Episode 133: Silicon Valley vs. Science Fiction: Ayn Rand

Episode 133: Silicon Valley vs. Science Fiction: Ayn Rand

Author: Our Opinions Are Correct June 29, 2023 Duration: 53:28

One science fiction author has influenced the leaders of the tech industry more than any other: Ayn Rand, who preached radical selfishness in Atlas Shrugged and the Fountainhead. How has Rand's vision shaped the technology we use today? To find out more, we talk to philosopher Matt Zwolinski and author Matt Ruff.

Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes


What if the robots win, or we finally make first contact? How do the stories we tell about the future shape the technology and culture we build today? Our Opinions Are Correct isn't just a celebration of sci-fi; it's a lively, essential conversation about the genre's powerful grip on our real world. Hosts Annalee Newitz and Charlie Jane Anders bring a unique lens to these questions: one is a science journalist who crafts fiction, the other a celebrated novelist with a deep obsession for actual science. Together, they pick apart the books, films, and shows that define speculative storytelling, moving beyond simple reviews to uncover how these narratives reflect and influence everything from social justice to scientific ethics. New episodes every other week dive into a single topic, whether it's the politics of a beloved space opera or the neuroscience in a cyberpunk thriller, always with curiosity and a critical eye. This podcast argues that our favorite escapes are never just entertainment-they're blueprints, warnings, and mirrors for the human condition. Tune in for discussions that are as intellectually rigorous as they are genuinely fun, guaranteed to make you see the genre, and the world outside your window, in a completely new light.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Our Opinions Are Correct
Podcast Episodes
Alien ecosystems and the algae menace [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:11
All of us live embedded in webs of life known as ecosystems, and that can get pretty creepy -- or astonishingly beautiful. Inspired by the mind-blowing new animated series Scavengers Reign, we're talking about some of th…
How Doctor Who Stood the Test of Time [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:35
How does Doctor Who remain cool after sixty years? By constantly updating and reinventing itself. We've been loving David Tennant's triumphant return, and we're so pumped for Ncuti Gatwa. But we're wondering... are there…
Episode 142: Books That'll Get You Through The Winter Months [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:36
There's no company as soothing as a good read when the days get shorter and the air gets colder. So here's our annual list of recent books that'll help get you through those nasty winter months. (Or if you're listening t…
Episode 141: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Zines [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:45
Zines are DiY publications that grew to prominence in the early twentieth century scifi fan community, then morphed into a punk subculture in the 70s and 80s ... and now they're back! We talk with two guests who take us…
Episode 138: Battlestar Galactica, 20 Years Later [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:10
One of the greatest science fiction shows on TV debuted twenty years ago: the rebooted version of Battlestar Galactica. This show broke new ground in depicting realistic politics — and a nuanced view of a society of arti…
Episode 137: The Creativity Fallacy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:30
What does it mean to be a creator at a time when creativity is completely commodified? We'll talk about the status of the author, and how audiences have idealized artists while also celebrating the so-called death of the…