Social Science Fiction

I'm joined by Jon LoChiatto and we discuss the X-Files. Conspiracy theories, the current state of American politics, and the spiritual successor to the X-Files, Fringe, are also covered. 

Notes:

3:25 - The season 2 episode "Duane Barry" features the infamous speedo we reference here. 

4:10 - In X-Files fandom, "mythology episodes" refer to episodes that build on the larger, series-spanning plot as opposed to the one-off, "monster of the week" episodes."

7:29 - Hired goons? (Bonus points you get this Simpsons reference). 

22:28 - Apologies to Joshua Jackson of Dawson's Creek and Fringe. He is a fine actor but I can never remember his name. 

26:35 - The show we were thinking of was "Warehouse 13." Another show from the 2000s that hit some of the same notes as the X-Files was                The 4400. 

Intro and outro music: "Swim below as Leviathans" by Fireproof_Babies (featuring Ben Shewmaker) is licensed under CC BY. 

Week three of celebrating Halloween and horror. This time it's aliens and alien invasion. From mindless monsters, to super-viruses, to conquerors, the many varieties of alien fiction. 

Notes:

1:26 - Discussing the sub-genres of alien fiction 

1:46 - The alien as a monster 

2:07 - Also known as the "space jockey"

4:07 - A brief reference of cyberpunk. Something that will surely be discussed in greater detail soon with Cyberpunk 2077 about to be                         released. 

4:57 - Asymmetric warfare refers to wars in which the combatants have vastly different military capabilities. The Vietnam War and the Iraq                 War would be examples of this. In such a conflict, it is common to see the technologically inferior side adopt guerilla tactics to                             compensate for its lack of conventional military power. 

6:05 - "Game over, man! Game over!"

6:22 - A brief glimpse of my D&D experiences 

6:55 - The alien as a virus 

8:21 - The alien as peaceful explorer 

9:02 - The alien as invader 

10:34 - Debating likely alien intentions 

12:24 - Chaos theory is a field of mathematics that deals with the outcomes of complex systems. It holds that small variations in starting                     conditions can lead to dramatically different outcomes. The "butterfly effect" is an example of this logic. For a better explanation,                     just watch Jeff Goldblum explain it in Jurassic Park. 

15:28 - For a good example of a game that fits within this genre, see XCOM 2. Which is a phenomenal strategy game, by the way. 

16:45 - Side Rant 

19:57 - The Covenant in Halo is the only example of an advanced alien civilization that is also religious that I can think of. 

21:04 - The Drake Equation, developed by astronomer and physicist Frank Drake, is an equation meant to prompt discussion about the                         possibility of intelligent alien life. 

21:12 - The famous quote that sums up the Fermi Paradox. If there is intelligent life in the galaxy, why haven't we heard from it yet? 

Intro and outro music: "Swim below as Leviathans" by Fireproof_Babies (featuring Ben Shewmaker) is licensed under CC BY. 

A brief history of the zombie in folklore and popular culture. Followed by a discussion of World War Z (the book, not the mediocre movie). Ending with plan for the zombie apocalypse.

Notes:

0:53 - Discussing the roots of the zombie in Haitian folklore.

2:13 - Amy Wilentz has written about this topic. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/31/opinion/a-zombie-is-a-slave-forever.html

4:00 - Early portrayals of the zombie in Western media.

6:17 - I Am Legend is a novel by Richard Matheson, published in 1954 about a man who survives what could be called a zombie apocalypse              but with vampires instead of zombies. It has been adapted into multiple movies including The Omega Man, starring Charlton Heston                and I Am Legend, starring Will Smith. 

10:25 - Zombies and Thomas Hobbes 

15:38 - Discussing World War Z, my favorite zombie book. 

21:16 - Issue framing is a concept often studied by scholars interested in the role of the media in politics as well as scholars of social                          movements. 

22:12 - Also known as the October War, the Ramadan War, and 1973 Arab-Israeli War. This war saw Egypt and Syria (with the support of                     several other states) attacking Israel during Yom Kippur. While Israel ultimately repelled the attack (and even gained some territory),               the Arab states performed far better than during the Six-Day War of 1967 and shook Israeli confidence in its military superiority. 

26:40 - Multiple characters make reference to the United States fighting "brushfire wars" in the 2000s. No one explicitly says it but it seems               fairly clear that this is meant as a reference to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

28:42 - Side Rant! Surviving the zombie apocalypse. 

