Ariel Kyrou
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Whereas the anthology 'Nos Futurs' adresses the effect/impact of climate change on our lives today, based on ten of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals as determined by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), this new anthology 'Nos Futurs Solidaires' takes a closer look at social issues and how we can create a better world on a smaller level, by incorporating more solidarity in various forms.
The anthology consists entirely of fictional stories, brought to you by fourteen authors who offer their take on solidarity in various forms. Correction, not entirely, there are four parts of the round table that took place on the 7th January 2022. Present: Ariel Kyrou (moderator), Catherine Dufour (writer), Blaise Mao (editor-in-chief of the magazine Usbek&Rica), Stéphanie Nicot (artistic director of the festival Les Imaginales), Giorgia Ceriani Sebregondi (director of Laboratoire des solidarités de la Fondation Cognacq-Jay), and Jean-Luc Fidel (general director of the aforementioned Laboratoire).
The entire conversation was chopped into four themes:
01) Pas de solidarité sans écoute de l'altérité (No solidarity without listening to otherness)
02) Les récits de solidarité (Stories of solidarity)
03) Demain la solidarité (Solidarity tomorrow)
04) Nos utopies solidaires (Our solidary utopias)
These four chapters are intertwined with the stories, to break the flow a little, offers a pause. A handful of stories were written especially for this anthology, others were taken (in original or revised form) from previous publications in the magazine 'Visions solidaires pour demain'.
Here are the fourteen stories, preceded by a preface (Le réel solidaire de la science-fiction / The solidary reality of science fiction; readable on solidarum.org) by Ariel Kyrou (known from Dans les imaginaires du futur), who dives into the solidary aspect of science fiction.
01) Li-Cam - Le map d'Iris: this is a story about people living together on an eco-building, as you could call it. Each has his/her role to fulfil, his/her personality, etc. One of the more introverted characters - she lives in her own world, is not fit for the real world, needs constant supervision (due to potential crises) - suddenly succumbs to some illness. As her sister is following courses over the internet, she has no access to the residential network; however, one way or another, she is notified, and as she connects to the local network, she discovers something went wrong and instantly asks for help. In the end, all's well that ends well, but Iris, who went through one of her crises, needed another wave of imagery that soothed her, that brought back lovely memories. This was my first Li-Cam story. While it's not that futuristic, it's actually very real, very contemporary, despite the futuristic technology (implants to "revive" someone). The collaboration between the various residents was also heart-warming. You can read the original story on solidarum.org.
02) Régis Antoine Jaulin - L'affection: In this story we follow the experiences of a handful of a people; to keep on reading, each little story was cut into pieces (no, not like 'Last Resort' by Papa Roach; admit it, you were thinking about this song), creating an episodic structure. Each of the characters has done or seen something, at work or privately, that would set something in motion, alter their respective lives. For example, pulling the emergency brake to let a fellow commuter on board and thus risking a high fine, because there was no reason to pull the brake. While this may seem like an act of kindness, it's not always the safest act either. Another was donating money to homeless people, something that I've done before and yes, it's an act of kindness. However, like in various situations, not every homeless person is really homeless, there are frauds among them as well, alas. Another example of kindness in these stories: not charging the full amount, but only travel expenses. Apparently, there are the three laws of the Anthropocene: 1) You will not harm nature, 2) You will not harm human beings, and 3) If you are temporarily harmful, you have to compensate for it and a lot. What links all these experiences is the virus of solidarity, of kindness. And yes, the world would be a better place if we all were more solidary, but it's also a complex matter, as you can't be solidary with everyone for one reason or another. You can read the original story on solidarum.org.
03) Audrey Pleynet - Entrer en résonance: This is my second story by Mrs Pleynet, the first one was 'La Solitude des fantômes' (Par-delà l'horizon, 2021). In this new story, she looks at how we could respond if there were various copies of ourselves. Each copy living its own life in its own world/reality. What if something happened to one of "you"? How would you act? What would you do? Or if one of "yours" led a dreadful life, would you try to make him/her change his/her behaviour? And vice versa. An excellent story that provides food for thought, because self-reflexion doesn't often occur, isn't always easy either. You can read the original story on Solidarum.org.
04) Chloé Chevalier - Les déroutés: 'Les déroutés' is a story in which we follow a bunch of students who exchange ideas and propositions about finding a job after their studies. There seems to be great difficulty to work in certain sectors, but one that seemingly always has vacant places is Ehpad (établissement d'hébergement pour personnes âgées dépendantes / accommodation establishment for dependent elderly people, roughly translated by Google), as it's called in France. However, the students have to go separate ways, seek jobs (in public service) and housing across the country. And so it happens that only two of them remain in touch via mail or chat, though the occasional dispute also pops up. One of these two people is also in contact with the others, serves as an intermediary for the other. Several years later, the group meets again, but each has been leading a different life, chosen a different route: jobs, marriage, children, living elsewhere. They are no longer the teens of before. Relationships don't always last when life happens. At the same time, these people put public service back on the map. You can read the original story on Solidarum.org.
05) Vincent Borel - L'enfant de Thérapie: This is a story involving Singularity or rather, the consciousness of deceased people living on in the cloud, to be copied into hundreds of clones of the respective persons. The bodies of these people are, in turn, transformed into biological compost. We follow one pilot, in his spaceship Eden, who's transporting special rings of Singularity. His wife, before she "transcended", was obsessed with upgrading her body, with transhumanism, combining man and machine. The pilot, however, is not that fond of living on in this manner, as he's already supervised by the onboard AI, who can read into the man's emotions via his implanted neurotransmitters. Hence him using a trick to not divulge too much. In the end, despite the prospect of living on and not having to pay for it (his employer decided to offer him this service in return for his splendid work all those years), the pilot decides to take matter into his own hands. Freedom before servitude? But where does the name Thérapie come from? It's a play on words 'Terre Happy', 'Thérapie' (Therapy). People having made the move felt like they were living on a happier planet. It's also a story in which the views and Gilles Clément (more info on the French page) are mentioned and put against a world of total transhumanism, contrasting with a return to good old nature, good old common sense and respect for Mother Earth, but also against global supervision and eternal life for those who had the means to acquire it. You can read the original story on solidarum.org.
06) Catherine Dufour - Bootz change de mode: Catherine Dufour takes to a Paris where the Roma(ni people) - Calabrais, Thraces, Valaques, Kalmouks, Svanètes, ... - all try to find their proper place, their proper territory to live and make a little money with whatever can be sold, but also how these people are generally excluded from public aid or services for various reasons. Even the local authorities pass on the hot potato when people call upon them because of some problems caused by the Roma. Until a fashion blogger doesn't see them as a nuisance, rather wishes to help them out with a few things, improve their image by b/vlogging about them. You can read the original story on solidarum.org.
07) Anne-Sophie Devriese - Auxi': A story about helping someone pass over in a serene manner by donating something, a sense: sight, hearing, scent, .... Transhumanists of various ages, aka auxis, have come together to each donate something to the nearly deceased. The story is told from a first person POV, the youngest of the group that is gathered to help an elderly woman pass to the other side. All in all, a fairly good story.
08) Philippe Curval - Baobab City: A space opera story, in which a crew of a handful of specialists is on its way to Alpha Centaure Bb, an exoplanet said to be 50% inhabitable. Goal of the trip: terraforming the planet, making it a new home for mankind, because the situation on Earth was becoming dramatic (another extinction, climate change, overpopulation (15 billion), ... More than time to seek a new home, in other words. Upon arrival, they noticed several trees looking like baobabs. Having spent so many years in space, seeing real creatures again and thus killing some for food, awakened the attention of local population. Yes, Alpha Centauri Bb was inhabited after all with creatures who communicate through dreams. The planet itself had been succumbing to an enormous drought. Since Earth was far away and messaging mankind would take 50 years, there was little sense in asking for support. The planet did contain water, but in the lower layers of its soil. One of the few possibilities to survive and revive the planet was... becoming one with nature and continue from there. You can read the story on solidarum.org.
