Novara Media ACFM Trip 54: The Future
Sep 21, 2025
Explore the intriguing notion of treating the future as something to build rather than merely speculate upon. The hosts discuss how personal relationships shape political views on the future. They debate the effectiveness of 'emergency' rhetoric in motivating action and delve into contrasting climate futures propelled by both science and economic behaviors. From critiquing capitalism's grip on future planning to reflecting on the impact of nostalgia in politics, the conversation balances present well-being with aspirations for a collective future.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Foreshortened Future Undermines Strategy
- Contemporary politics feels dominated by a foreshortened future that makes long-term planning hard.
- That short horizon undermines strategic left politics and collective organising.
Timeframes Shape Political Imagination
- Capital and electoral cycles create very short time horizons like quarters or five-year plans.
- Those rhythms shape how activists and citizens imagine what change is possible.
Expand Democratic Participation
- Intensify democracy by increasing participatory mechanisms so people can influence politics between elections.
- Use more frequent, meaningful civic participation to reduce the destabilising weight of single electoral defeats.
