Brave New Ways #1 / Climate Change, Techno-Optimism, Foresight, Uncertainty
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Will Tech Solve Climate Change?
Technology enjoys high power and status in modern life. Whatever your field, whatever the problem, most action plans agree: technology is part of the solution.
Or maybe it's the solution. Techno-optimists argue that we can solve the biggest global crises (like climate change) and achieve the new age of abundance we all want if we focus on scaling up disruptive technologies like solar energy, autonomous vehicles, and lab-grown meats.
Techno-pessimists argue: that thinking is what creates crises in the first place.
In a complex world like ours, binary thinking is unlikely to serve us best. But it’s everywhere. How can you break the binary when it comes to new technology? How can you unblock fixed positions, spark discovery, and improve the way that these technologies emerge in your world? Here are some avenues for you to explore…
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Rethink Reviewed
Why are we continually surprised by the pace of technological change?
James Arbib at RethinkX points to the mismatch between our linear thinking and the non-linear dynamics of technology adoption – namely feedback loops. Virtuous cycles make the incentives to adopt the new way stronger and stronger, and vicious cycles penalize doing things the old way more and more heavily.
Arbib and his colleagues canvassed several historical and recent examples of tech adoption on their way to concluding that technologies can transform society faster than we think. It’s an obvious statement today — we have all lived its truth — but it’s worth restating because we consistently set expectations for the future that are too much like the present.
Opportunities for Action
Doing foresight is a journey in two dimensions: complexity and uncertainty.
Communicating foresight tends to be more one-dimensional. For Fortune-tellers and Futurists, their aim is to convince. Uncertainty muddies an otherwise clear message and makes it harder to persuade people, so it gets left out.
But uncertainty can also make your message stronger – especially if the topic is complex and you need many, diverse allies to come together to make big change happen.
Asking “What’s the missing research agenda?” or more simply, “What if…?” is a powerful way to restore the missing uncertainty and improve the tech-driven agendas shaping your own world.
What's your perspective? Share your stories with us:
Rare Perspectives
Connect with people and ideas to help you challenge and improve techno-optimistic thinking:
- Watch Neue Geo’s own Chris Kutarna give a quick primer on how civilization works, based on Carroll Quigley’s 1960 classic, The Evolution of Civilizations
- Watch Dave Borlace of Just Have a Think give a video summary of Jamie Arbib and his team's techno-optimistic rethink on climate change
- Follow Jamie Arbib on Twitter
- Skim this Comments section to appreciate how binary our public debates on technology tend to be. Provoked by George Monbiot’s article, Lab-grown food will soon destroy farming — and save the planet
Explorers' Gym
Lessons Learned from Doing Neue Thinking Together
Are you blunt enough with your stakeholders?
Stakeholder conversations are already happening. Maybe even routine. But strangely (or perhaps not), those conversations have left many topics unaddressed and many problems unresolved. Including perhaps the topics you think matter most.
Blunt stakeholder mapping can help you change that.
Premium Content
Watch a 5-minute reflection from Chris after his recent workshop with a dozen star recruits at one of the world's largest pharmaceuticals in The Many Rooms Where it Happens.
Join this Edition's conversation at Neue Geo's Discord discussion site.
The Journey Continues...
The new world of Work is “hybrid,” according to many. But isn’t the “hybrid” workplace half-stuck in the past? The next Edition of Brave New Ways aims to help you shift the paradigm completely.
🙏 Thanks for bringing your energy here. - Chris and your Neue Geo team
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