09) Sabrina Calvo - Reliance: A story about a soldier returning from war, having almost lost his entire sight, yet with new implanted lenses, his sight has been as good as restored, though it took a long time for his eyes to adjust to the new technology. He's being interrogated regarding the healing of several people. A certain Dr Jabbour - disappeared, because he fought against and criticised the dirty ways of pharmaceutical companies? - would have been involved, too, or at least served as instigator. In short, it revolves around listening to and looking at a patient instead of applying standard procedures that are common for all. At least, that's how I interpreted it. You can read the original story on solidarum.org.
10) Michael Roch - Les vies de Man Pitak: Michael Roch's story is set in a creolian culture in the Caribbean. It's thus obvious you'll find Creole words here, unfortunately they were not all translated, so it's up to you to guess the meaning. We follow a mobile medical team that is to bring healthcare to the people, or better, help reconstruct and store their digital history and personality. This time, they have the company and help from a professor/academic: Man Pitak. Here too, saving/restoring digital personalities is a question of money. Those who can afford it, are prioritary, as opposed to those with less or no means. While the nurses/doctors need to use VR-glasses, Man Pitak possesses a talent that allows her to "see" into the digital realm, collect the fragmented data of the patient and restore his/her digital history. To do so, she has her own accessories/tools, but also prays to the gods or animal spirits. In other words, it's a ritual. The medical team can then take over. But the virtual realm is to be entered with caution, as bounty hunters also operate there or ferrymen may help the patients ascend, but like with refugees in real life, not all ferrymen are honest, with severe consequences as a result. However, Man Pitak isn't that honest either, or rather, with regards to her employer. He has appealed to the services of a bounty hunter to obtain the data Man Pitak has stored on her USB-stick. Luckily and unexpectedly, Man Pitak would receive from the team support to be able to continue to help people in need and thus stay out of the clutches of her employer.
11) Léo Henry - Un jour, tout ici sera à toi: Living in a modern world, yet not wanting to adopt the ways. Who's the selfish one here? Perle, a little girl, is befriended with an elderly woman, who lives separated from the rest of the community. With each visit, Perle has to bring something an object with her. In return, the elderly woman tells stories of her younger days. Until the time comes that the woman passes away. This means that all she left behind, including the objects Perle brought with her, belong to Perle, as the woman wrote in her "testament", which never got registered. The day of the woman's burial, the mayor decrees that the woman was selfish, as she lived secluded, didn't adhere to the project of the community and hoarded a mass of objects which now must return to the community. However, the old woman was actually very rich, because of her stories, her experiences and alike. Perle would have to promote that heritage.
12) Norbert Merjagnan - De nos corps inveillés viendra la vie éternelle: This is a story in which nanotechnology has taken over from doctors, surgeons, and alike. Various chips regulate your bodily health, your immune system, and more. If ever a doctor needs to come around, because you're not feeling well, then he won't examine you in the regular/classic way, but will examine you like an IT-technician. This kind of technology also allows for the collecting of much data on all users, so that the pharmaceutical and other industries can adapt their ways of working. One must also not neglect the risk of data abuse or people wanting to have those little machines removed to live a free life, not controlled by anyone. As in: off the grid.
13) Sylvie Lainé - Éligibles: A lovely story about forming your own community, a project started by Solidarum. You are to register on a website, after which you'll receive a box and a headset, both to be connected via USB to your computer. You're then to seek a diverse selection of people (age, social status, gender, physical situation, ...), based on the size of the group you chose. Each member is to use the headset and register/talk about him/herself. The group is also to hold meetings on a regular basis and upload the reports to the website. At some point, the period is over and a questionnaire is to be filled out. Did you manage to set up and maintain the project until the end? Answering 'yes' led to surprising results, but a little community was established, despite there not being any financial gains or anything of the sort. Whether or not the group continued to talk to/visit each other, is another matter. The project was, in all honesty, an interesting idea to bring people together. You can read the original story on solidarum.org.
14) Ketty Steward - Six faces d'un même cube: It's the year 2050, people don't see each other in the flesh any more, everything happens over the internet. Like in a previous story, personalities have also been digitalised, spread in the cloud, blockchained and whatever more. The six characters take part in a special meeting, which shows each character's different personality based on the Myers-Briggs personalities: introverted and extraverted. Something you have in just about every company, large or small, and how each has different traits or takes on how something must be done. You can read the original story on solidarum.org.
----------
'Nos Futurs' had a rather dark tone, offered a scientific view of the world combined with the fictional approach to create a more comprehensible and accessible image of the respective theme. 'Nos Futurs Solidaires' is one where the social ties/relationships are put into the spotlight. Each author has tried to show how solidarity comes in different forms, be they small or large. While this is a mixed bag (typical for an anthology) in terms of style, comprehension, and themes, this collection offers inspiration on how to alter our behaviour and understanding towards the other to create a better world, even if such a change can and does take time.
----------
I was sent this book by Éditions ActuSF for review. Many thanks to them for the trust.… (mehr)
The anthology consists entirely of fictional stories, brought to you by fourteen authors who offer their take on solidarity in various forms. Correction, not entirely, there are four parts of the round table that took place on the 7th January 2022. Present: Ariel Kyrou (moderator), Catherine Dufour (writer), Blaise Mao (editor-in-chief of the magazine Usbek&Rica), Stéphanie Nicot (artistic director of the festival Les Imaginales), Giorgia Ceriani Sebregondi (director of Laboratoire des solidarités de la Fondation Cognacq-Jay), and Jean-Luc Fidel (general director of the aforementioned Laboratoire).
The entire conversation was chopped into four themes:
01) Pas de solidarité sans écoute de l'altérité (No solidarity without listening to otherness)
02) Les récits de solidarité (Stories of solidarity)
03) Demain la solidarité (Solidarity tomorrow)
04) Nos utopies solidaires (Our solidary utopias)
These four chapters are intertwined with the stories, to break the flow a little, offers a pause. A handful of stories were written especially for this anthology, others were taken (in original or revised form) from previous publications in the magazine 'Visions solidaires pour demain'.
Here are the fourteen stories, preceded by a preface (Le réel solidaire de la science-fiction / The solidary reality of science fiction; readable on solidarum.org) by Ariel Kyrou (known from Dans les imaginaires du futur), who dives into the solidary aspect of science fiction.
01) Li-Cam - Le map d'Iris: this is a story about people living together on an eco-building, as you could call it. Each has his/her role to fulfil, his/her personality, etc. One of the more introverted characters - she lives in her own world, is not fit for the real world, needs constant supervision (due to potential crises) - suddenly succumbs to some illness. As her sister is following courses over the internet, she has no access to the residential network; however, one way or another, she is notified, and as she connects to the local network, she discovers something went wrong and instantly asks for help. In the end, all's well that ends well, but Iris, who went through one of her crises, needed another wave of imagery that soothed her, that brought back lovely memories. This was my first Li-Cam story. While it's not that futuristic, it's actually very real, very contemporary, despite the futuristic technology (implants to "revive" someone). The collaboration between the various residents was also heart-warming. You can read the original story on solidarum.org.
02) Régis Antoine Jaulin - L'affection: In this story we follow the experiences of a handful of a people; to keep on reading, each little story was cut into pieces (no, not like 'Last Resort' by Papa Roach; admit it, you were thinking about this song), creating an episodic structure. Each of the characters has done or seen something, at work or privately, that would set something in motion, alter their respective lives. For example, pulling the emergency brake to let a fellow commuter on board and thus risking a high fine, because there was no reason to pull the brake. While this may seem like an act of kindness, it's not always the safest act either. Another was donating money to homeless people, something that I've done before and yes, it's an act of kindness. However, like in various situations, not every homeless person is really homeless, there are frauds among them as well, alas. Another example of kindness in these stories: not charging the full amount, but only travel expenses. Apparently, there are the three laws of the Anthropocene: 1) You will not harm nature, 2) You will not harm human beings, and 3) If you are temporarily harmful, you have to compensate for it and a lot. What links all these experiences is the virus of solidarity, of kindness. And yes, the world would be a better place if we all were more solidary, but it's also a complex matter, as you can't be solidary with everyone for one reason or another. You can read the original story on solidarum.org.
