Futurist Karl Schroeder on Foresight and Strangemaking COVID19

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Karl Schroeder is not only a great science fiction writer but also a professional futurist who has mastered both the art and science. I invited Schroeder back on my podcast for a brief discussion of foresight in the context of the on-going COVID19 global pandemic. If you have not seen our previous 2 interviews you can see those here and here.

During this 70 min interview with Karl Schroeder, we cover a variety of interesting topics such as: fundamentals of futurism and foresight; Isaac Asimov’s equations of history; change, our default future and why prediction is impossible; the new normal, or lack thereof; the impact of foresight on Alberta’s Oil Industry; strangemaking – i.e. learning to make the familiar strange; wild-card scenarios, COVID19 and the importance of story.

My favorite quote that I will take away from this conversation with Karl Schroeder is:

Recognize the power of imagination and the unlimited possibilities ahead of us. […] Strangemake the world for yourself.

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Who is Karl Schroeder?

Karl Schroeder is the author of ten novels that have been translated into a dozen languages. Karl has a design degree in Strategic Foresight and Innovation and divides his time between writing fiction, conducting workshops and speaking on the potential impacts of science and technology on society. He pioneered a new mode of writing that blends fiction and rigorous futures research — with his influential short novels Crisis in Zefra (2005) and Crisis in Urlia (2011), commissioned by the Canadian army as study and research tools. In 2011 Karl Schroeder attained a Masters degree in Strategic Foresight and Innovation from OCAD University in Toronto.