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The Foresight Institute Podcast
Existential Hope Special: Ada Palmer | On How Speculative Worlds Can Help Us Demand A Better Future
Jan 31, 2025
In a captivating discussion, historian and sci-fi author Ada Palmer explores how speculative fiction can inspire governance and societal progress. She argues that our ability to imagine radically different futures empowers us to demand change. Ada highlights the power of pluralism as a solution to centralized governance and emphasizes learning from historical public health successes like malaria eradication. She also underscores the necessity of balancing good and bad news to combat despair, advocating for resilience and creative education for a better future.
59:56
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Quick takeaways
- Speculative fiction serves as a vital framework for reimagining governance and societal structures, encouraging citizens to aspire for transformative changes.
- Historical narratives provide essential insights that enrich speculative worlds, illustrating how societies can successfully navigate technological and ideological shifts.
Deep dives
The Interconnection of History and Sci-Fi
Ada Palmer discusses the inherent relationship between her work as a historian and her passion for science fiction writing. While history examines the past and science fiction envisions the future, both domains explore the vast spectrum of human experience and societal change over time. She emphasizes that understanding historical narratives provides valuable insights into possible futures, highlighting how past societies have navigated transformations driven by new ideas and technologies. This interplay allows for a richer storytelling framework, where the lessons drawn from history can inform imaginative worlds and speculative futures.
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