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<\/p>\nThree items for today: a list of “influential” science fiction works, a list of nonfiction books that changed minds, and Elon Musk’s books he thinks everyone should read.<\/p>\n
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Apparently inspired by that NASA mission several weeks ago to bump an asteroid into a different orbit (around another asteroid, actually), a writer at WaPo talks with some academics and engineers to come up with this list, of what I would call the works of science fiction that have predominated in popular culture in recent decades. “Influential”? Well, perhaps; there have been testimonials about the influence Star Trek<\/em> (though not Star Wars<\/em>) has had on budding scientists, and Paul Krugman has written about Asimov’s Foundation novels. The writer of this article talks with Georgia Tech professor Lisa Yaszek, NASA’s Barbara Brown, Tracy Gill, and Mark Wiese, and Chris McKitterick at U of Kansas.<\/p>\n Based on a canvassing of experts ranging from the Kennedy Space Center to academia, here is a brief tour of the sci-fi works that were most influential in helping to pave a real-life path to the stars:<\/p><\/blockquote>\n .. With mentions at the end of Battlestar Galactica, For All Mankind, Mary Robinette Kowal, Ted Chiang, and Liu Cixin.<\/p>\n \\\\\\<\/p>\n The Guardian, 7 Jan 2023<\/strong>: \u2018It altered my entire worldview\u2019: leading authors pick eight nonfiction books to change your mind<\/a><\/p>\n – Steven Pinker says Getting Better<\/b> by Charles Kenny, which is about, well, how the world is getting better, despite impressions; \\\\\\<\/p>\n Finally, via Facebook, this list at this site. (Google “Elon Musk favorite books” and you will find similar lists on other sites.)<\/p>\n
\nWashington Post, Eric Adelson, 11 Jan 2023<\/strong>: An unofficial list of the most influential science fiction works ever<\/a><\/p>\n\n
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\n– Mary Beard (a classicist) says Purity and Danger<\/b> by Mary Douglas;
\n– Margo Jefferson (cultural critic) says Ralph Ellison’s essay collection Shadow and Act<\/b>;
\n– Marcus du Sautoy (professor at Oxford) says Sarah Bridle’s Food and Climate Change Without the Hot Air<\/b>
\n– Rebecca Solnit (columnist) says Insurgente Marcos’s Our Word Is Our Weapon: Selected Writings<\/b>;
\n– Jim Al-Khalili (whose book The Joy of Science<\/b> I recently reviewed<\/a>) says Daniel Dennett’s Consciousness Explained<\/b> (a book I read years ago but have no notes on and have not posted about here);
\n– Gaia Vince (author among other things) says Naomi Klein’s No Logo<\/b>;
\n– Samanth Subramanian (journalist and author) says Surely You\u2019re Joking, Mr Feynman!<\/b> by Richard Feynman.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/mlhmvq6amqed.i.optimole.com\/HIId8M4.WANK~27a14\/w:1152\/h:605\/q:mauto\/f:avif\/https:\/\/hackspirit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/musk-and-books.png\")
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