Hope Drop #34: Ada Palmer | On How Speculative Worlds Can Help Us Create A Better Future
"We’ve saved the world so many times throughout history. Now we just have to do it again."
In this episode of the Existential Hope Podcast, historian and sci-fi author Ada Palmer discusses how we can harness lessons from both history and fiction to reimagine what’s possible for humanity.
Ada argues that one of the most critical advantages we have over past generations is our ability to envision a future radically different from our present. Unlike Renaissance thinkers limited by their own history, today’s societies can draw from an endless array of speculative worlds—both utopian and dystopian—to expand the horizons of what we dare to demand.
In this wide-ranging conversation, Ada digs into everything from concrete ideas for how to govern in a more pluralistic, adaptable world, to the importance of storytelling in addressing existential risks, exploring:
Why pluralism might be the antidote to centralized, one-size-fits-all governance and how speculative fiction shows us ways to make it work.
How past and present technological advancements—like eradicating malaria—can inspire hope for tackling today’s most urgent challenges.
What makes despair the ultimate barrier to progress, and how celebrating successes can keep us moving forward.
Ada’s Recommended Resources
Gene Wolfe - The Book of the New Sun: The Book of the New Sun
Isaac Asimov: Isaac Asimov's works
Robert A. Heinlein: Robert A. Heinlein's works
Samuel R. Delany: Samuel R. Delany's works
J.R.R. Tolkien: Tolkien's works
Anne McCaffrey: Anne McCaffrey's works
Thomas More - Utopia: Utopia by Thomas More
Francis Bacon - New Atlantis: New Atlantis by Francis Bacon
Malka Older - Infomocracy: Infomocracy by Malka Older
Brian Fies - Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow: Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow
Naoki Urasawa - 20th Century Boys: 20th Century Boys
"Speculative Resistance" by Malka Older: Malka Older’s Website
Petrarch’s Writings - Remedies Against Fortune, Fair and Foul: Petrarch on Wikipedia
Fix the News Newsletter: Fix the News
Malaria Eradication Efforts: World Health Organization - Malaria
Universal Basic Income (UBI): Basic Income Earth Network
Ada’s Vision for the Future: Aligning Education with Modern Needs
Ada envisions a future where education addresses foundational societal challenges:
Moving beyond standardized tests to cultivate creativity and problem-solving skills.
A well-educated populace resists the concentration of power by making informed choices, ensuring that decision-making reflects diverse voices rather than a privileged few.
Preparing people to transition from repetitive work to fulfilling, creative roles as automation reshapes labor markets.
Transforming teaching into a respected and well-paid profession to attract top talent.
Encouraging continuous learning through life to navigate a rapidly evolving world.
Xhope Library Recommendations
Nine Subgenres to Help You Understand the Future - Jay Owens. Reviews alternative futurisms, including Chinese Sci-Fi, Afrofuturism, Gulf Futurism, Climate Fiction, Solarpunk, Water Crisis Thrillers, Kitchen Sink Dystopia, Woke Space Opera, The New Weird. Forum/blog-post
Hieroglyph - Ed Finn, Kathryn Cramer. A collection of distinctively positive sci-fi stories authored by major sci-fi writers. Sci-fi content
Better Worlds - The Verge. Animated sci-fi video stories focused on positive futures. Video
Archipelago & Atomic Communitarianism - Scott Alexander. A fictional vision of society defined as an archipelago of value-aligned communities coexisting peacefully. Forum/blog-post
Community Updates
Join Us in Beta Testing Our Worldbuilding Course!
We're preparing to launch our Existential Hope Online Worldbuilding Course and are seeking beta testers to help us fine-tune it. Beta testing will run in February and March. About the course:
Estimated time: 3-10 hours, depending on how much you want to explore the material.
Core areas:
Existential Hope: Moving from risk-based thinking to imagining actionable, positive futures.
The Power of Technology: Examining how transformative tools like AI can shape our world.
Worldbuilding: Crafting interconnected and detailed visions of the future.
If you're interested, fill out this form to sign up. We’ll notify you when it’s ready for testing!
Vitalik Buterin on D/acc: One Year Later
One year after introducing the philosophy of decentralized and democratic, differential defensive acceleration (D/Acc), Vitalik Buterin shares its progress and evolution. From breakthroughs in open-source vaccines and ZK-SNARKs in government ID to the rise of prediction markets and decentralized tools, Vitalik reflects on how these technologies align with the vision of empowering individuals over central authorities.
How Sci-fi can Have Drama Without Dystopia or Doomerism
“But you can’t have a story where everyone is happy and everything is perfect! Stories need conflict!”
This common critique of hopeful sci-fi misses the mark. Conflict doesn’t require dystopia. As Jason Crawford explains, compelling stories can explore human struggles, ethical dilemmas, and the challenges of building better futures—all without resorting to doom-filled narratives.
Read Jason’s complete list of eight ways to have conflict in a future we actually want to live in here.
Exciting Opportunities on Metaculus
AI Benchmark Series: Compete for $30,000 by forecasting real-world questions. Launches Jan 20. Learn more
ACX 2025 Contest: Predict trends in politics, AI, culture, and more by Jan 31. $10,000 in prizes. Enter here
Bridgewater Competition: Forecast globally for a $25,000 prize pool and career opportunities. Starts Feb 3. Join now
Explore more on Existentialhope.com.