Interview with Ted Chiang

In a fascinating divergence from standard author interviews, renowned science fiction writer Ted Chiang recently sat down with theoretical physicist Steve Hsu and neuroscientist/philosopher Corey Washington for Manifold. Eschewing typical literary questions, Chiang steered the conversation towards the profound scientific and philosophical underpinnings that animate his critically acclaimed work, offering a rare glimpse into the mind behind stories like "Story of Your Life" (the basis for the film Arrival). The discussion delved into the fabric of reality, free will, and the very nature of human perception, revealing a writer deeply engaged with the grandest questions of existence.

The Deep Dive: Redefining Hard Science Fiction

Forget rocket engineering and detailed spaceship schematics; Ted Chiang offers a different, more profound definition of "hard science fiction." While acknowledging the value of the engineering-focused sub-genre, Chiang articulated his interest in the "broader theoretical or philosophical side of things." He explained that for him, science fiction isn't just about technical accuracy, but about embodying "the scientific mindset, the scientific world view." It's about how scientists approach and understand the universe, a perspective he believes reflects the true essence of science as a human endeavor. This philosophical bent resonated deeply with Corey Washington, who lamented how modern science has become "non-philosophical." Chiang, not being a working scientist himself, can embrace an older tradition where science and philosophy are intertwined, seeking to illuminate the "ideals of science as a pursuit."

Key Insights:

• Chiang's definition of hard science fiction centers on embodying the scientific mindset and worldview, not just technical accuracy.
• He views science as a "way of looking at the universe," emphasizing underlying approaches over specific facts.
• His non-scientist perspective allows for a broader, more philosophical inquiry into the ideals and purpose of science.
• Unlike Borges, Chiang meticulously works out the internal consistency of his story worlds, a hallmark of his science fiction tradition.

Unraveling Free Will: Predictors and Paradoxes

The conversation took a compelling turn when discussing free will, particularly in the context of Chiang's short story "What's Expected of Us." This story introduces "the predictor," a device that flashes a signal a second before a person makes a decision, creating an unsettling demonstration of apparent determinism. Steve Hsu clarified that the device isn't monitoring brain activity like Libet's experiments, but rather operates as a "closed timelike curve," sending a signal back in time—meaning the future act of pushing the button causes the light to flash in the past. This makes the action unavoidable.

Chiang, a self-proclaimed compatibilist, aligns with Daniel Dennett's arguments on free will. He challenges the naive desire for a future where both option A and B are equally potential until chosen, stating, "what is it that you want from free will that you are not getting?" For him, true free will isn't a random quantum coin flip, but rather the process of deliberation itself. He asserts that "your decision is the result of your life experience being processed through your cognition," which is fully compatible with a materialist, deterministic universe. While Corey Washington and Steve Hsu debated whether this was merely a "powerful illusion" or a robust definition of free will, Chiang's perspective offers a thought-provoking reconciliation between human experience and deterministic physics.

Key Learnings:

• Chiang's "predictor" device illustrates deterministic time travel, where future actions are fixed and precede conscious decision.
• He is a compatibilist, arguing that free will as a deliberative process is consistent with a deterministic, materialist universe.
• Chiang suggests that the common desire for free will—a choice independent of all prior universal history—is not a meaningful or desirable concept.
• He is not convinced that Libet's experiments offer substantive new insights into the free will debate.

Time's Labyrinth: Fixed Fates and Parallel Possibilities

The discussion naturally flowed into the varieties of time travel, distinguishing between a single, consistent timeline and the branching possibilities of parallel universes. Chiang's "What's Expected of Us" and "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" exemplify the former, where the past cannot be changed, and events are internally consistent and unavoidable. He cited films like "12 Monkeys" and the first "Terminator" as other examples of this "fixed timeline" structure, noting they often convey a downbeat, despairing tone. Chiang's unique challenge in "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" was to "write a story about a single fixed timeline which didn't end on a downbeat note," exploring the dramatic human implications of such a reality.

In contrast, his final story in the collection, "Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom," explores the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, a concept gaining significant traction among theoretical physicists. In this reality, every quantum event branches the universe, creating myriad "paraselves" who made different choices. This leads to a unique psychological phenomenon: the envy of oneself. Chiang observed that films like "The Family Man" and "It's a Wonderful Life" tap into this very human desire to see how different choices might have played out. While some advocate for quantum mechanics directly influencing brain activity, Chiang holds the conventional view that such influences would be due to "quite a long causal chain" of events, not direct quantum brain activity.

Key Changes:

• Chiang explores two distinct types of time/universe structures: the single, fixed, consistent timeline and the branching, many-worlds interpretation.
• He consciously tried to write a fixed-timeline story that avoided the usual downbeat ending.
• His work considers the emotional and psychological impact of observing one's "paraself" in parallel universes.
• Chiang rejects direct quantum mechanical influence on brain decisions, favoring long causal chains for divergence.

The Recorded Life: Memory, Machines, and Meaning

The interview concluded with a prescient discussion on lifelogging technology, a theme explored in Chiang's story "The Truth of Fact, The Truth of Feeling." Steve Hsu and Corey Washington envisioned a future where constant video recording—perhaps by drones—could capture every moment, offering "perfect memory" and the ability to objectively review past events. This technology promises to resolve arguments, challenge rose-colored memories, and, as Corey noted, facilitate "agonizing about things that you did that may have led you on a particular course."

However, Chiang injected a crucial counterpoint, questioning whether constant recording truly enriches life. He posited, much like recording a concert can diminish one's experiential memory of it, that "your own recollection of the concert is weaker because they were recording it." He worried that relying on digital footage might weaken organic memory, leaving individuals "poorer" for it. The conversation then spiraled into the implications of AI-filtered memories—would the AI truly choose moments to make you happier, or, as Chiang wryly suggested, "will the AI choose to show you the memories that will make Amazon happier?" This highlights the profound ethical and existential questions that emerge when technology begins to mediate our very experience of life and memory.

Key Practices:

• Chiang's story "The Truth of Fact, The Truth of Feeling" explores the implications of perfect, objective memory through lifelogging.
• He raises concerns that constant digital recording might diminish organic, experiential memory, making us "poorer."
• The conversation speculates on AI-curated memories and whether they would serve the individual's well-being or external commercial interests.
• The discussion highlights the imminent arrival of lifelogging technology and its potential to exacerbate regret and introspection.

"science itself can be understood as maybe not so much as a collection of facts but as a way of looking at the universe." - Ted Chiang