03) Audrey Pleynet - Entrer en résonance: This is my second story by Mrs Pleynet, the first one was 'La Solitude des fantômes' (Par-delà l'horizon, 2021). In this new story, she looks at how we could respond if there were various copies of ourselves. Each copy living its own life in its own world/reality. What if something happened to one of "you"? How would you act? What would you do? Or if one of "yours" led a dreadful life, would you try to make him/her change his/her behaviour? And vice versa. An excellent story that provides food for thought, because self-reflexion doesn't often occur, isn't always easy either. You can read the original story on Solidarum.org.
04) Chloé Chevalier - Les déroutés: 'Les déroutés' is a story in which we follow a bunch of students who exchange ideas and propositions about finding a job after their studies. There seems to be great difficulty to work in certain sectors, but one that seemingly always has vacant places is Ehpad (établissement d'hébergement pour personnes âgées dépendantes / accommodation establishment for dependent elderly people, roughly translated by Google), as it's called in France. However, the students have to go separate ways, seek jobs (in public service) and housing across the country. And so it happens that only two of them remain in touch via mail or chat, though the occasional dispute also pops up. One of these two people is also in contact with the others, serves as an intermediary for the other. Several years later, the group meets again, but each has been leading a different life, chosen a different route: jobs, marriage, children, living elsewhere. They are no longer the teens of before. Relationships don't always last when life happens. At the same time, these people put public service back on the map. You can read the original story on Solidarum.org.
05) Vincent Borel - L'enfant de Thérapie: This is a story involving Singularity or rather, the consciousness of deceased people living on in the cloud, to be copied into hundreds of clones of the respective persons. The bodies of these people are, in turn, transformed into biological compost. We follow one pilot, in his spaceship Eden, who's transporting special rings of Singularity. His wife, before she "transcended", was obsessed with upgrading her body, with transhumanism, combining man and machine. The pilot, however, is not that fond of living on in this manner, as he's already supervised by the onboard AI, who can read into the man's emotions via his implanted neurotransmitters. Hence him using a trick to not divulge too much. In the end, despite the prospect of living on and not having to pay for it (his employer decided to offer him this service in return for his splendid work all those years), the pilot decides to take matter into his own hands. Freedom before servitude? But where does the name Thérapie come from? It's a play on words 'Terre Happy', 'Thérapie' (Therapy). People having made the move felt like they were living on a happier planet. It's also a story in which the views and Gilles Clément (more info on the French page) are mentioned and put against a world of total transhumanism, contrasting with a return to good old nature, good old common sense and respect for Mother Earth, but also against global supervision and eternal life for those who had the means to acquire it. You can read the original story on solidarum.org.
06) Catherine Dufour - Bootz change de mode: Catherine Dufour takes to a Paris where the Roma(ni people) - Calabrais, Thraces, Valaques, Kalmouks, Svanètes, ... - all try to find their proper place, their proper territory to live and make a little money with whatever can be sold, but also how these people are generally excluded from public aid or services for various reasons. Even the local authorities pass on the hot potato when people call upon them because of some problems caused by the Roma. Until a fashion blogger doesn't see them as a nuisance, rather wishes to help them out with a few things, improve their image by b/vlogging about them. You can read the original story on solidarum.org.
07) Anne-Sophie Devriese - Auxi': A story about helping someone pass over in a serene manner by donating something, a sense: sight, hearing, scent, .... Transhumanists of various ages, aka auxis, have come together to each donate something to the nearly deceased. The story is told from a first person POV, the youngest of the group that is gathered to help an elderly woman pass to the other side. All in all, a fairly good story.
08) Philippe Curval - Baobab City: A space opera story, in which a crew of a handful of specialists is on its way to Alpha Centaure Bb, an exoplanet said to be 50% inhabitable. Goal of the trip: terraforming the planet, making it a new home for mankind, because the situation on Earth was becoming dramatic (another extinction, climate change, overpopulation (15 billion), ... More than time to seek a new home, in other words. Upon arrival, they noticed several trees looking like baobabs. Having spent so many years in space, seeing real creatures again and thus killing some for food, awakened the attention of local population. Yes, Alpha Centauri Bb was inhabited after all with creatures who communicate through dreams. The planet itself had been succumbing to an enormous drought. Since Earth was far away and messaging mankind would take 50 years, there was little sense in asking for support. The planet did contain water, but in the lower layers of its soil. One of the few possibilities to survive and revive the planet was... becoming one with nature and continue from there. You can read the story on solidarum.org.
09) Sabrina Calvo - Reliance: A story about a soldier returning from war, having almost lost his entire sight, yet with new implanted lenses, his sight has been as good as restored, though it took a long time for his eyes to adjust to the new technology. He's being interrogated regarding the healing of several people. A certain Dr Jabbour - disappeared, because he fought against and criticised the dirty ways of pharmaceutical companies? - would have been involved, too, or at least served as instigator. In short, it revolves around listening to and looking at a patient instead of applying standard procedures that are common for all. At least, that's how I interpreted it. You can read the original story on solidarum.org.
10) Michael Roch - Les vies de Man Pitak: Michael Roch's story is set in a creolian culture in the Caribbean. It's thus obvious you'll find Creole words here, unfortunately they were not all translated, so it's up to you to guess the meaning. We follow a mobile medical team that is to bring healthcare to the people, or better, help reconstruct and store their digital history and personality. This time, they have the company and help from a professor/academic: Man Pitak. Here too, saving/restoring digital personalities is a question of money. Those who can afford it, are prioritary, as opposed to those with less or no means. While the nurses/doctors need to use VR-glasses, Man Pitak possesses a talent that allows her to "see" into the digital realm, collect the fragmented data of the patient and restore his/her digital history. To do so, she has her own accessories/tools, but also prays to the gods or animal spirits. In other words, it's a ritual. The medical team can then take over. But the virtual realm is to be entered with caution, as bounty hunters also operate there or ferrymen may help the patients ascend, but like with refugees in real life, not all ferrymen are honest, with severe consequences as a result. However, Man Pitak isn't that honest either, or rather, with regards to her employer. He has appealed to the services of a bounty hunter to obtain the data Man Pitak has stored on her USB-stick. Luckily and unexpectedly, Man Pitak would receive from the team support to be able to continue to help people in need and thus stay out of the clutches of her employer.
11) Léo Henry - Un jour, tout ici sera à toi: Living in a modern world, yet not wanting to adopt the ways. Who's the selfish one here? Perle, a little girl, is befriended with an elderly woman, who lives separated from the rest of the community. With each visit, Perle has to bring something an object with her. In return, the elderly woman tells stories of her younger days. Until the time comes that the woman passes away. This means that all she left behind, including the objects Perle brought with her, belong to Perle, as the woman wrote in her "testament", which never got registered. The day of the woman's burial, the mayor decrees that the woman was selfish, as she lived secluded, didn't adhere to the project of the community and hoarded a mass of objects which now must return to the community. However, the old woman was actually very rich, because of her stories, her experiences and alike. Perle would have to promote that heritage.
12) Norbert Merjagnan - De nos corps inveillés viendra la vie éternelle: This is a story in which nanotechnology has taken over from doctors, surgeons, and alike. Various chips regulate your bodily health, your immune system, and more. If ever a doctor needs to come around, because you're not feeling well, then he won't examine you in the regular/classic way, but will examine you like an IT-technician. This kind of technology also allows for the collecting of much data on all users, so that the pharmaceutical and other industries can adapt their ways of working. One must also not neglect the risk of data abuse or people wanting to have those little machines removed to live a free life, not controlled by anyone. As in: off the grid.
