In this episode of Against the Mountains of Madness, Jason and John dive into the fascinating history of science fiction’s promises versus the realities we live with today. They explore the technologies we were told to expect—flying cars, jetpacks, robot servants, broadcast power, interplanetary travel—and why they never quite arrived.
The conversation covers:
• Flying Cars & Jetpacks: From The Jetsons to James Bond, why they remain impractical due to safety, noise, and fuel limits.
• Robots & AI: The uncanny rise of humanoid machines and self-driving vehicles, alongside the strange reality of AI companions.
• World Government: Once imagined as utopian (Star Trek’s Federation), now feared as dystopian (1984, Brave New World).
• Religion in Sci-Fi: How authors underestimated Christianity’s resilience while sometimes portraying religion as fraud or villainy.
• War & Dystopias: Predictions of nuclear holocaust, overpopulation (Soylent Green), and ecological collapse—thankfully, mostly avoided.
• Simulation Theory: A modern twist—if we’re in “the Sims,” what does that mean for morality, purpose, and God?
• Space Travel: From Heinlein’s optimism to The Martian’s gritty realism, how dreams of Mars colonies remain just out of reach.
It’s a witty, sprawling discussion that blends sci-fi nostalgia with philosophical reflection, asking: why do the dreams of the future so often miss the mark, and what does that reveal about us?
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