Menachem's Seed

Science-in-Fiction

By: Carl Djerassi

Narrated by: Carl Djerassi

Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park may be good science fiction, but it's lousy science-in-fiction. Professor Carl Djerassi, who collaborated in producing the first oral contraceptive, talks about the "science-in-fiction" genre and how it differs from its implausible, inaccurate counterpart. Djerassi also discusses his novel, Menachem's Seed, the third volume in his science-in-fiction tetralogy (which includes Cantor's Dilemma, 1989; The Bourbaki Gambit, 1994). In Menachem's Seed, the author explores the scientific and moral issues surrounding in-vitro fertilization.

(P) and ©1998 Stanford Alumni Association

Wish it was a clearer recording.

I thought the topic would be interesting - and it would've probably been if the recording was clearer. It was hard to follow the speech because of his accent and because of the poor quality of the recording. It wasn't awful, it just isn't easy to listen to or understand while driving in a car.