Ep 14: Cory Doctorow on 'The Lost Cause', 'Red Team Blues' and 'Chokepoint Capitalism'

The Science in The Fiction

Marty and Holly sit down with Cory Doctorow, an author known not only for his near-future social and political science fiction, but also for his real-world journalism and activism. We talk about society, politics and economics, discussing 3 of Doctorow’s most recent books. 'Red Team Blues' is his most recently published book, an anti-finance cryptocurrency and cybersecurity thriller; we discuss the difference between defense and attack dynamics in cybersecurity, and their parallels in modern politics. 'The Lost Cause' is due to be published in two weeks, on Nov 14th, a solarpunk novel about a world threatened by anarcho-capitalist billionaire wreckers and their white nationalist shock-troops; we talk about what to do with the losers of a just revolution, and learn about the monetary policy that could provide a universal jobs guarantee in a Green New Deal. Finally, 'Chokepoint Capitalism' (which he wrote with Rebecca Giblin) is a non-fiction book about creative labor markets, monopolies, and the sorry state of modern capitalism; we discuss the failed strategy of more copyright ownership for writers and musicians, the success of the Hollywood writer's strike, and reasons for hope in the future. This episode is a single special package deal, where we got both the science and the science fiction from one of the Sci-Fi’s most intelligent, radical and humane thinkers, whose journalism, activism and science fiction aims to promote social, political and economic justice.
You can find Cory's blog, podcast and books on his webpage:
https://craphound.com/

Buzzsprout (podcast host):
https://thescienceinthefiction.buzzsprout.com
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