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Solarpunk Wants To Change the World. Should We Take It Seriously? - Can an (overly) optimistic science fiction genre help inspire a new generation of Leftists?

Solarpunk Wants To Change the World — Should We Take It Seriously?

https://antoniomelonio.substack.com/p/solarpunk-wants-to-change-the-world

Can an (overly) optimistic science fiction genre help inspire a new generation of Leftists?

Solarpunk Wants To Change the World — Should We Take It Seriously?

Can an (overly) optimistic science fiction genre help inspire a new generation of Leftists?

15 comments

dedale

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Creating a positive mental landscape, based on action, something to strive for, rather than visions of impeding doom., is an essential first step.

SafiScarlett

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Agreed! Doomerism is toxic and a self-fulfilling prophecy.

SafiScarlett

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This century is already witnessing the beginning of the coming planet-wide ecological catastrophe/collapse. It's going to get much worse before it gets better, not to mention the geopolitical ramifications of it all with unprecedented waves of climate refugees just as one example.

I don't really expect Solarpunk fiction to be the major catalyst for changing people's minds. Sadly, I just expect that things will start getting so bad in certain areas that dealing with these issues will be unavoidable for survival reasons. I wish we could, as a civilization, be more proactive instead of reactive, but unfortunately...

Anyway, even if, for argument's sake, a truly "Solarpunk" Earth is unattainable for whatever reason(s), we still have no choice. We have no choice but to work towards it and shoot for something that isn't a total dystopian vision of the future.

keepthepace

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What is the alternative? What other inspirational fictions do we have?

wellschmaltz

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@keepthepace @sam_uk Fully automated luxury communism, of course. That is, Star Trek.

keepthepace

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Maybe I am more of a FALC guy then. Are there communities for that?

DarkThoughts

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I feel this is an egg & chicken situation. Solarpunk wasn't much of a genre until renewables became advanced & more widespread enough and the vision is very much based on us expanding hugely on renewables and becoming more ecologically conscious. This is, in the broader scheme, very much the goal of where we should head towards to reach climate neutrality. So in that sense it is as serious as the climate scientists advocating for it, even if not by name but simply by what it entails.

Shurimal

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I prefer nuclearpunk/fusionpunk myself. But then, I'm a huge fan of Winchell Chung's Atomic Rockets site.

ramontaba

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@sam_uk OK, but if the solarpunk is a genre of science fiction, where are the solarpunk novels?
And any movement to be treated seriously should avoid taking communists on board.

sam_uk

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Arguably Walkaway by Cory Doctorow?

Polydextrous

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Agreed. Solarpunk is anarchist, and communists/anarchists have a…messy history.

mmatessa

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16 Best Solarpunk Books

match

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Check out Psalm for the Wild-Built!

vsis

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I see anarchist point of views in steampunk and cyberpunk. So I expect the same solarpunk. But haven't read the first novel yet neither.

If a novel appears with traditional leftist/communist approach it would be very cringe. A lot of steampunk stories are about evil oligarchs vs adventurous heroes, without the need of falling in commie fallacies.