H. G. Wells and Olaf StapledonwithThomas Lombardo

Books Mentioned In This Interview

Thomas Lombardo, PhD, is director of the Center for Future Consciousness in Glendale, Arizona. He is author of Future Consciousness: The Path To Purposeful Evolution; The Evolution of Future Consciousness; Wisdom, Consciousness, and the Future; and Mind Flight: A Journey Into The Future. He is also writing a four volume series, titled Science Fiction: The Evolutionary Mythology of the Future. The first volume will be published in 2018.

Here he shares his passion for two of the all-time greatest science fiction writers. H.G. Wells is thought to be the father of modern science fiction. His classic books include The Time Machine, War of the Worlds, and The Invisible Man. He was also a scholar whose best-selling book is The Outline of History. Olaf Stapledon was educated as a philosopher. His classic books, First And Last Men and The Star Maker — are visionary and cosmic in their perspective.

New Thinking Allowed host, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, hosted and co-produced the original Thinking Allowed public television series. He is a past vice-president of the Association for Humanistic Psychology; and is the recipient of the Pathfinder Award from that Association for his contributions to the field of human consciousness exploration.

(Recorded on November 1, 2017)

Published on March 11, 2018

Transcripts

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If you are be interested in helping us transcribe into any language, including English, please email friends@newthinkingallowed.org.

Wise CyborgswithThomas Lombardo

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Here he discusses the many different forms that human-machine hybrids are likely to take in the not-so-distant future. The possibilities are enormous and have been dealt with, primarily, by science fiction writers. This, of course, raises many questions about the future of our civilization. What are the ethical implications of these developments? What can we [...]

Apocalyptic, Doomsday ThinkingwithThomas Lombardo

January 11, 2018

Here he notes that biblical accounts of the apocalypse can be traced back, in great detail, to the earlier descriptions of the Persian sage, Zarathustra. The idea of a great war that will cleanse humanity of all evil has been with us for millennia. Lombardo believes that this is a dangerous idea. It tends to [...]

The Future Evolution of HumanitywithThomas Lombardo

March 28, 2018

Here he discusses visions of future humanity to be found in the science fiction literature and elsewhere. He emphasizes Charles Darwin’s observation that, in the distant future, all of the species currently alive will have evolved into new forms. He suggests many different possibilities for humans and indicates that we may be able to select [...]

Dark Forces and the Nature of EvilwithThomas Lombardo

March 22, 2018

Here he discusses many of the great villains of science fiction literature: Darth Vader and the evil emperor, The Mule, Alien, and the many reptilian and insectoid creatures. He notes that in almost every case, there is some ambiguity about who is really evil. The discussion turns to historical situations of evil: slavery and the [...]

Science Fiction as the Mythology of the FuturewithThomas Lombardo

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Here he shares his knowledge of the canon of great science fiction novels and films. He compares science fiction to ancient mythology, noting both similarities and differences. He reviews important themes such as the destruction of the world, alternative realities, encounter with aliens, the loss of human freedom, and the future of evolution. He notes [...]

Thinking About the FuturewithThomas Lombardo

December 3, 2017

Here he points out that humans have been thinking about the future as far back as can be determined. Social engineering for the purpose of controlling future possibilities also goes back to the dawn of recorded history. There are many competing visions of the ideal future. Lombardo argues that a wise future would be one [...]

Consciousness and RealitywithThomas Lombardo

November 6, 2017

Here he describes the philosophical conflict between his intuitive sense that there is an external world and the logical argument of Bishop Berkeley that we can only know our own experience and not the world itself. Pondering this paradox, he says, literally made him dizzy. The logical implication of Berkeley’s philosophy is a position known [...]

The Artist Francis BaconwithJames Tunney

November 12, 2021

Here he explores the artistic and intellectual complexities of Francis Bacon (1909 – 1992), one of the most successful artists of the twentieth centuries who paintings have sold for more than $100 million. He points out that Bacon found inspiration in the spiritualist literature and possibly functioned mediumistically himself. Tunney also focuses on Bacon’s artwork [...]

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H. G. Wells and Olaf StapledonwithThomas Lombardo

Books Mentioned In This Interview

Transcripts

H. G. Wells and Olaf StapledonwithThomas Lombardo

Books Mentioned In This Interview

Transcripts

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