DSpace collection: 第20卷第2期

Wellspring of Optimism, a Review of “Hieroglyph: Stories and Visions for a Better Future”

Mon, 16 Jan 2017 06:55:59 GMT

title: Wellspring of Optimism, a Review of “Hieroglyph: Stories and Visions for a Better Future” abstract: Contemporary popular culture has a burden to carry. The mood of the global populace appears awash with a sense of desperate and dark days ahead for the planet, fuelled by debate over the attendant fallout of resource depletion, biodiversity collapse, climate weirdness, energy descent and population growth. Weighed down by a sense of un-nameable dread and impending doom, the fodder of everyday entertainment often reads as a litany of dystopia. It is little wonder, then, that many of our most popular contemporary works of fiction are based in socially imploding settings; parallel worlds in which personal power saves the day over makebelieve monsters; or futuristic worlds where horror and oppression are rife.

The Wrath of Gaia vs. the Second Coming of Science: Beyond Interstellar’s Dualistic Narrative

Mon, 16 Jan 2017 06:54:32 GMT

title: The Wrath of Gaia vs. the Second Coming of Science: Beyond Interstellar’s Dualistic Narrative abstract: This essay was inspired by the possibility that futures studies methods, theories and frameworks could shed some light on science fiction, in particular contemporary science fiction cinema – to act as a window into contemporary culture. Much is written about our future from the vantage point of futures studies, from literature on megatrends to scenarios of the near and long term future. And still more is written about science fiction genre, which arguably grapples most with complex issues and social and technological transformation. And yet still more is narrated and imagined by science fiction about our futures – from space operas, to robotic soap dramas, dystopian noir, cautionary allegory, and psychohistory. But what is written about science fiction from the vantage point of futures studies? Could futures studies be used to shed light on science fiction, to interpret science fiction and derive insights about ourselves?

Olaf Stapledon: Personal Reflections on Cosmic Inspiration from a Pioneering Visionary

Mon, 16 Jan 2017 06:52:49 GMT

title: Olaf Stapledon: Personal Reflections on Cosmic Inspiration from a Pioneering Visionary abstract: When I heard of the plans for a special issue of the Journal of Futures Studies on the interplay between science fiction and futures work, I immediately knew that I wanted to contribute an essay about Olaf Stapledon—why his writing is of such relevance to what I will describe as the central evolutionary challenge of the human race; and how his work suggests that human consciousness can be enhanced for this challenge to be resolved successfully in the very long-term future. This essay begins with an exposition of Stapledon’s cosmically futures-oriented science fiction and ends with a visionary illustration of how his work points to a promising “new paradigm” direction of development for futures studies involving what are currently called nonordinary states of consciousness (NOSC). Thus, a number of concepts are introduced that are well beyond what is considered credible from the standpoint of the currently dominant paradigm of social reality. A preliminary version of this essay includes evidence of their credibility, as well as promising directions of exploration for both FS and SF—but alas, due to length limitations they had to be abandoned along with a number of informative footnotes. They are available, however, in an online expanded preprint [www.imaginalvisioning.com/StapledonExpanded-Preprint].

Imagining the Impossible: The Shifting Role of Utopian Thought in Civic Planning, Science Fiction, and Futures Studies

Mon, 16 Jan 2017 06:51:14 GMT

title: Imagining the Impossible: The Shifting Role of Utopian Thought in Civic Planning, Science Fiction, and Futures Studies abstract: Histories of futurism and/or futures studies tend to see the discipline as having its roots in the “operations research” paradigm of the mid-20th Century, which in turn emerged from what eventually became the RAND Corporation (for an exemplar see e.g. Bell, 1996). To construct futurism in such a manner is to ignore many other disciplines whose focus has also been on the development, description and analysis of imagined futures. The RAND-rooted history restricts “proper” futurism to a predominantly scientific (and frequently scientistic), positivist, quantitative and rationalist paradigm, and excludes the more qualitative work of political science, sociology, social theory, architecture and urban planning, as well as the more nakedly speculative and/or imaginative futurist practices of artists and authors. To discard this history is, I believe, to discard some important lessons about what futurism can realistically hope to achieve as regards depicting normative or “preferred” futures.

Impact Assessment and Science Fiction: Complementary Ways to Ask “What happens if…?” and the Delineation of a New Sub-genre

Mon, 16 Jan 2017 06:49:45 GMT

title: Impact Assessment and Science Fiction: Complementary Ways to Ask “What happens if…?” and the Delineation of a New Sub-genre abstract: When US federal and state governments began to require environmental impact studies and technology assessments for new projects in the early 1970s, Futures Studies (FS) was the methodology of choice. Within a few years, though, criticisms of the impact assessments (IA) abounded and much of IA was considered ineffective. During the same period, science fiction (SF) was increasingly popular as a way to explore possibilities. A comparison of the two approaches shows significant similarity, with SF emphasizing human concerns and language while IAs focus on quantitative technical approaches and language. A series of t-tests resulted in no significant difference in statements of impacts in 51% of the 67 standard categories of IA between SF works that fit IA constraints and IA reports focused on the same technologies, and eight categories in which the SF had significantly more statements describing potential impacts than equivalent IAs. For the specific case of nuclear power, SF stories were more effective at predicting harmful events. These results suggest a new subgenre: SF works which fit IA constraints, called here Extrapolative Fiction (EF). Such works are recommended to be included in the IA process with suggestions for ways to do so.

