Kim Stanley Robinson

"Does the word postcapitalism look odd to you? It should, because you hardly ever see it. We have a blank spot in our vision of the future. Perhaps we think that history has somehow gone away. In fact, history is with us now more than ever, because we are at a crux in the human story. Choosing not to study a successor system to capitalism is an example of another kind of denial, an ostrich failure on the part of the field of economics and of business schools, I think, but it’s really all of us together, a social aporia or fear. We have persistently ignored and devalued the future—as if our actions are not creating that future for our children, as if things never change. But everything evolves. With a catastrophe bearing down on us, we need to evolve at nearly revolutionary speed. So some study of what could improve and replace our society’s current structure and systems is in order. If we don’t take such steps, the consequences will be intolerable. On the other hand, successfully dealing with this situation could lead to a sustainable civilization that would be truly exciting in its human potential" -Kim Stanley Robinson
Kim is one of my favorite science fiction writers and a leading environmental thinker. Do yourself a favor and read this quick article by him... and pick up one of his books. My favorites are the "Three California's" series (The Wild Shore, The Gold Coast, Pacific Edge) and his Mars series (Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars). He is a fascinating, thought provoking writer.