13) Sylvie Lainé - Éligibles: A lovely story about forming your own community, a project started by Solidarum. You are to register on a website, after which you'll receive a box and a headset, both to be connected via USB to your computer. You're then to seek a diverse selection of people (age, social status, gender, physical situation, ...), based on the size of the group you chose. Each member is to use the headset and register/talk about him/herself. The group is also to hold meetings on a regular basis and upload the reports to the website. At some point, the period is over and a questionnaire is to be filled out. Did you manage to set up and maintain the project until the end? Answering 'yes' led to surprising results, but a little community was established, despite there not being any financial gains or anything of the sort. Whether or not the group continued to talk to/visit each other, is another matter. The project was, in all honesty, an interesting idea to bring people together. You can read the original story on solidarum.org.
14) Ketty Steward - Six faces d'un même cube: It's the year 2050, people don't see each other in the flesh any more, everything happens over the internet. Like in a previous story, personalities have also been digitalised, spread in the cloud, blockchained and whatever more. The six characters take part in a special meeting, which shows each character's different personality based on the Myers-Briggs personalities: introverted and extraverted. Something you have in just about every company, large or small, and how each has different traits or takes on how something must be done. You can read the original story on solidarum.org.
----------
'Nos Futurs' had a rather dark tone, offered a scientific view of the world combined with the fictional approach to create a more comprehensible and accessible image of the respective theme. 'Nos Futurs Solidaires' is one where the social ties/relationships are put into the spotlight. Each author has tried to show how solidarity comes in different forms, be they small or large. While this is a mixed bag (typical for an anthology) in terms of style, comprehension, and themes, this collection offers inspiration on how to alter our behaviour and understanding towards the other to create a better world, even if such a change can and does take time.
----------
I was sent this book by Éditions ActuSF for review. Many thanks to them for the trust.… (mehr)
Everybody has something to say about life, about society, about the environment and ultimately, about the future. At least, from their own standpoint.
Science fiction is one of the few styles of literature that deals with life today, in the future, and even in the past. Everyone uses his/her imagination to imagine a different, better world, no matter how small or large the imagined/proposed changes.
Science fiction covers numerous grounds: anthropology, astronomy, medicine/healthcare, politics, sociology, philosophy, psychology, technology, etc.
However, as with many things, it starts in the mind, you imagine something and continue from there.
----------
In his newest opus - Dans les imaginaires du futur (rough translation: In the imaginations of the future, or, Imagining the future, or interpreted: How the future was, has been and is imagined) -, journalist Ariel Kyrou dived into the massive database and piles of SF-works: books, comics, graphic novels, films, TV-series, music, ... Added to that were works by philosophers/sociologists.
The book is divided into five large chapters, each containing multiple, bite-size subchapters. I've added the English "translations" between brackets. Each chapter starts with a general introduction of the respective theme.
Chapter I: Imaginaires - Ce que nous font les récits du futur (Imaginations - What the stories of/about the future do to us)
In this first chapter, Mr Kyrou begins his dissection with the film 'Blade Runner' (both the 1982 and the 2017 versions) as a basis to address various themes, which allow him to mention other relevant works, like the books of Kim Stanley Robinson. What does the future look like in 'Blade Runner' (and by extension 'Blade Runner 2049)? The end of life on Earth, mankind having to colonise space to find a new safe haven, the development of androids to be able to adapt to this new way of living, etc.
As 'imagination' is a large concept, we're also taken on a philosophical tour with Jean-Jacques Wunenburger, Emmanuel Kant, Paul Ricoeur, Yves Citton, and others. We all have our own imagination, expressed in/through dreams, advertisements, souvenirs, mythologies, and so on. So yes, TV-advertisements by carmakers are used as an example.
The popular TV-series 'Game of Thrones' is also food for discussion, here a number of characters stand out as an example of how George R. R. Martin imagined the world to be or how it should be.
And that's where ideology and the vision of a certain utopia come into play. In other words, how fiction can be at the same time poison and antidote. Fiction can be the expression of existing ideas on the "ideal" world, but can also warn about the possible dangers of such societies. Authors like J. G. Ballard, Alain Damasio, Ursula K. Le Guin, Philip K. Dick, and books like 'Harry Potter' and 'Hunger Games' are all examples of how society could look or shouldn't look like.
Chapter II: Créations technologiques - Devenir dieu avec nos intelligences artificielles (Technological creations - Becoming god with our artificial intelligences)
AI and mankind or humanity 2.0. How AI more and more becomes part of our lives. One example as a start is Vernor Vinge's "singularity" (aka superhuman intellect), which is said to be based on a text by Stanislaw Lem, in which John Von Neumann (information technology pioneer).
What's the impact of AI (robots, computers, ...) on our way of life? How to incorporate AI in a safe way? Various companies, with Silicon Valley as main example, have been working for years on AI (Google, Facebook, ...).
The world is becoming more and more digital, online. Google, Facebook, Neuralink, Apple, ... Soon we'll all be communicating as semi-robots/androids. No need to think about the words any more, as computer already suggest default answers/replies/words (auto-correction?). You don't need to think or spend time reflecting on how you're going to phrase it, the computer will do that for you. Just think of something/Someone and a prefabricated mail/text/image/.... will arise or provide the answer to your question.
Most prominent names here are a.o. John Brunner, William Gibson, whose works were used as references.
AI can also be helpful: registering appointments, directing people to places/addresses/products/... and more. AI can also be "helpful" when all is linked up: your medical data, your driver's licence, your domicile, your bank account, your purchase history, ... So much even, that you will or won't be able any more to buy or do whatever you want, because your personal history will show that what you wish to do is detrimental to your health or you won't be able to buy/do something because you haven't paid your taxes or fines, and so on and so forth.
AI is also Cortana, Siri, and Alexa. You just ask those systems a question and they'll provide the info/answer; but in doing so, they're learning more about you and will know you better than you know yourself or than anyone else knowing yourself.
Last but not least, AI is also a bit of Frankenstein, of the trans-humanism of Google, of the computer DeepMind (chess), of HAL in Clarke's '2001: A Space Oddyssey'.
Chapter III: Fins du monde - De la nécessité d'une pluralité des effondrements (Ends of the world - On the need for a plurality of collapses)
The end of the world is a classic trope in SF, but also in real life. Viruses, wars, technological "advances", political decisions/ideologies, zombies, aliens, ecological disasters (floods, hurricanes, meteorites, ...), each of those has been a topic of many discussions and fears.
On the other hand, as the world continues in cycles. sometimes you have to end something to create a better version. Defining "better" remains a subjective question, obviously, as each of us finds something worth improving. Should mankind go extinct so that nature can reclaim what is hers? Should we continue the chosen path of technological advances or on the contrary, go back to a more basic kind of life, when the digital age didn't exist?
The end of the world and what comes next is also a political question. What will or should society look like? Before this question can be answered, we'd need to know how the world came to its end: climate change? Nuclear wars? Lack of natural resources? As you see, the end of the world can come in many forms and at multiple times. Ultimately, who's to decide what the next version of the world should look like? A few people or a large group? Everyone?
Chapter IV: Extraterrestre - L'exploration spatiale et les imaginaires de l'ailleurs (Extraterrestrial - Space exploration and the imaginations of elsewhere)
Space exploration. Since Perseverance has landed on Mars (February 2021), the topic of space exploration will surely inspire authors to create new stories, despite the plethora of books that have been published in the 20th and 21st centuries. Mr Kyrou picked out some examples of books, music, films, ... about Mars.
But why would man go and explore space? For the same, capitalistic reasons as applied on Earth? Or will we adapt our way of living to the local conditions? Here too, the question of (re)building a society comes into view. How would that happen? What would it look like? Would there still be a place for spirituality, religion, and alike?
And what with possible bacteria? Can bacteria from Earth survive on a planet like Mars?
Volte-Face d'Alain Damasio (Turn-around by Alain Damasio)
As the topics discussed in this book also involve Alain Damasio's books, it was perhaps not all that surprising to have him contribute to this essay. Mr Damasio is known for not being a fan of current technology (smartphones, always being connected, etc.), warning his readers about the dangers of Big Brother, of neo-liberal politics, of the dystopian side of civilisation in general. Mind you, I still haven't read any of his books, unfortunately.
Alain Damasio talks about this essay and why it was written. He continues with a few words on imagination and what's to gain from thinking about the future and how that future could turn out to be? Also, who benefits from this thinking about/imagining the future?
