We’re back this week with the final part of the amazing interview with world-leading futurist and science fiction legend Kim Stanley Robinson. We delve into generational thinking around economics and why the Martians of KSR’s space opera series have largely abandoned capitalism and traditional 20th century industrial thinking. We return to the topic of climate adaptation, and generally discuss the future of human society. Our favorite episode of the year with Brett, Katie and Rob hosting.

In this weeks episode of The Futurists we talk to author Gunjan Bagla, a leading figure in India-US trade relationships and commerce. Bagla argues that while China is seen as a massive threat to the US, India is a natural ally of the west having supported outsourcing over the last 4 decades, and being more aligned on policy. But like China, India has big ambitions and will overtake China as the most populous nation this decade. Will that translate into economic growth or does India need infrastructure investment to level up as a global economic powerhouse?

In this weeks show Robert Tercek joins Brett King and Richard Petty, the authors of a new book titled The Rise of Technosocialism, to discuss how 21st century economics will be reframed by inequality, automation and climate change. Right now inflation is a massive issue, but its just the start of some seismic changes to core economics set to hit humanity over the next few decades. Which future scenario is likely? Luddistan, Failedistan, Technosocialism or the US’ Neo-Feudalism?

Jim Rutt solves complex future problems by taking action. When we say complex, we mean very complex!. A pioneer of networked society since 1980, Jim launched the world’s first online community, and later led Network Solutions and the Santa Fe Institute. In this episode of the Futurists, the discussion moves fluidly from theory to practice as Jim explains his Game B initiative with colorful language and fresh insight. Topics include: complexity science, applied artificial intelligence, the importance of the number zero, the failures of governance mechanisms, the doom loop of money-on-money return, and why we need a system that is focused on optimizing human wellbeing within planetary limits.

Capitalism is dead, according to Yanis Varoufakis, the author of Technofeudalism. This week on The Futurists you’ll learn about the dramatic reconfiguration of the global economy, whereby profit has been replaced by rents and a flood of central bank money, leading to bigger bubbles and worse crises than ever before! Yanis calls this new system Cloud Capitalism. Find Yanis Varoufakis on the Web: Yanis Varoufakis home page: https://www.yanisvaroufakis.eu/ Follow Yanis on X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/yanisvaroufakis?lang=en Read Yanis’s Articles on The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/yanis-varoufakis