Currents 065: Alexander Bard on Protopian Narratology

Jim talks with Alexander Bard, continuing a series of encounters between GameB and the Dark Renaissance movement. They discuss the Grand Narrative Trilogy Bard has been writing with Jan Söderqvist, the kinds of stories we tell about ourselves, why Hiroshima remains the signal event of modern history, fostering symbiotic intelligence, the difference between the GameA & the GameB mythos, imploitation vs exploitation, 3 historical roots of GameA, why AI & not humans may conquer space, jettisoning the Gnostic dualism of Greek philosophy, protopianism over utopianism, voluntary communist protopias, increasing well-being while reducing energy consumption, designing membranes & protocols, reclaiming "gated community," a designed opposition between GameB & the Dark Renaissance, reversing the ban on pathos, the Zoroastrian approach to contingency & ethics, and much more.