Chapter V: Gaïa 4.0 - Au-delà de la dystopie et de l'utopie terrestre (Gaia 4.0 - Beyond dystopia and terrestrial utopia)
This is the longest, thickest chapter. Ecology and technology, something that will always be of the essence, as we need our environment and its resources to live.
For this chapter, works by a.o. Octavia E. Butler, Ursula K. Le Guin, Kim Stanley Robinson, J. G. Ballard, Philip K. Dick, Thomas More, and Alain Damasio were often be used as references.
Some of the questions asked in this chapter: Can we restore nature to its original state, with its inborn characteristics? How can technology be used to do so? What with fake trees, bugs, bees, etc. that fulfill the same purpose as the real creatures? How will these affect our view of the world, of how we live or will live? How will these inventions impact climate?
Like in the previous chapters, politics, technology, art, work/jobs, ... are aspects that were used to analyse this theme.
Conclusion: Sept figures fantastiques pour réinventer le réel comme fiction (Seven fantastic figures to reinvent reality as fiction)
The conclusion consists of seven short chapters, each focusing on one fantastic creature/being (taken from various works) to reinvent reality as fiction, enchance reality, in other words.
Finally, the whole is rounded off with an extensive index of authors, artists, film makers, ... and those specific works that were used in each of the five blocks/chapters.
When I look at this list, the following names stand out (which means many others have also found a place in the book, but were mentioned only once or a few times):
* Jean-Pierre Andrevon (French author)
* Isaac Asimov (American author)
* Margaret Atwood (Canadian author)
* J. G. Ballard (British author)
* Jeff Bezos (Amazon CEO, or rather, former CEO)
* John Brunner (Britsh author)
* Octavia E. Butler (American author)
* Yves Citton (French philosopher)
* Arthur C. Clarke (British author)
* Philippe Curval (French author)
* Alain Damasio (French author)
* Philip K. Dick (American author)
* Catherine Dufour (French author)
* Greg Egan (Australian author)
* Stanley Kubrick (American film director)
* Bruno Latour (French philosopher, anthropologist, sociologist)
* Ursula K. Le Guin (American author)
* Li-Cam (French author)
* Cormac McCarthy (American author)
* Norbert Merjagnan (French author)
* Elon Musk (Tesla/Neuralink/SpaceX CEO)
* Kim Stanley Robinson (American author)
* Yannick Rumpala (French political scientist)
* Norman Spinrad (American author)
* Bernard Stiegler (French philosopher)
* Andreï Tarkovski (Russian author/film maker)
* Vernor Vinge (American author)
While it is of course advised/recommended that you have read or seen (some/all of) those works, foreknowledge is not really necessary, as Mr Kyrou has focused more on the themes/subjects of said works, less on telling the storyline. (on a side note: Any necessary elaboration is added in the footnotes on the respective pages, something I applaud. I'm not fond of endnotes, i.e. footnotes that were put together at the end of a book, even if these endnotes were divided per chapter. One just tends to not even read or consult these, because you'd have to flip back and forth all the time.)
----------
'Dans les imaginaires du futur' is a dense, but epic result of much research on how the future (and as a consequence, our present) has been and still is being imagined. Not only by authors/writers, but also by musicians, illustrators/painters, film makers, philosophers, and scientists.
It is a unique document that is very relevant today and will be in the years to come.
You can take a trip down memory lane or perhaps find inspiration to contribute to the future of mankind.
----------
If you wish to learn more, here are some interesting interviews, podcasts, articles by/about Ariel Kyrou and 'Dans les imaginaires du futur':
https://www.editions-actusf.fr/a/anon...
https://www.nova.fr/news/ariel-kyrou-...
https://usbeketrica.com/fr/meme-dans-...
https://usbeketrica.com/author/ariel-...
https://www.fonda.asso.fr/auteurs/ari...
https://www.franceculture.fr/emission...
https://podcast.ausha.co/c-est-plus-q...
----------
I was sent this book by Éditions ActuSF for review. Many thanks to them for the trust.… (mehr)
Science fiction is one of the few styles of literature that deals with life today, in the future, and even in the past. Everyone uses his/her imagination to imagine a different, better world, no matter how small or large the imagined/proposed changes.
Science fiction covers numerous grounds: anthropology, astronomy, medicine/healthcare, politics, sociology, philosophy, psychology, technology, etc.
However, as with many things, it starts in the mind, you imagine something and continue from there.
----------
In his newest opus - Dans les imaginaires du futur (rough translation: In the imaginations of the future, or, Imagining the future, or interpreted: How the future was, has been and is imagined) -, journalist Ariel Kyrou dived into the massive database and piles of SF-works: books, comics, graphic novels, films, TV-series, music, ... Added to that were works by philosophers/sociologists.
The book is divided into five large chapters, each containing multiple, bite-size subchapters. I've added the English "translations" between brackets. Each chapter starts with a general introduction of the respective theme.
Chapter I: Imaginaires - Ce que nous font les récits du futur (Imaginations - What the stories of/about the future do to us)
In this first chapter, Mr Kyrou begins his dissection with the film 'Blade Runner' (both the 1982 and the 2017 versions) as a basis to address various themes, which allow him to mention other relevant works, like the books of Kim Stanley Robinson. What does the future look like in 'Blade Runner' (and by extension 'Blade Runner 2049)? The end of life on Earth, mankind having to colonise space to find a new safe haven, the development of androids to be able to adapt to this new way of living, etc.
As 'imagination' is a large concept, we're also taken on a philosophical tour with Jean-Jacques Wunenburger, Emmanuel Kant, Paul Ricoeur, Yves Citton, and others. We all have our own imagination, expressed in/through dreams, advertisements, souvenirs, mythologies, and so on. So yes, TV-advertisements by carmakers are used as an example.
The popular TV-series 'Game of Thrones' is also food for discussion, here a number of characters stand out as an example of how George R. R. Martin imagined the world to be or how it should be.
And that's where ideology and the vision of a certain utopia come into play. In other words, how fiction can be at the same time poison and antidote. Fiction can be the expression of existing ideas on the "ideal" world, but can also warn about the possible dangers of such societies. Authors like J. G. Ballard, Alain Damasio, Ursula K. Le Guin, Philip K. Dick, and books like 'Harry Potter' and 'Hunger Games' are all examples of how society could look or shouldn't look like.
Chapter II: Créations technologiques - Devenir dieu avec nos intelligences artificielles (Technological creations - Becoming god with our artificial intelligences)
AI and mankind or humanity 2.0. How AI more and more becomes part of our lives. One example as a start is Vernor Vinge's "singularity" (aka superhuman intellect), which is said to be based on a text by Stanislaw Lem, in which John Von Neumann (information technology pioneer).
What's the impact of AI (robots, computers, ...) on our way of life? How to incorporate AI in a safe way? Various companies, with Silicon Valley as main example, have been working for years on AI (Google, Facebook, ...).
The world is becoming more and more digital, online. Google, Facebook, Neuralink, Apple, ... Soon we'll all be communicating as semi-robots/androids. No need to think about the words any more, as computer already suggest default answers/replies/words (auto-correction?). You don't need to think or spend time reflecting on how you're going to phrase it, the computer will do that for you. Just think of something/Someone and a prefabricated mail/text/image/.... will arise or provide the answer to your question.
Most prominent names here are a.o. John Brunner, William Gibson, whose works were used as references.
AI can also be helpful: registering appointments, directing people to places/addresses/products/... and more. AI can also be "helpful" when all is linked up: your medical data, your driver's licence, your domicile, your bank account, your purchase history, ... So much even, that you will or won't be able any more to buy or do whatever you want, because your personal history will show that what you wish to do is detrimental to your health or you won't be able to buy/do something because you haven't paid your taxes or fines, and so on and so forth.
AI is also Cortana, Siri, and Alexa. You just ask those systems a question and they'll provide the info/answer; but in doing so, they're learning more about you and will know you better than you know yourself or than anyone else knowing yourself.
