Kim Stanley Robinson: Valuing the Earth and Future Generations: Imagining Post-Capitalism

Climate change and population growth will combine in the twenty-first century to put an enormous load on humanity's bio-infrastructural support system, the planet Earth. Kim Stanley Robinson argues that our current economic system undervalues both the environment and future human generations, and it will have to change if we hope to succeed in dealing with the enormous challenges facing us. Science is the most powerful conceptual system we have for dealing with the world, and we are certain to be using science to design and guide our response to the various crises now bearing down on us. A more scientific economics -- what would that look like? And what else in our policy, habits, and values will have to change?

Winner of Hugo, Nebula and Locus Awards, Kim Stanley Robinson is best known for his award-winning Mars trilogy. He has published fifteen novels and several short stories collections, often exploring ecological and sociological themes. Recently, the US National Science Foundation has sent Robinson to Antarctica as part of their Antarctic Artists and Writers Program. In April 2011, Robinson presented his observations on the cyclical nature of capitalism at the Rethinking Capitalism conference, University of California, Santa Cruz. In 1984, he published his doctoral dissertation, The Novels of Philip Dick.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• science
• values
• science fiction
• capitalism
• post-capitalism
• global warming
• climate change
• kim stanley robinson
• ethics
• sustainability
• economics
• rethinking capitalism