I recently discovered the plethora of talks Kim Stanley Robinson has done about how human society may conceivably operate in the future.

Unlike many other science fiction authors Robinson embraces the complexity of human evolution and our relationship with technology. His books do not read like science fiction action movies, rather they are epic speculations looking at all the frameworks of society including the economic and political systems and how they may be forced to change and adapt as a result of the global environmental crisis and new technologies.

Robinson says he is an optimist, you can take this as such in that many of his books take place in a future where humans have managed to survive beyond peak oil, global warming, and global Capitalist-Feudalism.

In this particular talk^*Robinson outlines many of the realities humans will be forced to address and what the future 200 years from now might look like. If you've read his most recent novel 2312 many of these ideas will be familiar to you.

^*FYI it's a fairly lengthy talk, don't let that discourage you from watching it, but be forewarned it's not just for passive consumption.