Last but not least, AI is also a bit of Frankenstein, of the trans-humanism of Google, of the computer DeepMind (chess), of HAL in Clarke's '2001: A Space Oddyssey'.
Chapter III: Fins du monde - De la nécessité d'une pluralité des effondrements (Ends of the world - On the need for a plurality of collapses)
The end of the world is a classic trope in SF, but also in real life. Viruses, wars, technological "advances", political decisions/ideologies, zombies, aliens, ecological disasters (floods, hurricanes, meteorites, ...), each of those has been a topic of many discussions and fears.
On the other hand, as the world continues in cycles. sometimes you have to end something to create a better version. Defining "better" remains a subjective question, obviously, as each of us finds something worth improving. Should mankind go extinct so that nature can reclaim what is hers? Should we continue the chosen path of technological advances or on the contrary, go back to a more basic kind of life, when the digital age didn't exist?
The end of the world and what comes next is also a political question. What will or should society look like? Before this question can be answered, we'd need to know how the world came to its end: climate change? Nuclear wars? Lack of natural resources? As you see, the end of the world can come in many forms and at multiple times. Ultimately, who's to decide what the next version of the world should look like? A few people or a large group? Everyone?
Chapter IV: Extraterrestre - L'exploration spatiale et les imaginaires de l'ailleurs (Extraterrestrial - Space exploration and the imaginations of elsewhere)
Space exploration. Since Perseverance has landed on Mars (February 2021), the topic of space exploration will surely inspire authors to create new stories, despite the plethora of books that have been published in the 20th and 21st centuries. Mr Kyrou picked out some examples of books, music, films, ... about Mars.
But why would man go and explore space? For the same, capitalistic reasons as applied on Earth? Or will we adapt our way of living to the local conditions? Here too, the question of (re)building a society comes into view. How would that happen? What would it look like? Would there still be a place for spirituality, religion, and alike?
And what with possible bacteria? Can bacteria from Earth survive on a planet like Mars?
Volte-Face d'Alain Damasio (Turn-around by Alain Damasio)
As the topics discussed in this book also involve Alain Damasio's books, it was perhaps not all that surprising to have him contribute to this essay. Mr Damasio is known for not being a fan of current technology (smartphones, always being connected, etc.), warning his readers about the dangers of Big Brother, of neo-liberal politics, of the dystopian side of civilisation in general. Mind you, I still haven't read any of his books, unfortunately.
Alain Damasio talks about this essay and why it was written. He continues with a few words on imagination and what's to gain from thinking about the future and how that future could turn out to be? Also, who benefits from this thinking about/imagining the future?
Chapter V: Gaïa 4.0 - Au-delà de la dystopie et de l'utopie terrestre (Gaia 4.0 - Beyond dystopia and terrestrial utopia)
This is the longest, thickest chapter. Ecology and technology, something that will always be of the essence, as we need our environment and its resources to live.
For this chapter, works by a.o. Octavia E. Butler, Ursula K. Le Guin, Kim Stanley Robinson, J. G. Ballard, Philip K. Dick, Thomas More, and Alain Damasio were often be used as references.
Some of the questions asked in this chapter: Can we restore nature to its original state, with its inborn characteristics? How can technology be used to do so? What with fake trees, bugs, bees, etc. that fulfill the same purpose as the real creatures? How will these affect our view of the world, of how we live or will live? How will these inventions impact climate?
Like in the previous chapters, politics, technology, art, work/jobs, ... are aspects that were used to analyse this theme.
Conclusion: Sept figures fantastiques pour réinventer le réel comme fiction (Seven fantastic figures to reinvent reality as fiction)
The conclusion consists of seven short chapters, each focusing on one fantastic creature/being (taken from various works) to reinvent reality as fiction, enchance reality, in other words.
Finally, the whole is rounded off with an extensive index of authors, artists, film makers, ... and those specific works that were used in each of the five blocks/chapters.
When I look at this list, the following names stand out (which means many others have also found a place in the book, but were mentioned only once or a few times):
* Jean-Pierre Andrevon (French author)
* Isaac Asimov (American author)
* Margaret Atwood (Canadian author)
* J. G. Ballard (British author)
* Jeff Bezos (Amazon CEO, or rather, former CEO)
* John Brunner (Britsh author)
* Octavia E. Butler (American author)
* Yves Citton (French philosopher)
* Arthur C. Clarke (British author)
* Philippe Curval (French author)
* Alain Damasio (French author)
* Philip K. Dick (American author)
* Catherine Dufour (French author)
* Greg Egan (Australian author)
* Stanley Kubrick (American film director)
* Bruno Latour (French philosopher, anthropologist, sociologist)
* Ursula K. Le Guin (American author)
* Li-Cam (French author)
* Cormac McCarthy (American author)
* Norbert Merjagnan (French author)
* Elon Musk (Tesla/Neuralink/SpaceX CEO)
* Kim Stanley Robinson (American author)
* Yannick Rumpala (French political scientist)
* Norman Spinrad (American author)
* Bernard Stiegler (French philosopher)
* Andreï Tarkovski (Russian author/film maker)
* Vernor Vinge (American author)
While it is of course advised/recommended that you have read or seen (some/all of) those works, foreknowledge is not really necessary, as Mr Kyrou has focused more on the themes/subjects of said works, less on telling the storyline. (on a side note: Any necessary elaboration is added in the footnotes on the respective pages, something I applaud. I'm not fond of endnotes, i.e. footnotes that were put together at the end of a book, even if these endnotes were divided per chapter. One just tends to not even read or consult these, because you'd have to flip back and forth all the time.)
----------
'Dans les imaginaires du futur' is a dense, but epic result of much research on how the future (and as a consequence, our present) has been and still is being imagined. Not only by authors/writers, but also by musicians, illustrators/painters, film makers, philosophers, and scientists.
It is a unique document that is very relevant today and will be in the years to come.
You can take a trip down memory lane or perhaps find inspiration to contribute to the future of mankind.
----------
If you wish to learn more, here are some interesting interviews, podcasts, articles by/about Ariel Kyrou and 'Dans les imaginaires du futur':
https://www.editions-actusf.fr/a/anon...
https://www.nova.fr/news/ariel-kyrou-...
https://usbeketrica.com/fr/meme-dans-...
https://usbeketrica.com/author/ariel-...
https://www.fonda.asso.fr/auteurs/ari...
https://www.franceculture.fr/emission...
https://podcast.ausha.co/c-est-plus-q...
----------
I was sent this book by Éditions ActuSF for review. Many thanks to them for the trust.… (mehr)
À l'heure où Google est désormais partie intégrante de nos vies, des réflexions sur son influence et sa tendance à l'omniprésence sont menées.
"Google n’est pas un dieu créateur, c’est un dieu spinozien en ce sens qu’il est le relais, ou du moins qu’il se veut le relais d’une nouvelle nature qui est celle d’Internet » est une citation de cet essai. Elle semble bien illustrer la crainte ressentie à la fois dans cette œuvre et dans les mentalités d'aujourd'hui : Google s'impose, impose ses inventions et ses principes. Sa volonté de dominer sur tous les champs effraie dans cet ère du digital où l'avenir reste encore flou.
Le « Big Brother » (tel est le surnom du géant de l'informatique, qui est à ce propos un surnom très équivoque historiquement) intrigue, fait parler de lui et continuera à le faire. C'est ce que Kyrou y sous entend.… (mehr)
"Google n’est pas un dieu créateur, c’est un dieu spinozien en ce sens qu’il est le relais, ou du moins qu’il se veut le relais d’une nouvelle nature qui est celle d’Internet » est une citation de cet essai. Elle semble bien illustrer la crainte ressentie à la fois dans cette œuvre et dans les mentalités d'aujourd'hui : Google s'impose, impose ses inventions et ses principes. Sa volonté de dominer sur tous les champs effraie dans cet ère du digital où l'avenir reste encore flou.