31:18 - Massachusetts is starting point so Florida seems like the best destination. Insert Florida-man joke here about how Florida won't look              any different after the apocalypse. 

Intro and outro music: "Swim below as Leviathans" by Fireproof_Babies (featuring Ben Shewmaker) is licensed under CC BY. 

A discussion of Ayn Rand's Objectivism and how Buffy the Vampire Slayer opposes it. Also discussed are Faith's nihilist tendencies and Anya's love of capitalism. 

Notes: 

2:05 - "Monster of the week" is a term originally coined by the writers of The Outer Limits. It describes an episode of a TV series that features              a standalone story with a villain that is created solely for that episode. 

3:32 - The basics of Rand and Objectivism 

4:22 - Atlas was a figure in Greek mythology. It is actually a common misconception that he held the world on his back. In fact, he is                             described as holding up the heavens. Rand would make this common mistake in using the image of Atlas holding up the world as the                 central metaphor  for her novel. 

6:04 - Gordon Gekko is the antagonist of the movie Wall Street, played by Michael Douglas. He has come to represent the greed of Wall                      Street businessmen. 

6:38 - Adam Smith was one of the first modern economists. He wrote about how a free market operates, coining the term "the invisible hand."

9:21 - Background on Buffy the Vampire Slayer 

9:32 - Few actually grow to be young women. The show makes it clear that most slayer don't live past adolescence. 

14:33 - Season 2, episode 9 (I Only Have Eyes for You) 

19:03 - Faith as a foil of Buffy 

21:38 - Faith and Nietzsche 

23:31 - This phrase captures Faith's personal philosophy. Season 3, episode 14 (Bad Girls) 

23:59 - Anya the capitalist 

25:43 - Side Rant 

Intro and outro music: "Swim below as Leviathans" by Fireproof_Babies (featuring Ben Shewmaker) is licensed under CC BY. 

A big thanks to Deborah Caldwell-Stone for taking the time to speak with me! In the first half of the episode, I do a list of recommendations of books to read in honor of Banned Books Week. I'm then joined by Director Caldwell-Stone to talk about the work of the Office for Intellectual Freedom and the purpose of Banned Books Week. 

Notes:

1:44 - I realize I'm being a bit optimistic here. Sadly, it seems a lot of people aren't actually fans of freedom of speech, the press, etc. 

3:16 - The list. 

12:44 - Magical Realism is a genre that originated in South America and involves fantastical elements suddenly entering into otherwise                           realistic stories.

15:40 - The honorable mentions. 

16:08 - Talking Banned Books Week and intellectual freedom with Deborah Caldwell-Stone. 

Intro and outro music: "Swim below as Leviathans" by Fireproof_Babies (featuring Ben Shewmaker) is licensed under CC BY. 

We wrap up the Heinlein series with a look at For Us the Living: A Comedy of Customs. From social credit to privacy rights, what does Heinlein's first novel tell us about how his politics evolved (or didn't) over time?

Notes:

1:51 - Background of the novel.

4:55 - A brief plot overview.

5:00 - For those not familiar, Rip Van Winkle is the titular character of a short story by Washington Irving about a man who sleeps for twenty               years, missing the American Revolution.

8:33 - The politics of For Us the Living.

8:45 - Talking about social credit

9:00 - Cannot stress enough that this has nothing to do with the social credit system the Chinese government is currently experimenting                   with. 

10:40 - Slightly oversimplifying economic views on factors of production. While classical economists focused on land, labor, and capital,                       subsequent schools of thought have examined other variables. Still, it's probably fair to say those three receive the most attention.

15:24 - John Maynard Keynes has been referenced on this podcast before (the Warhammer: Factions episode). Check it out for a little more               background on Keynes and what he'd say about the tooth-based economy of Orks. 

17:13 - Explaining Heinlein's Heritage Check System.

21:28 - Discussing Universal Basic Income (UBI).

21:49 - UBI leads to an Andrew Yang reference.

27:09 - For competing libertarian views of UBI see https://www.libertarianism.org/columns/why-did-hayek-support-basic-income and                         https://reason.com/2018/05/13/universal-basic-income-still-fails/

27:48 - F.A. Hayek was an accomplished and highly influential Austrian economist and political theorist. He is, perhaps, best known for his                   book The Road to Serfdom which warned of the dangers of socialism and is still required reading for free-market advocates.

