022: Gary Bengier
After a career in Silicon Valley, Gary Bengier pursued passion projects, studying astrophysics and philosophy. He’s spent the last two decades thinking about how to live a balanced, meaningful life in a rapidly evolving technological world. This self-reflective journey infuses his novel, Unfettered Journey, with insights about our future and the challenges we will face in finding purpose.
Before turning to writing speculative fiction, Gary worked in a variety of Silicon Valley tech companies. He was eBay’s Chief Financial Officer, and led the company’s initial and secondary public offerings. Gary has an MBA from Harvard Business School, and an MA in philosophy from San Francisco State University.
In this special crossover interview, Complexity Podcast host Michael Garfield and Alien Crash Site hostess Caitlin McShea plumb the thematic depths at the foundation of this Gary's fictional exploration of humanity's here after.
Learn more about everything referenced in this episode by clicking the links below:
Michael's Complexity Podcast interview with David Kinney
2019 IPFest World Building panel discussion
Geoffrey West’s Scale
Hanson's Age of Em
SFI Symposium AI and the Barrier of Meaning
ACtioN Climate Change seminar - Complexity of Sustainability
Bob May's 1972 paper: "Will a Large Complex System be Stable?"
Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged
Paul Smaldino's work on covert signaling
Peter Watt’s Blindsight
Asimov’s Foundation trilogy