2020 Science Archive

2020 Science is no longer an active blog. For current writing, links and work, please visit andrewmaynard.net The post 2020 Science Archive appeared first on 2020 Science.

Apr 2022

2020 Science in 2020

In September 2008, the blog 2020 Science was born. The intent was to write about how science and technology can be used most effectively in the service of society. At the time I was science advisor to the Woodrow Wilson Center-based Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, and I found myself increasingly interested in and concerned by ... The post 2020...

Jan 2020

A new website for Films from the Future

There’s a new website for the book Films from the Future: The Technology and Morality of Sci-Fi Movies that you might want to check out! As well as an overview of the book, and those every-important links to where to purchase it, the site contains information and resources not available elsewhere. These include: Resources for ... The post A new website...

Feb 2019

A book club guide for Films from the Future

The same structure that makes Films from the Future ideal for undergrads, also makes it perfect for an extremely engaging book club - one where you not only read a book together, but you get to watch films as well! The post A book club guide for Films from the Future appeared first on 2020 Science.

Feb 2019

Sci-fi movies are the secret weapon that could help Silicon Valley grow up

If there’s one line that stands the test of time in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 classic “Jurassic Park,” it’s probably Jeff Goldblum’s exclamation, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” Goldblum’s character, Dr. Ian Malcolm, was warning against the hubris of naively tinkering with...

Nov 2018

Even “bad” sci-fi movies can teach us something about emerging technologies!

The film Transcendence, is not a great movie. Yet this futuristic thriller, which stars Johnny Depp as a genius scientist who mind-melds with a supercomputer, provides surprising and sometimes startling insights into how future technologies are unfolding, and the moral and ethical challenges they potentially raise. The post Even “bad” sci-fi movies...

Nov 2018

Films from the Future: The Last Chapter

Through this book, I’ve set out to show how science fiction movies can help point the way along this journey, flawed as they are. As I’ve been researching and writing it, I’ve developed a deeper appreciation of how the movies here can expand our appreciation of the complex relationship between technology and society, not because they are accurate or...

Nov 2018

Contact: Occam’s Razor and Films from the Future

William of Occam was a fourteenth-century English philosopher, friar, and theologian. From historic accounts, he was sharp thinker, and a somewhat controversial religious figure in his time. Yet, these days, he is best known for the scientific rule of thumb that bears his name. The post Contact: Occam’s Razor and Films from the Future appeared first...

Nov 2018

Environmental resilience and The Day After Tomorrow

Resiliency, I have to admit, is a bit of a buzz-word these days. In the environmental context, it’s often used to describe how readily an ecosystem is able to resist harm, or recover from damage caused by some event. But resiliency goes far beyond resistance to change.. The post Environmental resilience and The Day After Tomorrow appeared first on...

Oct 2018

The Honest Broker meets Dan Brown’s Inferno

Each week between now and November 15th (publication day!) I’ll be posting excerpts from  Films from the Future: The Technology and Morality of Sci-Fi Movies This week, it’s chapter eleven, and the movie Inferno. Inferno may seem like an odd choice of movie in a book about science fiction films and the future. It bombed with the ... The post The Honest...

Oct 2018