Solarpunk: Succeeding Where Cyberpunk Failed

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The stories we tell impact our lives in many unexpected ways. In this video we will talk about the most important story yet to be told.
Support the channel on Patreon: / thebookofive
HUGE thanks to ‪@that5thpuddle‬ and Sam ‪@Afterthoughts‬ for helping out with the video!
Timestamps:
Intro - 00:00
Brief History of Cyberpunk - 1:55
Aesthetic Commodified - 4:33
So... Why is Solarpunk - Punk? - 8:44
Solarpunk Manifesto - 11:10
Epilogue - 18:02
Sources and Further Readings:
Union Membership and Wealth Inequality - jacobin.com/2021/09/labor-day...
"Techno-Orientalism" and Hollywood's Fear of Asia by ‪@MaiaCVideos‬ - • "Techno-Orientalism" a...
Who Shot Guybrush Threepwood? | Genre and the Adventure Game by ‪@InnuendoStudios‬ - • Who Shot Guybrush Thre...
"Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative?" by Mark Fisher (Published by Zero Books)
What Kind Of Game Did Cyberpunk 2077 Turn Out To Be, Anyway? by ‪@broadcaststsatic‬ - • What Kind Of Game Did ...
How Capitalism Destroys Radical Movements by ‪@SecondThought‬ - • How Capitalism Destroy...
Tomorrow's Leaves Short Film - • Tomorrow's Leaves | Ol...
Olivia Louise's Tumblr Post - missolivialouise.tumblr.com/p...
'Dear Alice' Decommodified Edition by ‪@waffletotheleft3443‬ - • 'Dear Alice' Decommodi...
Solarpunk Manifesto - www.re-des.org/es/a-solarpunk...
COLZA Short Film - • COLZA - Animated Short...
A Psalm For the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers (Published by Tor.com)
The Dark Cost of Electric Cars by ‪@OurChangingClimate‬ - • The Dark Cost of Elect...
15 Minute Cities by ‪@radicalplanning‬ - • 15-Minute Cities for L...
We Need A Library Economy by ‪@Andrewism‬ - • We Need A Library Economy
Why We Need Degrowth by ‪@OurChangingClimate‬ - • Why We Need Degrowth
Imagining a Solarpunk Education by ‪@HumanRestorationProject‬ - • Imagining a Solarpunk ...
Why We Need To Abolish Borders by ‪@Andrewism‬ - • Why We Need To Abolish...
The Myth of the Barter Economy - www.theatlantic.com/business/...
How The Barter Myth Harms Us by ‪@Andrewism‬ - • How The Barter Myth Ha...
Neoliberalism: From Ronald Reagan to the Gig Economy by ‪@Tom_Nicholas‬ - • Neoliberalism: From Ro...
Why It's So Hard To Imagine Life After Capitalism by ‪@SecondThought‬ - • Why It's So Hard To Im...
How To Build A Solarpunk City by ‪@Andrewism‬ - • How To Build A Solarpu...
Planned Obsolescence Will Kill Us All by ‪@unlearningeconomics9021‬ - • Planned Obsolescence W...
Making Sense of Capitalism by ‪@unlearningeconomics9021‬ - • Value
The Cyclical Failures of Bethesda's Terrible Writing by ‪@JessieGender1‬ - • The Cyclical Failures ...
Why We Need Utopias by ‪@OurChangingClimate‬ - • Why We Need More Than ...
Very cool Solarpunk artist - dustinjacobus.com/
Ursula Le Guin's Full Speech - • Ursula Le Guin
Visuals: Terra Nil, Factorio, Cyberpunk 2077, Blade Runner 2049, Ghost in the Shell, Blade Runner, Altered Carbon, Johnny Mnemonic, Tomorrow's Leaves, Dear Alice, COLZA, Love, Death + Robots, Strange World.
Stock Images and Footage provided by Pixabay
Footage Credits:
Factorio Footage by ‪@Nathans-Sandbox‬
1980's Wall Street Footage by ‪@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker‬
1980's New York Footage by ‪@VintageLynx‬
Mortgage Rates News Story by ‪@TheEconomicsArchives‬
Cyberpunk 2077 Free Roam Footage by ‪@DayDreamGamingTV‬
Cyberpunk 2077 Kerry Eurodine Questline Footage by ‪@GamesfromMarsYT‬
Misc Cyberpunk 2077 Footage by ‪@ChristopherOdd‬
The Beauty of Cyberpunk 2077 by ‪@defendthehouse‬
Disco Elysium Footage by ‪@myparanoidass2464‬
Music: First Light (Terra Nil), Blossom (Terra Nil), Title Reveal (Terra Nil), Mud Pits (Rain World), Icarus (Deus Ex: Human Revolution), Sewer Stress (Deus Ex: Human Revolution), 14FC (Cloudpunk), Oxygen (Terra Nil), The Omega Institute (Deus Ex: Human Revolution), Urban Downunder (Cyberpunk 2077), Surface of Gorgon (The Outer Worlds), Groundbreaker (The Outer Worlds), Hearing the Forest (Terra Nil), Clear Water (Terra Nil), Rules of Nature (Metal Gear Rising: Revengance), You Are Not Welcome Here (Pathologic 2), One Night in New Orleans (Norco), CGI Snake (Chris Zabriskie), Ignus Nilsen Waltz (Disco Elysium), Mae (GRIS), Gris Pt.1 (Gris).
#videoessay #solarpunk #cyberpunk #terranil

