Science fiction is experiencing a renaissance as the rate of change and uncertainty about the fut... more Science fiction is experiencing a renaissance as the rate of change and uncertainty about the future increases. Organizations, innovators, and changemakers alike are turning to the genre to navigate the future and design for the present, often unaware that generating and using images of the future for strategic purposes is a cornerstone of foresight practice. A fundamental concept in science fiction that is fueling the use of the genre as a strategic tool is worldbuilding. This paper explores how worldbuilding is currently leveraged, how it relates to design and foresight, and how it might further enrich both disciplines. It will propose that design and foresight may benefit from the worldbuilding processes of science fiction authors to design for coherence, user-test worlds, and help society develop a superstructure of culture in order to imagine and create new visions of the future.
The worldbuilding practices of science fiction authors have the potential to play a key role in s... more The worldbuilding practices of science fiction authors have the potential to play a key role in society, given that they involve the design and depiction of complex, alternative realities set in the future. This potential is acknowledged by Transition Design--an emerging area of practice that melds futures-based narratives, foresight, and systems-thinking, amongst other disciplines. Transition Design goes beyond social innovation to envision radically new images of the future, and pathways towards more sustainable systemic states. To facilitate the design of and transition towards sustainable futures, this Major Research Paper introduces the Seven Foundations of Worldbuilding: a model that integrates a new superstructure of complex systems with backcasting methodology.
Science fiction is experiencing a renaissance as the rate of change and uncertainty about the fut... more Science fiction is experiencing a renaissance as the rate of change and uncertainty about the future increases. Organizations, innovators, and changemakers alike are turning to the genre to navigate the future and design for the present, often unaware that generating and using images of the future for strategic purposes is a cornerstone of foresight practice. A fundamental concept in science fiction that is fueling the use of the genre as a strategic tool is worldbuilding. This paper explores how worldbuilding is currently leveraged, how it relates to design and foresight, and how it might further enrich both disciplines. It will propose that design and foresight may benefit from the worldbuilding processes of science fiction authors to design for coherence, user-test worlds, and help society develop a superstructure of culture in order to imagine and create new visions of the future.
The worldbuilding practices of science fiction authors have the potential to play a key role in s... more The worldbuilding practices of science fiction authors have the potential to play a key role in society, given that they involve the design and depiction of complex, alternative realities set in the future. This potential is acknowledged by Transition Design--an emerging area of practice that melds futures-based narratives, foresight, and systems-thinking, amongst other disciplines. Transition Design goes beyond social innovation to envision radically new images of the future, and pathways towards more sustainable systemic states. To facilitate the design of and transition towards sustainable futures, this Major Research Paper introduces the Seven Foundations of Worldbuilding: a model that integrates a new superstructure of complex systems with backcasting methodology.
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