Working 2050: Usefully Predicting the Future

Just because someone’s prediction about the future is right, doesn’t mean that it’s useful.

I remember reading Orson Scott card’s Enders game, particularly the part about his evil older brother Peter, as a child. Contenders game, Peter posts a lot on a virtual “listserv quoteabout his political thoughts, eventually accumulating so much power through the sheer brilliance of his ideas that he is elected president. At the time I read it as a child, knowing nothing about global affairs, the Internet, or you know, really have anything worked, except at this. When I read it again in high school, I scoffed, because well, I was 16 so I knew everything.

That’s not how the world works, “I remember telling all of my friends obnoxiously, regardless of whether or not they had read enders game or had any interest in what I was talking about. “You can’t just… Post on some freaking Xanga and tell your president.” Again, I was in high school. It was a different era. 

And now, in 2021, well…. 

Peter accumulates a huge audience based on his repugnant fascist ideals, and then uses it to execute his ruthless political ambitions. 

All that’s missing is the Facebook ads.

So orson Scott card predicted the Internet. At least, political power on the Internet. 

So what?

who cares?

This is not to diminish science-fiction writers, either their imagination or the overall perspective. 

But it brings up the question I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, which is: 

who cares if you can imagine the future, if you’re not gonna do anything with it?

Atlee, both ender and Valentine, the two people who knew the scope of peters power all along, or helpless to stop him as he goes for total world domination. What she achieves. How the do those books end? Ender leaves the galaxy because he’s sad. 

and then it turns out it once you’ve read the book 5 but it’s been a whole pro life pseudo-fantasy this entire time! 

And Peter maintains his power.

It’s inevitable in the eyes of every character. Predicting it, both in universe and irl, does nothing to stop it.

Not that Orson Scott card probably even wanted to stop it, fucking fascist.

so that’s my actual question, but I’m really curious about when it comes to predicting the future.

How do we predict the future in a way that allows us to change it?

That’s what we’ll talk about tomorrow.

(And fuck you Orson Scott Card!)