Abstract
The beginnings of science fiction (SF) date back to the 2nd century, with the publication of The True Story of Lucian of Samosata. A satirical tale, the book already recounts a voyage to the Moon. Nevertheless, the term SF didn't appear until 1851, in William Wilson's essay A Little Earnest Book Upon A Great Old Subject.
The mere mention of this genre conjures up images of space, robots and more advanced civilizations, several decades or centuries into the future.
But how can these ideas, straight from the imaginations of writers, help us to better understand our present, our future and its challenges? Could these utopian and dystopian sub-genres help us anticipate and solve problems before they even arise? The military, for its part, has been using SF for several years now to predict the evolution of conflicts and the emergence of new types of threat. Wouldn't it be possible to do the same for the fight against climate change?
Eco-anxiety, particularly among the younger generation, is becoming more and more prevalent, while scientific assessments are increasingly pessimistic. As time goes by, how do we translate ideas into reality? How can a movement such as solarpunk, which is more utopian and seeks to imagine a better society, encourage change? How can we be optimistic in the face of prevailing pessimism, and sketch out a promising posterity?
The guest speakers are Simon Bréan, Professor of Contemporary French Literature at Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, and Irène Langlet, Professor of Contemporary Literature (French and Comparative) at Université Gustave Eiffel.
Benjamin Campech, Avenir Commun Durable project manager, will open the third session.
