Kim Stanley Robinson on “Utopian” Science Fiction

Kim Stanley Robinson on “Utopian” Science Fiction

One of the premier writers of thinky sci-fi, Kim Stanley Robinson opened his book “The Ministry for the Future” with an all too plausible scenario: a lethal heat wave descends on India, with vast, horrifying consequences. It’s a sobering read, especially after July, 2021, was declared the hottest month on record. And yet Robinson tells Bill McKibben that his work is not dystopian; his central concern is how the globe could respond to such a disaster and begin to halt the momentum of global warming. “That whole dystopian postapocalyptic strain—it doesn’t serve as a warning, it doesn’t make you change your behavior,” Robinson notes. “I reject all that. I write as a utopian science-fiction writer.” But, “at the moment we’re at right now in world history,” he admits, “I have to set a pretty low bar for ‘utopia.’ If we dodge a mass-extinction event in this century, that’s utopian writing. That’s the best we can expect from where we are right now. Having put that story on the table as being possible, it suggests that we ought to be trying for it.”

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What Precedents Would Clarence Thomas Overturn Next?

What Precedents Would Clarence Thomas Overturn Next?

Justice Clarence Thomas once was an outlier for his legal views. But Thomas is now the heart of the Court’s conservative bloc, and his concurring opinion in the recent abortion ruling calls out some o...

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Abortion and the Potential “Criminalization of Pregnancy” in the U.S.

Abortion and the Potential “Criminalization of Pregnancy” in the U.S.

Last week, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that established a constitutional right to abortion. Although this outcome had been anticipated for months—for years, ev...

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Why Do Conservatives Love Hungary’s Viktor Orbán?

Why Do Conservatives Love Hungary’s Viktor Orbán?

When the New Yorker staff writer Andrew Marantz first heard that the Conservative Political Action Conference, the flagship event of the American conservative movement, was being held in Hungary, he t...

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What the January 6th Committee Uncovered This Week

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Two hearings this week laid out the stark implications of President Trump’s efforts to stay in office. On Tuesday, members of the House Select Committee on January 6th heard testimony about attempts t...

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Dexter Filkins on the Rise of Ron DeSantis

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has shown himself uniquely skilled at attracting attention beyond the borders of his home state. Just this month, DeSantis blocked state funds for the Tampa Bay Rays’ sta...

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The Bombshell Moments at the Second Week of the January 6th Hearings

The Bombshell Moments at the Second Week of the January 6th Hearings

This week, the House select committee held two more hearings to review its astonishing findings on the events of January 6, 2021, featuring testimony from onetime enablers of President Donald Trump: B...

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Putting the Backlash Against Progressive Prosecutors in Perspective

Putting the Backlash Against Progressive Prosecutors in Perspective

A widespread view that cities have become less safe in recent months is transforming local politics. Eric Adams became Mayor of New York City on a tough-on-crime platform. Anxiety about public safety ...

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Jane Mayer and Evan Osnos on the New January 6th Revelations

Jane Mayer and Evan Osnos on the New January 6th Revelations

For months, the House Select Committee on January 6th has examined Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and cling to power. Roughly a thousand witnesses have been interv...

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