liu recommended Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang, and discussed Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas R. Hofstadter.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Stories of Your Life and Others
Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang is an acclaimed collection of speculative short fiction that explores complex philosophical, linguistic, and temporal concepts.
Recommended“This has been explored in several science fiction stories, for example, Ted Chiang's excellent story called Story of Your Life, which became adapted into the movie Arrival that starred Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner.”
Where to get it
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Gödel, Escher, Bach
Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R.
Discussed“Chuck, what you're describing is the last chapter, if memory serves, of the book Gödel, Escher, Bach written by Douglas Hofstadter.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (4) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“The Handy Quantum Quantum Physics answer book.”
Passing Slaughterhouse-Five
“It was also in in Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five.”
Passing Marjorie Prime (TCG Edition)
“On Broadway, there is actually a pretty acclaimed play recently. It was called Marjorie Prime.”
“The handy quantum physics answer book.”