Imagining the Digital Afterlife
Summary
Host Eric Molinsky discusses the animated sci-fi series Pantheon with showrunner Craig Silverstein and author Ken Liu, whose stories inspired the show. They delve into the premise of mind uploading, the challenges of adapting the interconnected stories into a cohesive narrative, and how the show explores complex ethical, societal, and personal implications of living a digital existence, from the nature of consciousness to global politics and human relationships.Episode description
The animated TV series Pantheon (streaming on Netflix) asks what if you could upload your mind to the Internet? Would still be human? Would we create a virtual paradise where everyone got to live forever? Or would we find new and more sophisticated ways to destroy each other? I talk with Pantheon showrunner Craig Silverstein and Ken Liu, the author of The Hidden Girl and Other Stories, which the TV show is based on. We discuss how they adapted a series of loosely interconnected stories into a tightly plotted two-season arc, and all the ways in which society would change if uploading our minds becomes a viable technology. Featuring readings by actress Eunice Wong.
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