A Positive Future Requires Positive Fiction

A project that is emphasized by the Foundation and Zero State is that of a grand library. This is to be a repository of the best information and ideas on a variety of subjects. The library project is in keeping with a central goal of the Foundation: preserving and spreading knowledge. It does not seem to have reached grand proportions yet although it is growing as space and finances permit. It will likely expand greatly in the future if the Foundation and its mission proceeds according to their published timeline.

In addition to the Foundations large collection on texts about all things in the STEM fields, with an eye to build a physical collection so comprehensive that one could rebuild the currently technological knowledge starting from the stone age, they have sections about transhumanism. Not surprisingly this includes segments not only by the best writers on the subject talking about the current and future technosocial trends in that field but also the science fiction that cover it. After all science fiction is also called speculative fiction for a reason - by its very nature it speculates about potentialities. This is the reason it most often takes place in future settings looking at how humanity and its machines may develop and what sorts of challenges and opportunities that presents.

While it is a beautiful science fiction section in the Foundation library with many good selections that ought to be read by wider audiences it does seem to suffer from an issue that affects much of modern SF: Much of it is dark and grim. For whatever reason there has been a shift in our science fiction in general in the last few decades going from the more positive views of a robot in every kitchen and a flying car in every garage to robotic slavers and rampant bioterrorism. With this prevailing attitude it is perhaps not difficult to comprehend why there is so much resistance to the ideas that people are putting out there.

This is something that should be combated wherever possible. A potent remedy for negative perception would be adding works that have a more positive outlook on the future. Dystopian settings and scenarios are by far the more common at this time with even venerable positive bastions such as Star Trek showing a descent into grimmer outlooks. The fact that the Orville, with a forward looking and cooperative future for humanity and alien species, is much more popular with the fans is telling. It suggests that there is an audience hungry for brighter futures in science fiction amid all the grim perspectives that have dominated of late.

With this in mind there needs to be a concerted effort to add this material to the Foundation library and the materials collected and dispersed by Transhumanist organizations. This is important because it is hard to build something that we have not tried to envision from different angles. The more good positive futures we can conceive of and the better these are communicated to the public consciousness the better. It will create a positive public consensus about the future and perhaps lift some of the grim outlook many people appear to have in spite of the amazing world we live in. It will also help to foster public support for valuable projects in areas like Artificial Intelligence which has come under fire of late as something of a public boogey man.

Tranhumanist and futurist organizations have an unprecedented opportunity to spread stories to the public at large. These stories need to include all the possible futures, the solarpunk as well as the cyberpunk, and give people something to strive for as well as avoid. To this end the Foundation and all organizations in their outreach should consider additional selections for its library that include tales in its science fiction section to aim for. Even better if they have the resources to produce such fiction since there remains a dearth of it within the larger community.

News of the current Transhumanist house where the current Library is hosted: http://transhumanity.net/transhuman-house-2-0-launch/