29:36 - Other political themes in For Us the Living. 

36:33 - Wrapping up. The core Heinlein philosophy. 

38:16 - Side Rant. 

Intro and outro music: "Swim below as Leviathans" by Fireproof_Babies (featuring Ben Shewmaker) is licensed under CC BY. 

Examining the libertarian and hippie themes of Stranger in a Strange Land. Does this novel represent a shift in philosophy from Starship Troopers or are there consistencies to be found?

Notes:

0:55 - Grok is a great term and is used a lot of different ways in the book and by nerds who have adopted the term since. It's generally used                to mean something is understood or liked but characters in the book make clear that its true definition can only be expressed in the                  Martian language.

1:19 - Discussing the background of Stranger in a Strange Land.

2:29 - I believe this is discussed in the Heinlein episode of the TV series Prophets of Science Fiction.

3:47 - Asimov's views of Heinlein's politics discussed here: https://mises.org/library/was-robert-heinlein-libertarian

7:02 - Plot overview.

10:48 - The hippie themes of Stranger in a Strange Land.

11:50 - Heinlein was, himself, a nudist.

11:55 - This is a big "if." I think it's more accurate to say there's no real villain in the story. I would say the antagonist, such as it is, is human nature itself.

15:32 - The libertarian themes of the novel.

16:08 - An author insert character, also known as an author avatar or author surrogate.

16:26 - Mary Sue has become a contested and somewhat controversial term. For more, TV Tropes is a good source of info: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MarySue

18:09 - Yes, there are two other people living with Jubal. Larry and Duke and also work for him.

22:21 - Comparing Starship Troopers and Stranger in a Strange Land. 

27:12 - The last book will be For Us the Living: A Comedy of Customs.

27:20 - A few other thoughts.

28:29 - I believe this was the article that was making the rounds a social media: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/02/25/what-george-orwell-said-about-hitlers-mein-kampf/

32:17 - Side Rant!

32:53 - The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is a fascinating idea and still debated among linguists.

34:23 - There is at least one book that predates Stranger in a Strange Land that deals explicitly with the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. The                          Languages of Pao is now on my reading list.  

Intro and outro music: "Swim below as Leviathans" by Fireproof_Babies (featuring Ben Shewmaker) is licensed under CC BY. 

This past week, in a town in Massachusetts...

Social Science Fiction

It is a dark time for the podcast. Having launched a few weeks ago, the fledgling show works to amuse its audience with insightful commentary on a range of nerdy topics. However, while covering numerous settings, it has somehow overlooked what is perhaps the most beloved and popular nerdy franchise of all time. Eager to correct this oversight, the brilliant and handsome host of Social Science Fiction discusses the politics of Star Wars. Specifically, how do the Jedi fit into the Star Wars universe?

Notes:

1:04 - I highly recommend Shamus Young's blog (https://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/). Always interesting commentary.

1:32 - For those not into video games, Jedi: Fallen Order is the newest big Star Wars game.

2:52 - Unless, of course, we're talking about Masters of Teras Kasi. I do judge that game.

3:25 - Talking original trilogy Jedi.

3:52 - Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese director known for his samurai movies. He is remembered as being a remarkable filmmaker and                       having an enormous impact on the industry.

4:03 - And we can't forget Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces which inspired Lucas' story.

6:35 - Discussing the actual history of knights and samurai. 

10:38 - The "Stirrup Thesis" was originally developed by Lynn Townsend White Jr. in Medieval Technology and Social Change. The theory                   continues to be debated in academia.

13:19 - Talking Jedi post-original trilogy. 

16:49 - They don't have civilian positions that is. They do serve in the military.

17:09 - Discussing what the Jedi are, politically speaking.

17:28 - I couldn't find confirmation of this story. If any has the details, I'd love to hear them.

17:41 - There are religions that fit this description to some degree, focusing within their community and not preaching to the outside world.                However, these groups rarely go looking for new members born outside the community as Jedi do.

21:51 - And honestly, who isn't familiar with the history of Saudi Arabia?

22:05 - Adherent prefer the term Salafism

22:44 - Mecca and Medina are the two holiest sites in Islam. Both are located in present-day Saudi Arabia

25:59 - Daimyos were feudal lords who often employed samurai.

26:15 - A professional standing army is an army composed of full-time, professional soldiers. This is in contrast to mercenary-armies that                   were hired to fight for a short period of time, part-time militias composed of volunteers who have other jobs, and temporary                             conscript-armies of peasants forced to fight for when needed.

