{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"The History of the Future","description":"Why did we stop believing in utopia? By the late 19th century, many Americans had come to believe that the future would be defined by peace, prosperity, and moral progress. But over the next century, optimism gave way to fear\u2014war, nuclear weapons, and runaway technology began to reshape our vision of what was possible. In this episode of Context, we explore how our ideas about the future have evolved\u2014from Edward Bellamy\u2019s best-seller Looking Backward (1888), to H.G. Wells\u2019 The Shape of Things to Come (1933), to The Terminator series (1984), and finally to Brian Christian\u2019s The Alignment Problem (2020). Along the way, we trace the rise of techno-utopianism, the shock of dystopian realism, and the ethical dilemmas now posed by artificial intelligence. The history of the future has never mattered more. To support the show and access bonus episodes, join me on Patreon or subscribe through Apple Podcasts or Spotify. ","author_name":"Context with Brad Harris","author_url":"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/bradcoleharris","html":"