ping @alberto
Hello @MelissaSterry, welcome. Personally I do not know much about speculative futures, I approach similar issues through the lens of economics – in particular fictional economies. Maybe you would be interested in this writers residency: we have an info page up since a few hours.
1 Like
Writers’ residencies aren’t compatible with my schedule or aligned with where my activities are. But, I’ll bare your residency in mind for others whose interests are in that space. Ditto the SciFi Economics lab intro, which sounds more aligned to those just starting out in the field.
1 Like
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
I am a strategy consultant and sf writer. Last year I attended a conference in London on Economics in SF. In my presentation I sketched some scenarios where we as I society might go. I just published a climate fiction novella trying to sketch a way to an ecologically viable future which, in my opinion, is not possible without the „right“ economics, whatever they might be. I am very interested in persuing this topic and would consider myself extremely happy to become part of this group
3 Likes
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
I’ve been diving into nature writing and sci-fi driven poetry recently, and it’s hugely inspiring. Also drawing information and intel from conversations around the connection between capitalism and nature conservation has been influential for my thinking.
2 Likes
Welcome then, @maiki! You just selected yourself to be part of this group, which is how it should work. The Lab’s main artifact so far is our wiki, Econ-SF: a selection of works and authors. If you want to improve or add entries, that would be much appreciated. You can also just launch a discussion topic here in the Lab’s forum space.
1 Like
Welcome to you too, @kevinjunk. Sci-fi driven poetry is a first for me, looking forward to knowing more about it.
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
I am a digital storyteller, creative mathematician and games designer. I like to create playful environments in which people can reimagine the future, and in particular how the systems of the present might be able to work differently to better serve us/help us live better lives/help us care for the planet better.
For me an act of collective imagining is a central part of exploring new futures together, especially in relation to areas and disciplines that present and are perceived as fixed and rigid.
I am interested in creating opportunities for us to explore speculative futures, to interrogate and play through what we think we want and why. At the moment I am working on two projects, which merge to provide the foundations in my interest here. The first is seer, an interactive digital sci-fi novel exploring the release of a new technology which claims to allow people to see into a new dimension. seer explores conspiracy theories, surveillance capitalism and how we use patterns to tell stories. The second project is donut/money, a series of live playable games which explore how the economy works now and how it could work differently.
I am interested in ideas of nostalgia, and progress, the work of Svetlana Boym, alternative economic structures, new imaginings of time, the work of Carlo Rovelli, the book Einstein’s Dreams. Central to my work is thought experiments and experiment games, to think and play through what could be different.
2 Likes
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
I’m interested in the threat at the intersection of climate chaos, economic inequality, and fraying democratic norms and institutions. I’m particularly interested in how global and regional oligarchies will seek to preserve wealth as they increasingly understand the necessity of climate action and ecosystem preservation.
I have begun worldbuilding for a dystopian future that, I believe, could be instructive as we think about the combined threat described above. I would like to explore the issue of an oligarchy’s necessity of enlisting a small additional slice of humanity to help it preserve and regenerate the planet, along with maintaining its economic power. I worry that such a bargain could emerge around the successful pursuit of ecological imperatives, but at the expense of most of humanity.
I believe that exploring these issues will elucidate the dangerous systems that could arise if global society underinvests in democracy.
Hope to chat more about this!
5 Likes
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
Long-time pondering of how the US current representative democracy and market capitalism model breaks down, and what emerges out of its ashes, which has been matched by an increasingly obvious need to contemplate governance and economics around SDGs and planetary sustainability. It means open ideas outside terrestrial constraints on thinking can open up social models.
4 Likes
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
As a multidisciplinary graphic designer, illustrator and social design activist based in Lahore, Pakistan; my research practice consists of speculative design, design fiction and world building. Such methodologies allows me to explore, alternate “what if” scenarios of our future. Through speculative design, I hope to inspire the present generation, assist them in critical thinking and push them to take positive social actions for the betterment of the future society.
2 Likes
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
Yes
1 Like
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
I have written and spoken on science fiction films and novels too - have explored and have deep economic perspective on society, economic models, AI implications.
Here is a bit about me Sundip Gorai - Chief Data Officer - Sphere Partners | LinkedIn
2 Likes
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
I’d like to join!
2 Likes
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
I explore speculative futures in my writing, as well as (on a much smaller scale) in my daily work with big data technologies and analytics. On a personal level, I am very interested in how humans are adapting to our technological environment and passionate about solving the problems of those left behind or disabled by individual technological advancements.
2 Likes
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
I am interested in Solarpunk futures and space exploration.
One thought that deeply troubles me when I hear the opinion expressed that we should ‘fix our own planet before we consider going into space or colonizing others’
I believe the opposite approach is key to solving all of our problems.
Mastering the technology to live on other planets is key to closed-loop living on Earth.
If we were to live on Earth in Mars-like colonies, climate change wouldn’t be an issue for two reasons:
- We would stop contributing to climate change when we are able to tightly control storage, use and emissions in energy, biomass and material using modern technology
- If climate change has passed the point of no return, human life on Earth is more likely to survive if we have planetary colonization technologies available to us.
3 Likes
Are you interested in exploring speculative futures or have even done so before? Tell us what inspires your thought experiments and where your interest originates:
Yes!
In 2008, I dropped out of a physics-philosophy-bioengineering triple major to focus on writing an urban fantasy novel with such speculative futures… I’d developed boxes and boxes of notebooks with backstories, mythos, economies… but ultimately, for financial reasons, I pivoted to building 3D augmented reality software. Some might say building future software, possible right now. I still often jot down random ideas for speculative sci fi economies. Might do something big with it soon 
3 Likes