28:38 - Reevaluating the movies based on the preceding analysis.

31:15 - Knights stick around at least. The samurai would be eliminated by the government in the 1870s.

34:18 - An Ayn Rand reference. Atlas Shrugged is one of her most popular books which promotes her philosophy, known as Objectivism.                     Suffice to say that the Ferengi would probably be fans. 

38:11 - Side Rant! 

42:05 - Yes, more hated than any scene involving Jar Jar. 

Intro and outro music: "Swim below as Leviathans" by Fireproof_Babies (featuring Ben Shewmaker) is licensed under CC BY. 

Examining the politics of Starship Troopers. Is the Terran Federation's citizen-civilian distinction inspired by the philosophy of Jean Jacques Rousseau? Is it actually a fascist state? What would Heinlein have to say about the foreign policy of Eisenhower and Kennedy? Listen to find out?

Notes:

3:40 - I suppose the title is a giveaway there.

11:00 - The other alien species being the "Skinnies." At the beginning of the novel they are allied with the bugs but are later said to have                         switched sides.

11:47 - Getting into the citizen-civilian distinction

12:15 - Using "liberal" here in the political science sense, meaning a democracy that protects civil rights.

18:48 - Plato being a good example. See Plato's Republic for an idea of how he dealt with these issues.
 
19:15 - Polybius' Histories are a good example of what the American Founders would have been thinking regarding ancient Rome. 

24:47 - Getting into Heinlein's views on International Relations 

27:11 - Other key aspects of the Realist model are that the world is anarchic (meaning there is no higher authority to maintain order) and                    that hard power (military might) trumps soft power (diplomacy, culture, moral authority, etc.). 

27:53 - This situation has been described as an example of a "prisoner's dilemma." Each party would rather cooperate and avoid conflict but               each party knows it is safer to betray the other and, more importantly, each party knows the other party knows this. Thus,                               cooperation is thwarted by mutual mistrust.  

33:32 - Heinlein's Starship Troopers is one of the first (if not the first) work to feature power armor. 

34:59 - Civilian meaning non-military. Not civilian in the citizen vs. citizen sense. 

38:02 - Part of Kennedy's presidential campaign strategy was actually attacking Eisenhower for being soft on defense and allowing the                       Soviet Union to surpass us in missile development. It turned out the Soviets weren't close to matching the United States on missiles. 

39:00 - The idea that threatening a small response is more credible than threatening a large response is something most children seem to                      understand intuitively. Kids know their parents aren't really going to turn the car around and go home. They will worry if they're                        told they're not getting ice cream later. 

40:28 - The fascism debate. 

41:17 - The case for Starship Troopers as fascist 

46:46 - The case against. 

51:51 - Wrapping up. What does Starship Troopers tell us about Heinlein? 

Intro and outro music: "Swim below as Leviathans" by Fireproof_Babies (featuring Ben Shewmaker) is licensed under CC BY. 

I analyze the world of Vampire: The Masquerade through a Marxist lens. I begin with a short discussion of the history of the game and the setting. Next I cover the basics of Marxist theory. Then I cram them both together and see what happens. I wrap up with a few thoughts on vampire fiction in general.

Notes:

1:00 - Just a friendly joke. Absolutely no offense intended towards LARPers. It's actually something I could see myself getting into if I ever had the time.

1:30 - Not sure how common this phrase is. By "flawed gem" I mean a game that I consider great despite obvious problems or bugs.

2:33 - Begin background on the game's setting and story.

15:09 - Basics of Marxism

19:00 - The analysis. What does Marxism say about Vampire: The Masquerade?

21:02 - Gramsci is an interesting figure and well worth reading if you're interested in Marxist theory. I always found him more accessible and an easier read than Marx or Lenin.

22:44 - For more on Lenin's views on colonialism and World War I, a good place to start is his essay Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism. 

30:04 - Leon Trotsky was a prominent Marxist thinker and leader in the Russian Revolution. After Lenin's death, Trotsky lost a power-struggle with Stalin and went into exile. He was later assassinated in Mexico (ice axe to the head). You may also find it interesting to know that he had an affair with Frida Kahlo. 

30:24 - No need to know these terms. Just wanted to throw out some funny-sounding names. Also, I take any opportunity to say "anarcho-syndicalist" outside of quoting Monty Python.