Beyond my philosophical and spiritual commitment, I wanted to portray true animism in this book. And that created specific, thorny writing problems that required concrete solutions.
Tag: philosophy
Animist AI Manifesto
Everywhere you look, in every nook and niche, from art museums to zookeeping, artificial intelligence is the topic of the day. Should it be used? Under what conditions? Should there be industry standards? Guidelines? Bans? What is the environmental impact? Is it even avoidable anymore? And how can you get reliable information to guide your… Continue reading Animist AI Manifesto
Telepathy Tech in Science Fiction and Reality, Part I: On Our Way
Science fiction has always had a fraught relationship with telepathy. On the one hand, it's such a fanciful and magical ability that it's oftentimes not thought of as sci-fi at all, or (especially in Golden Age sci-fi) only as some semi-mystical power that only mutants or aliens have (eg Spock in Star Trek, Xenomorphs in… Continue reading Telepathy Tech in Science Fiction and Reality, Part I: On Our Way
On Elves III: Neoteny
This final post in the series explores the concept of neoteny and its connection to the archetype of elves. Elves embody the eternal child, with youthful traits like wonder and adaptability. They illuminate humanity’s place in nature, and prompt reflection on self-identity and relationships with the more-than-human world.
On Elves II: Archetype
Where do stories of elves come from? How have our views of them changed over time? Can we point to any unchanging core of "elfishness"?
On Elves I: Origin
Some time ago, a friend of mine wondered what the relationship was between Santa's elves (short, hard-working craftsmen who make magical toys) and Tolkien's elves (tall, mystical, wise, and eternal guardians of the forest). Why are both of these beings called "elves"?
Free Ebook: ‘The Last Man to Believe in God’ – A Thought-Provoking Tale of Faith and Human Spirit
I'm excited to announce that I'm now offering a free gift for all subscribers: an ebook of one of my short stories. It's one of my very favorites: "The Last Man to Believe in God."
2022 in Books: Worst to Best
This past year was mostly filled with professional work, but I made some progress on personal projects as well. Axon, Inc.’s revisions are coming along slowly but surely. I took November to make progress on Return to Sagaia, which now is well over 40K words, and I’m super excited about it. I’m also continuing to… Continue reading 2022 in Books: Worst to Best
What Is Canon For?
If it's a bad story that breaks canon, adherence to canon won't fix it. If it's a good story that breaks canon in a minor way, it's irrelevant; it's just nitpicking. If it's a good story that breaks canon in a major way, it's probably a good story *because* it breaks canon.
Subordinate Clauses in Gnin El and Sasrâl
Talk about an exciting topic! But how a language encodes the connections between clauses can have far-reaching ramifications. As I explain here, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and English have very different assortments of complementizers. How scribes translated them gave rise to a huge variety of interpretations of the New Testament. But I'm sorry to say that I… Continue reading Subordinate Clauses in Gnin El and Sasrâl