#208 – Elizabeth Cox on the case that TV shows, movies, and novels can improve the world

#208 – Elizabeth Cox on the case that TV shows, movies, and novels can improve the world

"I think stories are the way we shift the Overton window — so widen the range of things that are acceptable for policy and palatable to the public. Almost by definition, a lot of things that are going to be really important and shape the future are not in the Overton window, because they sound weird and off-putting and very futuristic. But I think stories are the best way to bring them in." — Elizabeth Cox

In today’s episode, Keiran Harris speaks with Elizabeth Cox — founder of the independent production company Should We Studio — about the case that storytelling can improve the world.

Links to learn more, highlights, and full transcript.

They cover:

  • How TV shows and movies compare to novels, short stories, and creative nonfiction if you’re trying to do good.
  • The existing empirical evidence for the impact of storytelling.
  • Their competing takes on the merits of thinking carefully about target audiences.
  • Whether stories can really change minds on deeply entrenched issues, or whether writers need to have more modest goals.
  • Whether humans will stay relevant as creative writers with the rise of powerful AI models.
  • Whether you can do more good with an overtly educational show vs other approaches.
  • Elizabeth’s experience with making her new five-part animated show Ada — including why she chose the topics of civilisational collapse, kidney donations, artificial wombs, AI, and gene drives.
  • The pros and cons of animation as a medium.
  • Career advice for creative writers.
  • Keiran’s idea for a longtermist Christmas movie.
  • And plenty more.

Check out Ada on YouTube!

Material you might want to check out before listening:

Chapters:

  • Cold open (00:00:00)
  • Luisa's intro (00:01:04)
  • The interview begins (00:02:52)
  • Is storytelling really a high-impact career option? (00:03:26)
  • Empirical evidence of the impact of storytelling (00:06:51)
  • How storytelling can inform us (00:16:25)
  • How long will humans stay relevant as creative writers? (00:21:54)
  • Ada (00:33:05)
  • Debating the merits of thinking about target audiences (00:38:03)
  • Ada vs other approaches to impact-focused storytelling (00:48:18)
  • Why animation (01:01:06)
  • One Billion Christmases (01:04:54)
  • How storytelling can humanise (01:09:34)
  • But can storytelling actually change strongly held opinions? (01:13:26)
  • Novels and short stories (01:18:38)
  • Creative nonfiction (01:25:06)
  • Other promising ways of storytelling (01:30:53)
  • How did Ada actually get made? (01:33:23)
  • The hardest part of the process for Elizabeth (01:48:28)
  • Elizabeth’s hopes and dreams for Ada (01:53:10)
  • Designing Ada with an eye toward impact (01:59:16)
  • Alternative topics for Ada (02:05:33)
  • Deciding on the best way to get Ada in front of people (02:07:12)
  • Career advice for creative writers (02:11:31)
  • Wikipedia book spoilers (02:17:05)
  • Luisa's outro (02:20:42)


Producer: Keiran Harris
Audio engineering: Ben Cordell, Milo McGuire, Simon Monsour, and Dominic Armstrong
Content editing: Luisa Rodriguez, Katy Moore, and Keiran Harris
Transcriptions: Katy Moore

Avsnitt(317)

Rob Wiblin on plastic straws, nicotine, doping, & whether changing the long-term is really possible

Rob Wiblin on plastic straws, nicotine, doping, & whether changing the long-term is really possible

Today's episode is a compilation of interviews I recently recorded for two other shows, Love Your Work and The Neoliberal Podcast.  If you've listened to absolutely everything on this podcast feed, y...

25 Sep 20193h 14min

Have we helped you have a bigger social impact? Our annual survey, plus other ways we can help you.

Have we helped you have a bigger social impact? Our annual survey, plus other ways we can help you.

1. Fill out our annual impact survey here. 2. Find a great vacancy on our job board. 3. Learn about our key ideas, and get links to our top articles. 4. Join our newsletter for an email about what's n...

16 Sep 20193min

#63 – Vitalik Buterin on better ways to fund public goods, blockchain's failures, & effective giving

#63 – Vitalik Buterin on better ways to fund public goods, blockchain's failures, & effective giving

Historically, progress in the field of cryptography has had major consequences. It has changed the course of major wars, made it possible to do business on the internet, and enabled private communicat...

3 Sep 20193h 18min

#62 – Paul Christiano on messaging the future, increasing compute, & how CO2 impacts your brain

#62 – Paul Christiano on messaging the future, increasing compute, & how CO2 impacts your brain

Imagine that – one day – humanity dies out. At some point, many millions of years later, intelligent life might well evolve again. Is there any message we could leave that would reliably help them out...

5 Aug 20192h 11min

#61 - Helen Toner on emerging technology, national security, and China

#61 - Helen Toner on emerging technology, national security, and China

From 1870 to 1950, the introduction of electricity transformed life in the US and UK, as people gained access to lighting, radio and a wide range of household appliances for the first time. Electricit...

17 Juli 20191h 54min

#60 - Phil Tetlock on why accurate forecasting matters for everything, and how you can do it better

#60 - Phil Tetlock on why accurate forecasting matters for everything, and how you can do it better

Have you ever been infuriated by a doctor's unwillingness to give you an honest, probabilistic estimate about what to expect? Or a lawyer who won't tell you the chances you'll win your case? Their beh...

28 Juni 20192h 11min

#59 – Cass Sunstein on how change happens, and why it's so often abrupt & unpredictable

#59 – Cass Sunstein on how change happens, and why it's so often abrupt & unpredictable

It can often feel hopeless to be an activist seeking social change on an obscure issue where most people seem opposed or at best indifferent to you. But according to a new book by Professor Cass Sunst...

17 Juni 20191h 43min

#58 – Pushmeet Kohli of DeepMind on designing robust & reliable AI systems and how to succeed in AI

#58 – Pushmeet Kohli of DeepMind on designing robust & reliable AI systems and how to succeed in AI

When you're building a bridge, responsibility for making sure it won't fall over isn't handed over to a few 'bridge not falling down engineers'. Making sure a bridge is safe to use and remains standin...

3 Juni 20191h 30min

Populärt inom Utbildning

rss-bara-en-till-om-missbruk-medberoende-2
historiepodden-se
det-skaver
alska-oss
nu-blir-det-historia
allt-du-velat-veta
harrisons-dramatiska-historia
johannes-hansen-podcast
not-fanny-anymore
sektledare
rss-sjalsligt-avkladd
rss-viktmedicinpodden
rikatillsammans-om-privatekonomi-rikedom-i-livet
sa-in-i-sjalen
rss-max-tant-med-max-villman
i-vantan-pa-katastrofen
rss-om-vi-ska-vara-arliga
psykologsnack
roda-vita-rosen
rss-i-skenet-av-blaljus