Le « Big Brother » (tel est le surnom du géant de l'informatique, qui est à ce propos un surnom très équivoque historiquement) intrigue, fait parler de lui et continuera à le faire. C'est ce que Kyrou y sous entend.… (mehr)
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This reissue came out in April 2023. Strangely enough, someone added the ISBN 9782376865766 to the Kindle edition, but this ISBN does belong to the reissued, pocket edition. I'll leave like it is, as Kindle books sometimes have an ASIN and an ISBN.
So, what changed in this revised edition? I won't go into detail, simply copy-paste what its author, Ariel Kyrou posted on Facebook. His additions involve mainly the rise and evolution of AI, like the many articles and posts we have seen about ChatGPT, for example. But the war in Ukraine also found a place in this renewed edition.
02/05/2023: (link)
L'essai "Dans les imaginaires du futur" de mon double pesant vient de sortir en poche chez Hélios, fin avril donc. Histoire d'en parler un peu, je débute un feuilleton : entre un essai sorti fin octobre 2020 et ce même livre publié fin avril 2023, que change-t-on par petites touches sur épreuves avant impression ?
Première réponse : dans la sous-partie "L'IA au coeur des imaginaires du tout numérique", on ajoute ChatGPT.
Genre, la phrase "L’intelligence artificielle est aujourd’hui la reine de ce spectacle en plusieurs épisodes", devient : "Avec ChatGPT d'OpenAI en nouvelle star, l'intelligence artificielle est aujourd’hui la reine de ce spectacle en plusieurs épisodes. Son être tient à la fois du Golem et de la roue, du Léviathan et du supermarché, de la machine industrielle fabriquée pour nous servir, de la machine sociale conçue pour nous asservir et de la machine démiurgique qui nous transforme en petits ou grands dieux et dont on cauchemarde avec délectation qu’elle pourrait nous dépasser un jour ou l’autre."
Ou encore : à propos de l'incroyable ordinateur Shalmaneser de John Brunner dans Tous à Zanzibar : "Bref, cette machine excentrique réunit en un même tout les pièces apparemment contradictoires de l’IA d’aujourd’hui à la ChatGPT : ultraperformante et pourtant faillible, autant démoniaque
que ras du bitume, au service de la masse des consommateurs conformes devant leurs écrans, et in fine bien évidemment de sa multinationale (General Technics, dite GT) qui tire de l’exploitation professionnelle et grand public de la mécanique de copieux bénéfices."
06/05/2023: (link)
Suite de mon feuilleton à propos de la réédition en poche de "Dans les imaginaires du futur". L'ajout, toujours sur l'IA, est à la fin du passage cité, car je ne pouvais m'empêcher de mentionner mon nouvel héros de polar métaphysique, mais dans le réel : Blake Lemoine... Extrait donc : "Qu’AlphaGo devienne une IA « généraliste », ainsi plus proche de Hal, exerçant ses réseaux de neurones sur une multitude de domaines avec un minimum de connaissances a priori. Bref, que cette IA, passant d’un sujet à l’autre, devienne capable de résoudre tous types de problèmes, et pas simplement de vaincre les champions d’un jeu unique, aussi complexe soit-il à l’instar du go qui offre plus de possibilités de parties qu’il n’y a d’atomes dans l’univers. Et le tout, en théorie, sans devoir être « dressée » en permanence par une troupe d’ingénieurs et une foultitude de microtâcherons selon la méthode, dite « supervisée », de l’apprentissage machine de l’IA – mode dominant qui a donné sa dynamique à l’IA dénommée « connexionniste », basée sur les réseaux de neurones. Comment s’étonner, dès lors, qu’un ingénieur de chez Google, Blake Lemoine, ait soutenu en juin 2022 que son IA conversationnelle, LaMDA, avait développé « une vie intérieure riche remplie d’introspection, de méditation et d’imagination » ? Il a certes été viré, mais n’en reste pas moins persistante la perspective fantasmatique d’une machine capable d’apprendre par elle-même..."
26/05/2023: (link)
Dernier épisode de mon feuilleton de réédition en poche de l'essai "Dans les imaginaires du futur" : un petit ajout sur la guerre en Ukraine me semblait symboliquement important. À la toute fin du sous-chapitre "Les mutants du passage et de la transformation", cet événement marquant, comme un terrible chant du cygne d'un monde qui ne veut pas s'en aller, est désormais associé à un concept inventé par Paul Virilio : l'accident de réalité. Je cite : "par essence évolutif et durable, sur le temps de décennies, voire de générations", cet "accident de réalité peut se manifester par la radioactivité, conséquence d’un désastre nucléaire dans une région, ou demain par des enchaînements de pandémies ou d’effets du réchauffement climatique, par exemple dans des îles, des ports ou des bords de mer très menacés par la montée des eaux. À moins que l'accident de réalité ne prenne la forme d'une régression historique, de l'archaïsme d'un conflit armé sans issue, telle la guerre en Ukraine qui n'en finirait jamais suite à l'invasion russe du 24 février 2022."
Finally, two more links to podcasts or online debates for you to enjoy. See also the list at the bottom for more.
* https://smartlink.ausha.co/dessine-moi-une-ia-1/episode-12-ariel-kyrou-ia-et-sci... (02/05/2023?)
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypq05ro0RO0 (10/01/2023)
Large edition or revised, mass market paperback edition, this essay remains important and heavily recommended to this day and beyond.
----------
For completion reasons, here's my original review:
Everybody has something to say about life, about society, about the environment and ultimately, about the future. At least, from their own standpoint.
Science fiction is one of the few styles of literature that deals with life today, in the future, and even in the past. Everyone uses his/her imagination to imagine a different, better world, no matter how small or large the imagined/proposed changes.
Science fiction covers numerous grounds: anthropology, astronomy, medicine/healthcare, politics, sociology, philosophy, psychology, technology, etc.
However, as with many things, it starts in the mind, you imagine something and continue from there.
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In his newest opus - Dans les imaginaires du futur (rough translation: In the imaginations of the future, or, Imagining the future, or interpreted: How the future was, has been and is imagined) -, journalist Ariel Kyrou dived into the massive database and piles of SF-works: books, comics, graphic novels, films, TV-series, music, ... Added to that were works by philosophers/sociologists.
The book is divided into five large chapters, each containing multiple, bite-size subchapters. I've added the English "translations" between brackets. Each chapter starts with a general introduction of the respective theme.
Chapter I: Imaginaires - Ce que nous font les récits du futur (Imaginations - What the stories of/about the future do to us)
In this first chapter, Mr Kyrou begins his dissection with the film 'Blade Runner' (both the 1982 and the 2017 versions) as a basis to address various themes, which allow him to mention other relevant works, like the books of Kim Stanley Robinson. What does the future look like in 'Blade Runner' (and by extension 'Blade Runner 2049)? The end of life on Earth, mankind having to colonise space to find a new safe haven, the development of androids to be able to adapt to this new way of living, etc.
As 'imagination' is a large concept, we're also taken on a philosophical tour with Jean-Jacques Wunenburger, Emmanuel Kant, Paul Ricoeur, Yves Citton, and others. We all have our own imagination, expressed in/through dreams, advertisements, souvenirs, mythologies, and so on. So yes, TV-advertisements by carmakers are used as an example.
The popular TV-series 'Game of Thrones' is also food for discussion, here a number of characters stand out as an example of how George R. R. Martin imagined the world to be or how it should be.
And that's where ideology and the vision of a certain utopia come into play. In other words, how fiction can be at the same time poison and antidote. Fiction can be the expression of existing ideas on the "ideal" world, but can also warn about the possible dangers of such societies. Authors like J. G. Ballard, Alain Damasio, Ursula K. Le Guin, Philip K. Dick, and books like 'Harry Potter' and 'Hunger Games' are all examples of how society could look or shouldn't look like.
Chapter II: Créations technologiques - Devenir dieu avec nos intelligences artificielles (Technological creations - Becoming god with our artificial intelligences)
AI and mankind or humanity 2.0. How AI more and more becomes part of our lives. One example as a start is Vernor Vinge's "singularity" (aka superhuman intellect), which is said to be based on a text by Stanislaw Lem, in which John Von Neumann (information technology pioneer).