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3 авг 2024

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Комментарии : 432

@thebookofive 5 месяцев назад

Thank you for watching! If you like what I'm doing consider supporting this channel on Patreon for more essays on storytelling, art, video games and more: www.patreon.com/TheBookofIve

@NeostormXLMAX 11 дней назад

In my opinion solar punk shouldny be infused in a narrow set of politics, solarpunk should represent a future where technology coexist with nature regardless of the economic system

@thebookofive 11 дней назад

@@NeostormXLMAX Well, politics and economic system is how you get to that future

@NeostormXLMAX 11 дней назад

Also solar punk doesnt need to be punk after all punk means aesthetic, steampunk isnt punk ether

@NeostormXLMAX 11 дней назад

@@thebookofivewell there are multipleways to get to that future, i find the current “community” of solarpunk hobbyists to be very stringent and narrow about how solarpunk needs to be the ultimate utopia and that no conflict could be present in solarpunk which is absurd, it defeats the entire purpose of the genre. Also i find the whole genre to be based on ghibli films which do have conflict

@NeostormXLMAX 11 дней назад

If you think about it there are alot of series that could count as solarpunk if you dont purely see it as a utopia genre, for example one can argue pokemon to be the perfect solarpunk setting sure it has its issues but it fits most of the definitions, Iain m banks culture series could too, or post-post cyberpunk series with the dying earth genre as well like with horizon zero dawn or xenoblade

@xella3525 5 месяцев назад

I've been thinking about that...like no wonder we are headed towards a dystopian type future, it's because that's all we can visualise (that's in our collective consciousness). If people can't visualise a different way, we will never get there.

@0skim0 5 месяцев назад

Read capitalist realism

@thebookofive 5 месяцев назад

I feel like this phrase would work well in so many circumstances right now 😄

@xella3525 5 месяцев назад

Capitalist Realism by Mark Fisher? @@0skim0 this correct?

@thebookofive 5 месяцев назад

Yup, that's the one

@xella3525 5 месяцев назад

@@thebookofive I'll check it out, thank you!

@twodivision 11 дней назад

The one big issue with solarpunk is that unlike cyberpunk, the movement appeared before the actual works that could be part of it. Cyberpunk grew organically as a reaction to an increasingly technology-driven capitalism in the 80s and beyond. Solarpunk is basically an opposing concept to cyberpunk but there is not much besides the manifesto and some short stories that could give the movement depth and nuance which it needs to influence culture in a way cyberpunk did, or at least to engage in the debate with cyberpunk's cynical pessimism about the future. So far it looks like a manufactured movement, very much like internet music genres like vaporwave and such - an aesthetic and vibe above creative substance.

@garrenosborne9623 5 дней назад

Im not sure thats true, the solar punk vibe has been around for a long time & has much material evidence, its just been maginalised as utopic idealised irrealvence by ....... the powers of commodification. That doesn't mean that its not maturing, gaining momentum or viable. Apart from tech bros deifying Ayan Rand & thinking Bladerunner was a great suggestion, nobody wants to live in the dark satanic neon mills of Fritz Lang . Despite the issue of aesthetic romanticisation ...in the game of "would u Rather?" cant we all just get along with nature, techoolgy & each other' should win! Rather than be held hostage by a few % of comparative advantage psychopaths claiming that cooincidently that society can only run heirachically & that obviously kniveing your way to the top through corporate force is the best measure of worthyness , cuz thats human natur bro. A new vision of human nature is needed, me thinks - & - meta modern solar punk offers it

@Tyneras 4 дня назад

This. Solarpunk is all looks, no substance, and ironically for something called 'punk' its conformist (looking and dressing different means nothing if you all think the same) and trend following. It is, ironically, the sort of shallow non-movement the upper class in a cyberpunk world would follow for social cred. That said, I enjoy the aesthetic, even if it has zero substance.