Forcing the Design of Fictional Futures: From Theory to Cases Implementation

Mon, 16 Jan 2017 06:47:40 GMT

title: Forcing the Design of Fictional Futures: From Theory to Cases Implementation abstract: In the face of fast growing concerns for sustainability in all wakes of human endeavor around the planet, this paper aims to support a generative process for exploring futures conceptions and seeks to contribute to professional futurists’ design abilities. It is a contribution to connect practical social and business innovation with actionable futures thinking. The approach is founded on design innovation methodology backed by C-K theory, a constructive prototyping strategy, which can account for any moment when a “futures potential” happens. To illustrate the process, a series of matching field experiments are portrayed, whereby kick-off propositions led to blueprint concepts and, through their systematic expansion, were carried into project briefs that could be implemented with planners, policy makers, and project managers. The illustrated content provides decisionmakers an operational and sharable framework.

Science Fiction and Bodies of the Future: Alternative Gender Realities in Hollywood Cinema

Mon, 16 Jan 2017 06:45:32 GMT

title: Science Fiction and Bodies of the Future: Alternative Gender Realities in Hollywood Cinema abstract: The science fiction genre has traditionally exemplified alternative forms of sexuality and/ or gender identities, providing with the ideal forum for any criticism on gender biased societies and behaviors. Taking into account that futures are always based on the present and the ways it is envisioned, we will focus on how gender identities are constructed in contemporary Hollywood cinema, an hegemonic discourse that dictates how femininity and masculinity should be (subjected on many occasions to mere marketing strategies). For this purpose, we will adopt a critical poststructuralist perspective on how images of the body are represented in popular science fiction films released in the last few decades. We further aim at illustrating how some science fiction films released at the end of the millennium and current century propose alternative gender realities, suggesting at the same time the idea that the oppressive patriarchal structure that govern most contemporary societies can be deconstructed and changed, or at least silenced, in these movies.

Chasing Black Swans through Science Fiction: Surprising Future Events in the Stories of a Finnish Writing Competition

Mon, 16 Jan 2017 06:43:15 GMT

title: Chasing Black Swans through Science Fiction: Surprising Future Events in the Stories of a Finnish Writing Competition abstract: In the paper we analyse the notion of ‘black swan’ as popularised by Taleb (2007). We propose that in the context of the futures’ imagination, a black swan can be defined as hybrid that integrates local knowledge with multiple temporal scales, combining past, present and future tenses. As empirical material, we analyse the short stories from a writing contest held by the Finnish Parliament’s Committee for the Future. The material contains 132 short stories. The analysis gives intriguing insights into how Finnish people – from different locales, of different ages and with differing educational and professional backgrounds – imagine different futures.

What in the World? Storyworlds, Science Fiction, and Futures Studies

Mon, 16 Jan 2017 06:41:12 GMT

title: What in the World? Storyworlds, Science Fiction, and Futures Studies abstract: This article looks at how futures studies can use storyworlds to address some of the challenges the field faces. It provides an overview of social constructionism, integral theory/integral futures, and sense-making in the context of the current evolution of futures methodologies. This article also examines the role of narratives generally and science fiction in particular in exploring and communicating about the future. An overview of what storyworlds are and how they have been used in science fiction and futures studies is followed by a pair of cases studies focused on two worldbuilding projects, one for the fictional world of Rilao and the other for the storyworld created for the 2002 film Minority Report. The article concludes with an analysis of how the worldbuilding process is compatible with social constructionism, integral theory/integral futures, and sense-making.

Science Fiction: The Evolutionary Mythology of the Future

Mon, 16 Jan 2017 06:39:10 GMT

title: Science Fiction: The Evolutionary Mythology of the Future abstract: Science fiction is the most visible and influential form of futurist thinking in contemporary popular culture. As futurist narrative, science fiction resonates with the psychological disposition to give meaning and purpose to life through stories; it facilitates total person immersion in the future; and it stimulates all the major dimensions of future consciousness. As the “evolutionary mythology of the future,” science fiction facilitates the purposeful evolution of scientifically informed holistic future consciousness. Science fiction encompasses the future of everything and can stimulate cosmic consciousness. Though inspired by the modern scientific vision of reality, science fiction can be traced to ancient myth, with which it shares many features. The distinction between science fiction and fantasy is relative rather than absolute. Science fiction and futures studies exist on a continuum, overlapping, interactive, and mutually beneficial. Science fiction is evolutionary in that it continually builds upon past ideas within its heritage. The scientific theory of cosmic evolution provides the fundamental narrative framework for modern science fiction.

Introduction to the Special Issue on Science Fiction and Futures Studies

Mon, 16 Jan 2017 06:36:57 GMT

title: Introduction to the Special Issue on Science Fiction and Futures Studies abstract: My book, Contemporary Futurist Thought (2006), presents reviews of well over onehundred different theories, paradigms, and approaches to the future, ranging from the scientific,materialistic, and rationalistic to the spiritual, metaphysical, and humanistic. Reflecting the great contemporary diversity in mindsets and perspectives regarding the future, the book also includes a key chapter on science fiction. I see in science fiction a literary and narrative approach to the future, and have described it as nothing less than a new “mythology of the future.” Why “mythology”? Myth, which emerged in ancient human history, provided many visions, narratives, and prophecies of the future that still influence the minds of countless millions across the globe. Having a deep fascination with science fiction since my youth, I see the genre in its contemporary form as offering modern myths about the future, and significantly contributing into the great wealth and diversity of contemporary paradigms and approaches to the future.