The Intersection of Science Fiction and Reality: A Conversation with Sam Arbesman

In The Intersection of Science Fiction and Reality episode of The Flux podcast, host John Cordier engages in a conversation with Sam Arbesman, Scientist-in-Residence at Lux Capital and Research Fellow at the Long Now Foundation. They explore how science fiction, video games, and computational social science intersect to influence real-world innovations.

Harbisman shares how early experiences like playing SimCity and reading Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy sparked his interest in complexity science and computational modeling. They discuss the concept of psychohistory from Foundation, and how it inspired modern computational social science to analyze societal behaviors on a large scale.

They also touch on how venture capital plays a role in transforming science fiction ideas into reality, with Lux Capital supporting innovations that blur the lines between science fact and fiction. Arbesman reflects on the increasing complexity of technological systems, emphasizing how understanding these systems requires new tools and thinking, akin to studying biological systems.

Ultimately, this episode highlights the value of scenario planning, counterfactuals, and complexity science in decision-making and innovation, making a compelling case for the importance of these methodologies in navigating an uncertain future.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

00:16 Meet Sam Arbesman

01:00 Sam's Journey into Complex Systems

01:34 The Influence of SimCity and Science Fiction

03:03 The Foundation Trilogy and Psychohistory

07:01 Science Fiction's Real-World Impact

13:08 The Role of Venture Capital in Innovation

14:19 The Future of Deep Tech and Emerging Technologies

19:12 The Importance of Counterfactuals and Scenario Planning

30:20 Encouraging Complexity Science Education

35:44 The Future of Simulation and Computational Science