We have long looked to novelists, artists, philosophers, and poets to articulate our yearning for a better world — as well as our dread of a worse one — and to conjure a geography of the possible; at this particularly anxious moment in our political and cultural lives, Bookforum sets out to explore this most placeless of places, including Paul La Farge on how perfect worlds are games to be played by following the rules to the letter; and is it time for dystopian novelists to end the reign of the free-market idealists? Keith Gessen wonders. An interview with Aton Edwards, executive director of the International Preparedness Network on simple steps to prepare for disasters, the types of threats to think about, and technologies that might help mitigate risks (and part 2). Cosmic accidents: 10 lucky breaks for humanity. From wipe-outs in life's deep history to future dead oceans, Earth sciences have no shortage of apocalyptic visions to offer. How much is left? A look at the limits of Earth's resources, made interactive. A review of Destination of the Species: The Riddle of Human Existence by Michael Meacher. Best Decade Ever: The first 10 years of the 21st century were humanity's finest — even for the world's bottom billion. A review of The Empire of Civilization: The Evolution of an Imperial Idea by Brett Bowden. JC Hallman on Jurassic Park and the Utopia Wars. Here's a history of the next millennium according to sci-fi.
