#240 – Neal Stephenson: Sci-Fi, Space, Aliens, AI, VR & the Future of Humanity

Neal Stephenson is a sci-fi writer (Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, and new book Termination Shock), former Chief Futurist at Magic Leap and first employee of Blue Origin. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - Mizzen+Main: https://mizzenandmain.com and use code LEX to get $35 off - InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/lex and use code Lex25 to get 25% off - Athletic Greens: https://athleticgreens.com/lex and use code LEX to get 1 month of fish oil - Grammarly: https://grammarly.com/lex to get 20% off premium - ExpressVPN: https://expressvpn.com/lexpod and use code LexPod to get 3 months free

EPISODE LINKS: Neal's Twitter: https://twitter.com/nealstephenson Neal's Website: https://www.nealstephenson.com/ Termination Shock (book): https://amzn.to/3HhmDKi Snow Crash (book): https://amzn.to/3H7yFFW Cryptonomicon (book): https://amzn.to/3C01HDF The Diamond Age (book): https://amzn.to/3wxUF83 Seveneves (book): https://amzn.to/3kkhveg The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 1 (book): https://amzn.to/3koMW7n Innovation Starvation (article): https://bit.ly/3mYLSJ2

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OUTLINE: Here's the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) - Introduction (08:34) - WWII and human nature (17:20) - Search engine morality (21:58) - Space exploration (38:59) - Aliens and UFOs (47:21) - SpaceX and Blue Origin (54:43) - Social media (59:11) - Climate change (1:11:00) - Consequences of big ideas (1:15:42) - Virtual reality (1:38:50) - Artificial intelligence (1:53:49) - Cryptocurrency (2:06:26) - Writing, storytelling, and books (2:29:05) - Martial arts (2:38:23) - Final thoughts