Launch of a New Podcast Series on Science Fiction and the Future of Science

Increasingly, science fiction is valued by scientists and researchers for its profound and powerful capacity to help us think about possible futures. The Centre for Science Futures proudly partners with the journal Nature to produce six conversations on the future of science with science fiction authors from around the world. During these conversations, we ask them questions to gauge their unique perspective on how science can meet the many challenges we face in the coming decades.  

This week marks the launch of the podcast series and the release of its first episode, Science Fiction and the Future of Science: Science as a Political and Ethical Project, with special guest Kim Stanley Robinson. Kim Stanley Robinson (USA) is the author of the bestselling The Ministry for the Future and winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards. In this episode, he speaks about the dangers of escapism, climate grief, and the myth of scientific objectivity, among many other topics.  

"We engage with authors who all have a strong personal relationship with science and share a genuine interest in where it is going. Whether focusing on climate change, food security or the disruptions caused by artificial intelligence, each of these authors shows how trends in science might impact possible futures for our societies and planet. It is this mixture of personal yet broad perspectives that makes these conversations so thought-provoking”, Mathieu Denis, Head of the Centre for Science Futures, said. 

In the coming weeks, we will be featuring engaging conversations with Karen Lord (Barbados), Vandana Singh (India), Fernanda Trías (Uruguay), Qiufan Chen (China), and Cory Doctorow (Canada). 

The podcast series is hosted by Paul Shrivastava, Professor of Management and Organizations at Pennsylvania State University, who specializes in the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals and is a science-fiction passionate. We are also honoured to partner with the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination from the University of California, San Diego, on this project. They are thanked for their precious help.