with Michael Brooks, PhD and Rick Edwards
Hollywood is filled with clever, creative people who see what is going on in the scientific sphere, and bring it into the light. That way we can all see what humans are like, where they are headed, and what the consequences – good and bad – might be. So the science behind the movies is actually a good way to start an important conversation.
In their award-winning podcast Science(ish), Rick Edwards and Michael Brooks confront all the questions that your favourite movies provoke. Drawing inspiration from a number of their own favourites, this discussion will examine why screenwriters and directors should be praised for starting the scientific, moral and ethical conversations we all need to have – and whether there is more they could do yet.
The session asks:
- The big questions raised by Hollywood: Can we (and should we) resurrect dinosaurs, Jurassic Park-style? What would it mean to be living in The Matrix’s digital simulation? Do aliens with acid blood exist somewhere in the universe – and might they be aware of us?
- Is there anything we can learn from Hollywood’s obsession with death?
- Does screenwriting make a scientific contribution?
- How scientifically accurate are movies – and does it matter?
Movies often get a bad rap in scientific circles, but the Science(ish) takeaway from years of digging into these questions is that science can be more than a powerful storytelling tool: it can also make a positive contribution to the human story.
Appearing in this session
Michael Brooks, PhD – TV Consultant, Author, Quantum Physicist
Co-author of Hollywood Wants to Kill You: The Peculiar Science of Death in the Movies
Rick Edwards – Screenwriter, Presenter, Author
Co-author of Hollywood Wants to Kill You: The Peculiar Science of Death in the Movies
