When I looked back at my blogs on science and science fiction it made me realise how much effort I had put in to considering what is happening in the world and where that might be taking us. Also, how much exploring these subjects has helped me in my writing and in how I think about our possible futures. The blogs themselves were written as the ideas occurred to me and are not any particular order. So what I have tried to do in ‘A Companion to the Future’ to pull all those thoughts into a single, coherent publication. I found that putting all this together, editing and rewriting helpful and rewarding, as I trust you will when reading it.
In the articles I deal with where our society is heading and some of the many issues that will affect us all:
- The impact of ever the increasing role of technology and what that might mean not just on how we live our lives, but on how we might earn a living in the future.
- What all these changes will mean for our children, our children’s children, and all of society.
- What our cities, homes and ultimately our society might look like.
- I look at the technology of science fiction, but I also extend that into our relationship with the intelligent technologies of the future and how we will interact with them.
- I explore that intelligent technology not only from the point of view of what we might want from it, but also what that technology will want from us and for their own ‘lives’.
- I also included some of the more frivolous items for a bit of light relief.
Finally, although it comes first in ‘A Companion to the Future’ I explore the genre of science fiction, why I feel we need good science fiction and what it can contribute to literature and society. I think sometimes sci-fi is looked down as a genre, but as I express in one article I believe that not only does science influence science fiction (naturally) but that science fiction influences science. Anyone with an interest in science cannot help but be aware of science fiction’s predictions, which in turn can act as encouragement or a warning.
I’m sure if you read this it will spark your own thoughts and opinions, some of which I hope will be similar to mine. However, I don’t doubt many will be different even opposed, which is great. I invite you to share those views and those alternative futures with me, that way we can learn from each other and you never know somewhere, someone might take us at least a little more seriously.
So go on, read my ‘A Companion to the Future’ and explore the ideas for our possible futures and the worlds that we human beings are creating for ourselves.
Ian Martyn
