Margaret Atwood

barrel of a gun as a species. And the big debate now is, okay, how much, how soon can it be done, and will people even go for it? And meanwhile, you've got all of these other problems that the problem you're trying to solve is causing. So cascading series of events, can it be reversed? So some of the thinking is being directed towards yes, it can.

barrel of a gun as a species. And the big debate now is, okay, how much, how soon can it be done, and will people even go for it? And meanwhile, you've got all of these other problems that the problem you're trying to solve is causing. So cascading series of events, can it be reversed? So some of the thinking is being directed towards yes, it can.

Because unless you do yes, it can, you're going to do no, it can't. And if it's no, it can't, goodbye us. So I am working with a platform called Disco to do an online workshop. Practical Utopias course in which people will, like Lego, like Minecraft basically, they will examine the components of our material way of living, like what house, what food, what clothing, what energy.

Because unless you do yes, it can, you're going to do no, it can't. And if it's no, it can't, goodbye us. So I am working with a platform called Disco to do an online workshop. Practical Utopias course in which people will, like Lego, like Minecraft basically, they will examine the components of our material way of living, like what house, what food, what clothing, what energy.

Can we turn it around on the material level? And in order to do that, what will our social organization have to be like? So what form of government do you propose for this utopia that you're going to build?

Can we turn it around on the material level? And in order to do that, what will our social organization have to be like? So what form of government do you propose for this utopia that you're going to build?

So provide them with the tools that are now already available, different ways of building houses, different ways of making fabrics, different ways of providing clothing, et cetera, different energy forms. Let's see what you can put together out of that and who's going to run this thing. So some very fundamental questions.

So provide them with the tools that are now already available, different ways of building houses, different ways of making fabrics, different ways of providing clothing, et cetera, different energy forms. Let's see what you can put together out of that and who's going to run this thing. So some very fundamental questions.

Not yet. I know they're pitfalls, having read so many of them. You'll notice that I put one into Oryx and Crake and the Mad Atom trilogy, and that's an engineered species that lacks our drawback, shall we say. But they're also, for a human being like us, very boring.

Not yet. I know they're pitfalls, having read so many of them. You'll notice that I put one into Oryx and Crake and the Mad Atom trilogy, and that's an engineered species that lacks our drawback, shall we say. But they're also, for a human being like us, very boring.

They're joined at the hip. And let us say also that one person's utopia is another person's dystopia, which is a theme you often find in the writing of utopia's dystopias. The other thing goes back to your initial queries about stories. What happens to stories once you have utopia? What are we going to tell stories about? Because surely there's no conflict anymore. We've eliminated that.

They're joined at the hip. And let us say also that one person's utopia is another person's dystopia, which is a theme you often find in the writing of utopia's dystopias. The other thing goes back to your initial queries about stories. What happens to stories once you have utopia? What are we going to tell stories about? Because surely there's no conflict anymore. We've eliminated that.

It's a problem. So the utopia in which everybody absolutely lives happily ever after forever and ever is very unlikely because we are who we are. So what people did in certain kinds of communist societies was it was fine to tell stories about how awful things were before communism. That was great. You could do that. So certain kinds of stories become more possible than others.

It's a problem. So the utopia in which everybody absolutely lives happily ever after forever and ever is very unlikely because we are who we are. So what people did in certain kinds of communist societies was it was fine to tell stories about how awful things were before communism. That was great. You could do that. So certain kinds of stories become more possible than others.

So in the middle of a totalitarian dictatorship, you don't want to be telling stories about how awful totalitarian dictatorships are, because off with your head.

So in the middle of a totalitarian dictatorship, you don't want to be telling stories about how awful totalitarian dictatorships are, because off with your head.

Yeah, they're going to have to do preventing disaster plus improving people's lives plus it'll be fun.

Yeah, they're going to have to do preventing disaster plus improving people's lives plus it'll be fun.

Well, there is a puritanical self-flagellating streak on the left as it is currently constituted that if it's fun, it can't be good. They miss a point. If it's not fun on some level, people aren't going to do it. So is it about how virtuous you are, or is it about actually trying to better conditions? So if it's only about how virtuous you are, then you're probably an antinomian Puritan.

Well, there is a puritanical self-flagellating streak on the left as it is currently constituted that if it's fun, it can't be good. They miss a point. If it's not fun on some level, people aren't going to do it. So is it about how virtuous you are, or is it about actually trying to better conditions? So if it's only about how virtuous you are, then you're probably an antinomian Puritan.