Great blog post. Just want to post in favor of this:
"Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Ministry for the Future, which I know you know well. Although climate change / the Anthropocene has been widely recognized for more than ten years, I think the combination of, not solutions, but at least ameliorations, presented in the book couldn’t have been written more recently. I think it’s a remarkable book."
Read this book in a couple months ago, outstanding book.
I also read the book. I feel like I'm in the minority that was let down by KSR; the book just failed to find a solid footing and seemed super optimistic.
Much of the book hinges on the development of carbon coin crypto currency that depends on the top central banks all working together?
The entire world collectively moves from high speed air traffic to slow airships and rail? Because of miniature ICBMs that almost anybody can afford? Why aren't these mini ICBMs used for evil?
Humans allowing the most valuable arable land to return to wilderness? People following migrating animals on social media? Replacing the world's social media apps with an open source decentralized alternative in a matter of 5 years?
I mean, a lot of this stuff needs to happen for us to reverse human-caused climate change; however, the way they happen in the book left my eyebrows raised. I want a super pessimistic view of humanity (read: realistic) and some new ideas on fundamental changes-- not just patches to the system.
I used to be a big fan of Robin's but he does this thing that a lot of these creative technology people do where they pass off exclusive access as somehow creative insight. In fact he even explicitly notes that a recent project he did where he had e-book reader stats was something that he had to keep private where he got it from.
Why? And then why make a project that really wasn't very creative at all, with a data set that is very proprietary, and may not have the full consent of those that participated?
So yeah, he's done some brilliant things I'm sure, and I've seen some even, but this disingenuous use of position is something that's turned me off to a lot of the established people like this.
