David Christian, a distinguished Professor of History and Director of the Big History Institute, dives into the art of future storytelling. He explores how humans are wired to think about futures, connecting it to both personal and collective survival. Christian discusses time as a complex entity, using metaphors of rivers and maps to explain our understanding of it. He emphasizes the need for collaborative thinking in tackling future challenges and reflects on how our decisions today shape tomorrow's possibilities.
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insights INSIGHT
Time: River and Map
To understand the future, we must understand time, as the future is the unseen part of time.
Two metaphors help: time as a river (flowing) and time as a map (structured).
insights INSIGHT
Time's Relevance
Time is irrelevant to fundamental particles like quarks but matters for complex entities.
Time's significance for complex structures arises from their eventual decay.
insights INSIGHT
Life's Preferred Futures
All living things, even bacteria, act as if they have preferred futures.
These preferred futures prioritize survival and reproduction, driving natural selection.
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Ursula K. Le Guin's "The Dispossessed" is a science fiction novel that explores themes of anarchism, utopianism, and social justice. The story follows Shevek, a physicist who travels between two planets with contrasting social systems: Urras, a capitalist society, and Anarres, an anarchist society. Le Guin's novel is a thought-provoking exploration of different social and political systems and their impact on individual lives. The novel's exploration of freedom, equality, and the challenges of creating a just society continues to resonate with readers today. It's a classic of science fiction.
Future Stories, What's Next?
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David Christian
What does the future hold? And how do we make sure we're making the best decisions for ourselves? In today's episode with David Christian, you will discover answers to these questions and much more!
"What are the skills involved in trying to think about the future? To construct future stories that are closer to the truth than other future stories? Because if we don't do that. We die." - David Christian
David Christian is a distinguished Professor of History at Macquarie University and Director of the school's Big History Institute. David co-founded the Big History Project with Bill Gates and has delivered keynotes at conferences around the world, including the Davos Economic Forum. His Ted Talk has been viewed millions of times and he is the author of many books and articles.
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