This presentation was from a seminar on "Alternative Perspectives on the Future" as part of my Futures Studies program at the University of Houston. In it, I talk about some of the cool stuff in Olaf Stapeldon's "Last and First Men" and "Star Maker."

1. alternative perspectives
on the future in
science fiction
the Works of Olaf Stape
ldon
josh lindenger | 11.29.2012
@jlindenger | josh@thefuturesunderground.com image: NASA, STS059-29-023

2. why look to science fiction?
Image: NASA, GPN-2001-000009

3. “We of today must conceive our relation to the rest of the
universe as best we can; and even if our images must seem
fantastic to future men, they may none the less serve their
purpose today.”
- olaf stapeldon

4. who was olaf
stapeldon?
“mostly fantastic fiction of a semi-
philosophical kind”

5. 1930 1937

6. themes…
…development of consciousness/perspective
…exploring what “humanity” means
…the individual and the group, self and whole
…fate (at a cosmic level)
…importance of spirituality (but maybe not religion)
…Hegelian thesis-antithesis-synthesis

7. terraforming group minds/swarm intelligence
renewable energy
genetic engineering
virtual reality peak coal J
crazy cool stuff in the 1930s…
global climate change agent-based systems
emergence
The Prime Directive
“dyson” spheres
sickness from “nanoparticles”

8. relation to other “alternative” perspectives…
Spiral Dynamics
Integral Theory
Other perspectives based on
interconnectedness,
systems, etc.
image: solar eclipse on 01 Aug 2008 by elias chasiotis, on flickr

9. sources…
…Stapledon, Last and First Men
…Stapledon, Star Maker
…Liptak, “Looking far, far into the future: Olaf
Stapledon,” Kirkus Reviews, July 26, 2012.
…Wikipedia (totally cited it)
…NASA and Elias Chasiotis for the pretties
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