What's the impact of AI (robots, computers, ...) on our way of life? How to incorporate AI in a safe way? Various companies, with Silicon Valley as main example, have been working for years on AI (Google, Facebook, ...).
The world is becoming more and more digital, online. Google, Facebook, Neuralink, Apple, ... Soon we'll all be communicating as semi-robots/androids. No need to think about the words any more, as computer already suggest default answers/replies/words (auto-correction?). You don't need to think or spend time reflecting on how you're going to phrase it, the computer will do that for you. Just think of something/Someone and a prefabricated mail/text/image/.... will arise or provide the answer to your question.
Most prominent names here are a.o. John Brunner, William Gibson, whose works were used as references.
AI can also be helpful: registering appointments, directing people to places/addresses/products/... and more. AI can also be "helpful" when all is linked up: your medical data, your driver's licence, your domicile, your bank account, your purchase history, ... So much even, that you will or won't be able any more to buy or do whatever you want, because your personal history will show that what you wish to do is detrimental to your health or you won't be able to buy/do something because you haven't paid your taxes or fines, and so on and so forth.
AI is also Cortana, Siri, and Alexa. You just ask those systems a question and they'll provide the info/answer; but in doing so, they're learning more about you and will know you better than you know yourself or than anyone else knowing yourself.
Last but not least, AI is also a bit of Frankenstein, of the trans-humanism of Google, of the computer DeepMind (chess), of HAL in Clarke's '2001: A Space Oddyssey'.
Chapter III: Fins du monde - De la nécessité d'une pluralité des effondrements (Ends of the world - On the need for a plurality of collapses)
The end of the world is a classic trope in SF, but also in real life. Viruses, wars, technological "advances", political decisions/ideologies, zombies, aliens, ecological disasters (floods, hurricanes, meteorites, ...), each of those has been a topic of many discussions and fears.
On the other hand, as the world continues in cycles. sometimes you have to end something to create a better version. Defining "better" remains a subjective question, obviously, as each of us finds something worth improving. Should mankind go extinct so that nature can reclaim what is hers? Should we continue the chosen path of technological advances or on the contrary, go back to a more basic kind of life, when the digital age didn't exist?
The end of the world and what comes next is also a political question. What will or should society look like? Before this question can be answered, we'd need to know how the world came to its end: climate change? Nuclear wars? Lack of natural resources? As you see, the end of the world can come in many forms and at multiple times. Ultimately, who's to decide what the next version of the world should look like? A few people or a large group? Everyone?
Chapter IV: Extraterrestre - L'exploration spatiale et les imaginaires de l'ailleurs (Extraterrestrial - Space exploration and the imaginations of elsewhere)
Space exploration. Since Perseverance has landed on Mars (February 2021), the topic of space exploration will surely inspire authors to create new stories, despite the plethora of books that have been published in the 20th and 21st centuries. Mr Kyrou picked out some examples of books, music, films, ... about Mars.
But why would man go and explore space? For the same, capitalistic reasons as applied on Earth? Or will we adapt our way of living to the local conditions? Here too, the question of (re)building a society comes into view. How would that happen? What would it look like? Would there still be a place for spirituality, religion, and alike?
And what with possible bacteria? Can bacteria from Earth survive on a planet like Mars?
Volte-Face d'Alain Damasio (Turn-around by Alain Damasio)
As the topics discussed in this book also involve Alain Damasio's books, it was perhaps not all that surprising to have him contribute to this essay. Mr Damasio is known for not being a fan of current technology (smartphones, always being connected, etc.), warning his readers about the dangers of Big Brother, of neo-liberal politics, of the dystopian side of civilisation in general. Mind you, I still haven't read any of his books, unfortunately.
Alain Damasio talks about this essay and why it was written. He continues with a few words on imagination and what's to gain from thinking about the future and how that future could turn out to be? Also, who benefits from this thinking about/imagining the future?
Chapter V: Gaïa 4.0 - Au-delà de la dystopie et de l'utopie terrestre (Gaia 4.0 - Beyond dystopia and terrestrial utopia)
This is the longest, thickest chapter. Ecology and technology, something that will always be of the essence, as we need our environment and its resources to live.
For this chapter, works by a.o. Octavia E. Butler, Ursula K. Le Guin, Kim Stanley Robinson, J. G. Ballard, Philip K. Dick, Thomas More, and Alain Damasio were often be used as references.
Some of the questions asked in this chapter: Can we restore nature to its original state, with its inborn characteristics? How can technology be used to do so? What with fake trees, bugs, bees, etc. that fulfill the same purpose as the real creatures? How will these affect our view of the world, of how we live or will live? How will these inventions impact climate?
Like in the previous chapters, politics, technology, art, work/jobs, ... are aspects that were used to analyse this theme.
Conclusion: Sept figures fantastiques pour réinventer le réel comme fiction (Seven fantastic figures to reinvent reality as fiction)
The conclusion consists of seven short chapters, each focusing on one fantastic creature/being (taken from various works) to reinvent reality as fiction, enchance reality, in other words.
Finally, the whole is rounded off with an extensive index of authors, artists, film makers, ... and those specific works that were used in each of the five blocks/chapters.
When I look at this list, the following names stand out (which means many others have also found a place in the book, but were mentioned only once or a few times):
* Jean-Pierre Andrevon (French author)
* Isaac Asimov (American author)
* Margaret Atwood (Canadian author)
* J. G. Ballard (British author)
* Jeff Bezos (Amazon CEO, or rather, former CEO)
* John Brunner (Britsh author)
* Octavia E. Butler (American author)
* Yves Citton (French philosopher)
* Arthur C. Clarke (British author)
* Philippe Curval (French author)
* Alain Damasio (French author)
* Philip K. Dick (American author)
* Catherine Dufour (French author)
* Greg Egan (Australian author)
* Stanley Kubrick (American film director)
* Bruno Latour (French philosopher, anthropologist, sociologist)
* Ursula K. Le Guin (American author)
* Li-Cam (French author)
* Cormac McCarthy (American author)
* Norbert Merjagnan (French author)
* Elon Musk (Tesla/Neuralink/SpaceX CEO)
* Kim Stanley Robinson (American author)
* Yannick Rumpala (French political scientist)
* Norman Spinrad (American author)
* Bernard Stiegler (French philosopher)
* Andreï Tarkovski (Russian author/film maker)
* Vernor Vinge (American author)
While it is of course advised/recommended that you have read or seen (some/all of) those works, foreknowledge is not really necessary, as Mr Kyrou has focused more on the themes/subjects of said works, less on telling the storyline. (on a side note: Any necessary elaboration is added in the footnotes on the respective pages, something I applaud. I'm not fond of endnotes, i.e. footnotes that were put together at the end of a book, even if these endnotes were divided per chapter. One just tends to not even read or consult these, because you'd have to flip back and forth all the time.)
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'Dans les imaginaires du futur' is a dense, but epic result of much research on how the future (and as a consequence, our present) has been and still is being imagined. Not only by authors/writers, but also by musicians, illustrators/painters, film makers, philosophers, and scientists.
It is a unique document that is very relevant today and will be in the years to come.
You can take a trip down memory lane or perhaps find inspiration to contribute to the future of mankind.
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If you wish to learn more, here are some interesting interviews, podcasts, articles by/about Ariel Kyrou and 'Dans les imaginaires du futur':
https://www.editions-actusf.fr/a/anonyme/dans-les-imaginaires-du-futur
https://www.nova.fr/news/ariel-kyrou-15-demain-nous-serons-furtifs-43829-26-11-2...
https://usbeketrica.com/fr/meme-dans-pires-situations-science-fiction-ouvre-cham...
https://usbeketrica.com/author/ariel-kyrou
https://www.fonda.asso.fr/auteurs/ariel-kyrou
https://www.franceculture.fr/emissions/mauvais-genres/dans-les-imaginaires-du-fu...
https://podcast.ausha.co/c-est-plus-que-de-la-sf/50-les-imaginaires-du-futur-ari...
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I was sent this book by Éditions ActuSF for review. Many thanks to them for the trust.… (mehr)