Articles on Optimistic science fiction

[Worldtree]

Interesting. I'm reminded of how much of the SF that was current when I was growing up was either set in the aftermath of a nuclear war or had such an event taking place at some point in its past.

In more recent times, eco-disaster of one kind or another has taken the place of nuclear war.

I suppose OA falls somewhere in the middle, being neither dystopic, nor utopian in the sense that it contains a mix of things that might be considered very positive and never negative at the same time.

Todd

Quite true-
Although at first glance OA seems like a utopia (and parts of it are) it's still interesting to consider the dystopian aspects in what might be much of OA, from our perspective

-universal surveillance
-the many possible shocking practices (to us) listed here

http://www.orionsarm.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1845

-despite living in high prosperity relative to us, it's still possible for a OA society to exist with an immense wealth disparity (a small number of transapients or an archai technically own or utilize the vast majority of resources in a solar system, so far as the concept of ownership can apply between toposophic levels)
-there's a risk of transcendences going disastrously wrong
-rigid birth control/population control measures
-potentially rigid waste management and recycling requirements.

None of these are necessarily dystopian from The perspective of the citizens of OA society of course