Gary’s Q&A

Listener question & Gary’s response · Transcript passage

Let’s jump right in with the first question that comes from Jentelson on the Discord server. They ask: Do you ever do “Alternative History” episodes? Here’s a primer for you: “How would the world be different had in 1766, the British Parliament agreed with Benjamin Franklin and granted representation to the American Colonies?” I asked ChatGPT, and the ramifications were enormous, including the likelihood that I wouldn’t exist because my ancestors wouldn’t have been able to immigrate to New York.

I have thought about it, but decided not to because doing an alternative history show would just be me making stuff up. Because it isn’t real, it wouldn’t require any actual research.

I just figured that I’d stick to episodes on stuff that actually happened that would be more informative. That isn’t to say I’ll never do it, but if I did, it would probably be on a much smaller scale.

Also, with respect to your particular scenario, it wouldn’t just be you who wouldn’t be alive. Everyone on the planet would be different. The butterfly effect would ensure that every act of conception would be slightly different, resulting in totally different people.