DAVID BRIN ON TECHNO-OPTIMISM AND TECHNO-PESSIMISM:

Is the bold future of our youth being killed by gloomy science fiction? Or has Sci Fi grown more dour as a reflection of our mood? Glenn Reynolds interviews authors Neal Stephenson and Vernor Vinge in a thought-provoking inquiry: Why We Need Big, Bold Science Fiction: “While books about space exploration and robots once inspired young people to become scientists and engineers—and inspired grownup engineers and scientists to do big things—in recent decades the field has become dominated by escapist fantasies and depressing dystopias.”(Hey… I’m TRYING, dammit!)Almost as if deliberately proving the point, TED speaker Paul Gilster rails against techno-optimism in a desperately wrongheaded essay that really should be read in order to understand the problem with today’s well-meaning left. Paul does us all a disservice by conflating a multidimensional landscape with a digital, either-or choice – confusing “optimism” with complacency.

Indeed. Here’s the column he’s referencing.