Careless algorithms, disaster refugees, computer girlfriends: Many predicaments of our time came to life in science fiction long before they became science reality. Fiction can be a tool to explore the consequences of technological change more fully; as Ed Finn writes in a recent essay for Issues in Science and Technology, “Good science fiction does not dream up just the automobile, but also the traffic jam.” Putting the future in context—in its own imagined world—forces us to grapple with questions and consequences that could otherwise easily be glossed over (and often are).
How can we use fiction to fix our current “traffic jams”? The Center for Science and the Imagination is partnering with Issues on Future Tense Fiction, a speculative fiction project that uses imagination to examine how science, technology, and policy might shape our futures. Join us for a virtual conversation to celebrate Future Tense Fiction’s launch on Issues, considering how fictional worlds can inspire us to make better realities.
Note: This event begins at 1:00 pm Arizona time, 3:00 pm Eastern time, 12:00 pm Pacific time.
Speakers
Ed Finn
Founding director, Center for Science and the Imagination, Arizona State University
Will Hurd
Vice president of strategy, CHAOS Industries; former member of Congress
Malka Older
Faculty associate, Arizona State University; executive director, Global Voices; author of The Centenal Cycle of novels
Cole Donovan
Former assistant director for international science and technology, United States Office of Science and Technology Policy
Lisa Margonelli (moderator)
Editor-in-chief, Issues in Science and Technology