this post was submitted on 08 Oct 2024
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I don't see how being critical and optimistic about tech is mutually exclusive. And tech is solving some of our issues and will solve more in the future. Not all of them, but to me being tech-positive and understanding technologies can be sustainable is at the core of solarpunk.
About longtermism, ok, I did had that definition of the term. But to me solarpunk is not about being delusional about the climate crisis but still being optimistic about the horizon past it.
It’s not… But it’s a bit like the word “feminism” that includes much more than women struggles. Techno-optimists it’s not about being positive about some technology.
I agree, hence we say solarpunk and not techno-optimists :P
Or maybe we start reclaiming some terms. I am tired of changing labels because some conservative decided to coopt a cool movement. If tomorrow Musk and his followers declare to be solarpunks are we going to nod and move away from the term?
Techno-optimism has always been used to criticize this attitude, together with techno-chauvinism. Techno-utopianism is a less loaded term that might encompass more positive visions of technology, like the attitude towards space exploration in the 60's coming from the soviet union.
"Optimism" in general is not necessarily the term we want to reclaim from the right: it's wishy-washy, boring, mediocre. "I'm not going to do much, I'll be on autopilot, because tech is good and it will sort stuff out. I don't care too much about taking a position, beyond passively trusting tech". Optimism is the happy trust of a dog on a leash going for a walk.
Isn't optimism the raison d'être of solarpunk? It is a reaction to dystopias and proposes an optimistic view of the future.
solarpunk is inherently utopian. Utopias exist to inspire and to reflect on the present. It tells us that there can be a social system in which technology is good, but then if to be optimistic or not is very subjective. Many pessimistic people like utopias exactly because they highlight the ugliness of reality.