@Ironication 3 дня назад

It would be nice to know how to "kickstart" it as a movement in a grassroots kind of way. I mean I am absolutely no William Gibson but would like to contribute in my own little way if I can. The aesthetic and the potential is there, as you've said, we just need to fill the rest with intent and some punk attitude.

@noctusdoesthings День назад

To add onto this, there's very little to go off of in solarpunk. In cyberpunk we have a lot of good background detail from just the setup. We know what society is like, who the protagonists are, who the antagonists are likely to be, who the power players are, the types of adversaries and hazards that can be faced, and the types of jobs and adventures that can be set in the setting. Solarpunk not so much. It's not hard to come up with all of this in a story or work, but people like to use thematic shorthand when when figuring out what things they like. Why is Fantasy just a rip off of LotR? Because that's what was popular and became a shorthand for fantasy. Solarpunk doesn't have a shorthand like cyberpunk does. Hell, Stonepunk has more of a shorthand than solarpunk.

@pygmalion5361 3 месяца назад

First one and a half of a minute into the video and as soon as the words "what's so punk about trees?" were spoken I already loved it. A very much needed genre covered by a very much needed type of video essay, thank you for this, this is great work!

@thebookofive 3 месяца назад

Thank you for watching!

@Zectifin 24 дня назад

its not punk. there is no fighting the system. it just portrays a system that happens to be cheery and upbeat and in touch with nature. all of the "punks" besides cyberpunk are not punk and they just have a level of technology and slap punk onto the name.

@thebookofive 24 дня назад

@@ZectifinSo, how does cyberpunk fight the system?

@pygmalion5361 24 дня назад

@@Zectifin solarpunk is about fighting the current system, focused on exploitation of nature and resources, constant uncontrolled growth and spreading misinformation about climate change. It is replaced by another system, sure, so what? I don't really get what you're trying to say here to be honest. Punk is about defiance, solarpunk shows defiance towards our current toxic relationship with nature

@pygmalion5361 24 дня назад

@@Zectifin solarpunk is about fighting the current system, focused on exploitation of nature and its resources, uncontrolled growth and spreading misinformation about climate change that benefits those who profit from it. It is replaced by another system, sure, so what? I'm not sure if I understand the point you're trying to make here to be honest. Punk is about defiance. Solarpunk shows defiance towards our current toxic relationship with nature

@LCTesla 25 дней назад

we also need more trainpunk. trains have always been the most efficient form of transportation and should be used as a default mode in a climate- and energy constrained world.

@stephannahmed7918 23 дня назад

NOT EVERYTHING HAS TO BE PUNK TO BE GOOD

@aguspuig6615 20 дней назад

@@stephannahmed7918 yeah BUT, trainpunk sounds cool, let the trains feel punk for a little, they are trying their best

@imoney139 20 дней назад

This is an Adam something alt account, it has to be.

@rhithym 18 дней назад

For the love of god not everything should be part of the punk genre. It diluted the meaning

@w花b 17 дней назад

I wonder what atomicpunk would look like. Not the Fallout 4 that's retro futuristic, like modern nuclear punk. Maybe it would look very bland and something close to brutalism but white, round shapes everywhere like a nuclear reactor exhaust.

@FekDindad-xy9vz 24 дня назад

Pastoral science fiction isn't a new genre. It's a very old trope of a post scarcity society returned to an idealised past that never really existed. It is almost ultra capitalist in its idealisation of individual land holdings, family structure, and unneeded government.

@syncswim 5 месяцев назад

To anyone interested in solarpunk I'd recommend reading Murray Bookchin, as many of the views espoused by the genre feel like they're drawn directly from his ecology-centric libertarian socialism.

@thebookofive 5 месяцев назад

I'd also add Michael Löwy's book Ecosocialism as well

@nivaldoschmiedel8245 5 месяцев назад

How socialism and libertarianism even go together? Can you elaborate it?

