Angling for American Futurism
February 26 2008 / by bibelnieks / In association with Future Blogger.net
Category: Social Issues Year: General Rating: 12
Futurism. I first heard the word some years ago in an aluminum
boat in the middle of Saranac Lake
in upstate New York. It was about eight in the morning and the
three of us had various degrees of hangover and body odor to
contend with. With the thrown lines of shining filament laid down,
my eyes 
turned to the mist on the water and my ears to the early
morning twitters in the wood. With the second canned
light-beer of the morning, we three turned to conversation, and
it was then that I had my first encounter of futurism:
Apparently the NBA was going to be made up of men and women sitting in a dark room; wires would be attached to their brains, remotely instructing the movements of agile robots performing amazing feats of agility and prowess that could only, literally, be imagined. Teleportation (through material manipulation at the super string level) was inevitable – so was a universal intellect that housed something approaching the omnipotence of God.
The future of fishing, however, was the most disconcerting of all possible scenarios that day, with fish of my own choosing simply jumping into the boat in reaction to my brainwaves. The doctrinal Moore’s Law was cited along with other literature that was, as far as I was concerned, written in Greek. By the fourth beer I was a confirmed Luddite, the futurist was exhausted, and our ever-amiable third retained the composure of a high school science teacher as conversation turned to parties of the past.
The future has come some way in the intervening years.
With many more fishing trips, and years, under my belt, the future and futurism has increased its relevance in my life. No longer the stuff of contrived fantasy, futurism has become an imaginative and cognitive exercise. Scenarios and possibilities play out like narratives for which conscience and criticality are entirely essential.
The most inspiring (and broad) of futurist articles that I have read to date was scanned by Alvis Brigis only some ten days ago named Tech Law Indicates Biggest Impact of Web Ahead In the Guardian article John Naughton predicts the future impact of the internet to be of similar historical magnitude as that of the Gutenberg press – no little magnitude.
Mr. Naughton’s use of historical phenomena really puts the stakes in perspective. Without Gutenberg, we would have no unmediated access to text, not to mention a personal notion of God. The effects of the Gutenberg press are so pervasive and rooted in us that I dare to say that they have seeped into our unconscious, into the fabric of who we are, and may scarcely be decipherable. To consider the impact that the internet may have not only on our children, but on the future of humankind, is relevant and expansive thought rooted in a love for mankind.
William Blake, an 18th century poet and artist, who incidentally developed his own unique method of printing, wrote in his The Marriage of Heaven and Hell that he would prophesize “by printing in the infernal method, by corrosives, which in Hell are salutary and medicinal, melting apparent surfaces away, and displaying the infinite which was hid.” I’m not sure that the internet has given me glimpses of the infinite, but the shift in the prevalent medium was felt essential by Blake in cleansing “the doors of perception,” so as to display the infinite man. With our still recent and swift shift to new mediums, the future is likely to bring about sweeping revolutions that are, as of now, only accessible to the greatest of imaginations.
There is also something uniquely American and religious about the fervency of many futurists, and something almost touching about the faith that many futurists seem to need to have in what is yet to come. I feel a very mixed reaction to a blog entry recently scanned by mariposa, Amidst exorbitant negativity, optimism about the Future in which David Houle tells the world how he remains afloat in the first somber months of 2008. With a thoughtful and assuring tone, Mr. Houle may be reciting a February’s futurist creed: “As a futurist I am optimistic because there will be a new administration in Washington next year…While it is unclear what the new will be, it will be something different and that is good in and of itself.” While softly charmed by Mr. Houle’s almost religious faith in a brighter future, I severely wince at some of his tenuous suppositions.
To say that anything will be better than what we have now is to deplore the present, not thoughtfully analyze the future. I may not think much of the singing Bush, but I would hardly assert that the invisible swordsman will infallibly get us to the promised land. The possibility of a Mormon in the White House has implications that have not been properly explored. McCain’s temper will hopefully surface before it can be seen in the oval office. What Clinton will mean for feminism is verily worth exploration, and Obama feels like the least of evils. If Mr. Houle feels that these candidates warrant his vision of a future “so bright I got to wear shades,” then he just may be caught wearing his Ray-Bans at night.
Futurism has its roots in the political and social imaginations of men like Marx and Alexis de Tocqueville, and later, Alvin Toffler. These men’s ideas had powerful influences in various fields precisely because of the strength of the forward-looking theories they developed. While Mr. Houle is a calm and optimistic writer who likely puts entire rooms of clients into innovation frenzy, his is an uniquely American and corporate boosterism that mounts the momentum of change, exhorts its general direction, and conspicuously reminisces for the Dionysiac orgies of optimism of the late 1960’s and the insatiable greed and sectarian financial wealth of the 1980’s.
The futurist’s giddy enthusiasm for the flowering of human potential is parcel of what is best in humankind. It is precisely this great hope and belief in our collective future that will make the futurist the discerning conscience of our time. An extensive and seminal article, Why the future doesn’t need us, scanned by Zora Styrian, is a telling exploration of the possible scenarios of unbridled futurism. Bill Joy brings us along on a personal journey as he seeks to understand what is necessary to ensure that we are not devoured by the grey goo of a technology run amok.
Thoughtful and thorough, Mr. Joy insists on the personal responsibility of scientists in their respective fields, leading the way with his own avow: “I have always believed that making software more reliable, given its many uses, will make the world a safer and better place; if I were to come to believe the opposite, then I would be morally obligated to stop this work. I can now imagine such a day may come.” Mr. Joy intelligently refuses the fates of the men that worked on the Manhattan Project; these men saw their scientific work put to use in the annihilation of close to two-hundred thousand human beings.
Less apocalyptic, but no less concerned, Joy poses a more communal appeal: “My immediate hope is to participate in a much larger discussion of the issues raised here, with people from many different backgrounds, in settings not predisposed to fear or favor technology for its own sake.” This is precisely the hope that I have for MemeBox, where enthusiasm for the future is tempered by a communal conscience. The futurist must not only excitedly anticipate the wonders of advancement, but must care so well for humanity that she is aware of our perennial ability to really make a mess of things.
In my fishing for an American Futurism, I have thus far found three distinct schools. There is inspiration from across the pond, by way of the Guardian article, an unabashed optimism by way of David Houle, and a methodic and cautionary exploration by Bill Joy. All three seem to me to have their place as distinct angles of American Futurism.
I sit alongside John Naughton, eagerly awaiting what world changes will come about through the widespread use of the web. I feel a giddy anticipation not unlike watching what the future may hold for a city built on a hill that has yet come to its potential. What fantastic future can this established experiment hold, for surely there is still great change to come. I do not, however, ride the always current wave of boosterism of David Houle. His surfing into the future with sunglasses on feels too much like a modern-day manifest destiny. Emerson’s scathing line Things are in the saddle / And ride mankind. seems as much applicable to futurism’s corporate sect as it does to the American ideology that informed the Mexican-American War. Our present day cowboy-in-chief seems to share that ideology, having already saddled up the cavalry in the name of his favorite philosopher, Jesus Christ.
So I joy in Bill’s early morning catch! Equipped with a competency that has been actively pursued and developed, Mr. Joy is solemnly versed in humankind’s ability to behave atrociously. I share his anxieties about the future, his willingness not to participate in it – like his often quoted Thoreau – but most of all, I share his desire to communally angle for the smallmouth bass in whose lucent scales and elegant skin are mapped a future at which we may all marvel.
Comment Thread (4 Responses)
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Beautiful post. The world needs more writers like you—awakening to the awesome power of the future, concerned for our survival. You may find interesting some of Michael Anissimov’s stuff at Accelerating Future, and particularly this recent post titled Human Arrogance which argues that a human-centric future isn’t necessarily the most desirable outcome.
Posted by: Accel Rose February 26, 2008
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Everyone is a futurist to some extent. Whether you’re planning your day, week, month, year or life, a simulation of the future is essential. One might say that we’ve evolved to be futurists.
As far as the relationship between working to see the future and Americanism, I think you’re onto something important and very fundamental. Cultural ideology conditions what we do / how we behave as a group and inherently must be related to a concept of the self in space and time. It affects our behavior and our survival. The right splash of foresight is essential to a successful society. Striking the proper balance and finding the right visions is an ongoing process—and that’s why we’re here on this site, compelled to output our ideas, scenarios, reactions.
And I contend that we’ve got to get better at it, not just as Americans, but as denizens of the world system. Driven by exponentials, our planet and societal structure is about to experience serious disruption. As humans who share Earth, form bonds and compete for resources we need to steadily better our imagination of the future, lest we make some costly blunders – be they biological, technological, social or cosmological in nature. So it’s important to evolve new structures and ideologies that enable us to work together to prepare better… and of course have fun while we’re making the attempt. :)
I’m glad that you see memebox and futureblogger as a place where we can all explore the possibilities together. I look forward to your future thoughts about the future. :)
Posted by: Alvis Brigis March 02, 2008
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Your stuff about Angling for American Futurism is really diverting. I have to opt for the research paper writing service to or buy term paper just about Angling for American Futurism, because this is the good stuff.
Posted by: ferty July 23, 2009
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Your stuff about Angling for American Futurism is really diverting. I have to opt for the research paper writing service to or buy term paper just about Angling for American Futurism, because this is the good stuff.
Posted by: ferty July 23, 2009
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