The Speculist

Seven Questions with Nina Paley

Filmmaker and cartoonist Nina Paley is our special guest this week, and will be the subject of this week's Speaking of the Future interview. You can learn more about Nina and her work (and view some of her films) by visiting her website at www.ninapaley.com.

1. The present is the future relative to the past. What's the best thing about living here in the future?

I’m still alive. I wasn’t sure I’d last this long.

2. What's the biggest disappointment?

People are even dumber than I thought they were.

3. Assuming you die at the age of 100, what will be the biggest difference be between the world you were born into and the world you leave?

If I died tomorrow, the biggest difference in the world would be that there are more than twice as many humans on Earth than when I was born, and significantly fewer other species. Far more cars, more suburban sprawl, fewer old forests and wildlands, less ocean life; overall, a significant transformation of the Earth’s biosphere. But if I live to be 100, I have 65 years to go, and a lot could happen in that time. We’ll never get the lost species back, but maybe we’ll move out of the current mass-extinction. Culturally, maybe we’ll recognize that other species exist and "deserve" to continue. Maybe technology will solve all our problems. Or maybe the human population will take a nosedive in some ghastly way, like disease or social collapse. When I make predictions based on historical and scientific evidence, they’re pretty grim. For the sake of my mental health, I prefer to say "I don’t know," which leaves room for optimism without indulging in utter fantasy.

4. What future development that you consider likely (or inevitable) do you look forward to with the most anticipation?

Funner toys.

5. What future development that you consider likely (or inevitable) do you dread the most?

The loss of wildlands, old growth ecosystems, and biodiversity. We’re already living in (arguably causing) the largest mass extinction since the dinosaurs’ 65 million years ago.

6. Assuming you have the ability to determine (or at least influence) the future, what future development that you consider unlikely (or are uncertain about) would you most like to help bring about?

I’d like to stop the mass extinction of other species, and the loss of wildlands. Preserving DNA in zoos is not acceptable. We need wild spaces.

I’d also like to bring about more sanity in my own life. That’s a more realistic goal. I can’t run the world’s show, but I’d like to find a comfy chair to watch it from.

7. Why is it that in the year 2003 I still don't have a flying car? When do you think I'll be able to get one?

Drive any car off a cliff; it’ll fly. So we have flying car technology. We just don’t have the technology to handle the sudden stop.

 

What's the deal with these Seven Questions?

Posted by Phil at October 14, 2003 06:11 AM | TrackBack