Literature of the Future: terms & themes

Evolution as Narrative of the Future

sources: some rational-classical traditions; empirical science: geology, paleontology, genetics

Is the future written or being written? Nature changes continuously (but everything doesn't change at once)

shape of story: cycle (seasons, rotation / revolution of earth, rise & fall of species) or spiral

scale of time:

Human evolution: hundreds of thousands of years

Biological evolution: 3 billion years?

Formation of Earth: 5 billion years?

Cosmic evolution (age of universe): 12-20 billion years

Contrast "human scale" of scriptural or traditional creation: 6000-10,000 years? 

popularity: Despite its empirical truth-base, evolution is less popular than Creation-Apocalypse as a time-frame. Why?

verifiability: In contrast to literal or fundamental interpretation of scripture in which only knowledge that confirms belief or tradition is accepted, science is "falsifiable"--it can be proven wrong, which leads to better science. eventually all scientific knowledge is revised, updated, or overturned.

What kind of future is promised?

"Progress" is the most positive outcome, but not guaranteed, esp. as time-scale increases.

Contrast with apocalyptic "decline."

Key terms or signs: survival, survival of the fittest, adaptation, adapt to changes in environment, change, interconnection / ecological / individuals > demographics

Analogues or parallels:

unregulated / freemarket capitalism--esp. separation of winners & losers, rich and poor, fit and unfit

dog-eat-dog

survival of the fittest (physical > mental)

bear-market, bull-market

corporate sharks

bottom-feeders

lexicon of predation: are you a sheep or a shark?

predation = death; sex

Are you a man or a mouse?

The big dogs are barking.

bulls

Instructor's answers:

it's a jungle out there (cf. "the bungle")

rat-race

dog-eat-dog

swimming with the sharks

survival of the fittest

Location, location, location (environment?)

"Business cycle"

"Creative destruction"

"Social Darwinism"

Capitalism, business, or freemarket, profit-driven economics is natural

If capitalism is natural, it imitates nature

Nature is cyclical, evolutionary > the stock market goes up and down but keeps growing overall--unless the whole thing falls apart and goes extinct!

Species succeed by growing, driving out competition

Modern economics must always grow

Human populations or markets must also grow

examples: