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Guest Talk with Chen Qiufan | Science Fiction as Protocol

TalkChen Qiufan
Guest Talk with Chen Qiufan | Science Fiction as Protocol

Author Chen Qiufan (Stanley Chan) argues that science fiction functions as a protocol for reconciling heterogeneous systems of thought, drawing on his own experiments training an AI writing collaborator ('Chen Qiufan 2.0') to explore distributed and non-centralized models of cognition found in novels like Peter Watts' Blindsight, Vernor Vinge's A Fire Upon the Deep, and Ursula K. Le Guin's work. He proposes that symbiosis and endosymbiosis—biological precedents for merging distinct systems—offer a template for how carbon-based and silicon-based intelligence might coexist, framing science fiction as a tool to counterbalance cognitive asymmetry and motivate participation in shaping the future.

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