@thebookofive 5 месяцев назад

@nivaldoschmiedel8245 in the most basic terms it rejects both capitalism and private property as well as state ownership by emphasizing mutual aid, common ownership and self-organisation. Andrewism's video on the Commons illustrates some parts of that: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HG4Y8bgUwQ0.htmlsi=GUrAfVcytaQr88wn

@hughmacdonald1911 Месяц назад

@@nivaldoschmiedel8245the original European libertarians were anarchists. The previous comment may be talking about non state socialism. Probably better to use anarcho-libertarian. Look into that term and read about bakhunin and go from there.

@AMRAMRS 12 дней назад

Ted would be proud.

@rhithym 18 дней назад

I will not tolerate cyberpunk slander. Cyberpunk doesn't "fail" in any aspect, and it does exactly what it sets out to do. It's supposed to be a WARNING, a premonition of the tech future we are barreling toward if we don't get our sh#t together. It succeeds at that with flying colors.

@thebookofive 18 дней назад

> It's supposed to be a WARNING I cover that aspect in the video

@l1nkryu 14 дней назад

I didn't like when video author said something like "Solarpunk was made up by this, this and that unlike Cyberpunk that was born out of a novel or movie". I come from watching part 3 from these great Cyberpunk documentary here on YT and a lot more elsewhere and Cyberpunk was assembled in a similar way by different pieces of media here and there, like comics, novels, short stories, games and more. To me it sounds exactly the opposite, Cyberpunk was born organic while Solarpunk was made on purpose, tailored to be a response, a positive punk future. I find it funny, Cyber was analogic and organic while Solar has been digital and manufactured.

@NeostormXLMAX 11 дней назад

Heres what i wrong in my other comment as a counterpoint i dont believe that cyberpunk is possible in the current set of economic system of corporatism especially in the united states, technology would never advance to that level since companies are LAZY they dont innovate when they dont require it, like technofeudalism, only through war imperialism ajd conflict does innovation happen under the current system, for example the usa practically destroyed their own space program when the soviets fell, its only when china built their space station did the usa step up, because technofeudalism is LAZY and will never innovate unless there is conflict cyberpunk future is thus impossible unless challenged by solarpunk or another

@NeostormXLMAX 11 дней назад

@@l1nkryuthe original form of solarpunk had another name i forgot, but most ghibli films were named after this, technically solarpunk always existed but didnt have a definable term, the culture series by banks is solarpunk, foundation by asimov is too technically

@NeostormXLMAX 11 дней назад

I think techno optimism is the name, or any setting where technology coexists with nature

@RoseRelisnot 4 месяца назад

Hollllyyy shit, that ending speech gave me goosebumps

@aranguren12 2 месяца назад

My world changed when I realized the dystopian direction of our society. I just couldn't stop seeing the cracks and stupidity in everything within our system. First came the rage, then the anxiety and I had to sought help to navigate this ocean of feelings. I grew exhausted of the pessimism and then found a new emotion in me: Raw passion. This is it. I realized we could build wonders. Change. fucking. everything. We can build Solarpunk. I had quitted my job a year ago in favor of something climate, and began working on electric batteries (I know, huge issues there). I need the financial stability for a while so decided to take a first step literally a month ago. One experiment. A whatsapp community where every Sunday I curate and share uplifting and Solarpunk stuff, in hopes of switching the pessimism paradigm to something bright. Super small thing, but I'll give it my best as my first forage into something different. I also know that my career will probably take a huge turn towards regeneration and positive impact.

@silver1340 21 день назад

An idea was coming about, that we could grow our own food (on small scale) on balconies. It's therapeutic, eco-friendly, you know what you used to grow it (pesticides or not), etc. Though some governments are banning the practice to have us more dependent on them, they can't regulate all.

@aranguren12 18 дней назад

@@silver1340 exactly.

@seventhcyborg 10 дней назад

In a cruel world, kindness is punk.

@_furydance8890 Месяц назад

I live in china, the population density of my city is 1405 person per km^2. The density and lifestyle shown in most solarpunk media is just impossible. You could build your little island of idyllic sustainability in your high-tech farm, but what about the others? I know people have good will and put their hearts into their creation, but to me, solarpunk is feels too... corporate to trust.

@thebookofive Месяц назад

That's an interesting point! That being said, I think the goal of solarpunk is not to provide a blueprint, but to help people break away from the limits of the "that's the only system we have" mentality. I don't think high density housing will disappear in a post-scarcity world, even if it will probably look a bit different from what we have now. Thank you for your comment!

@_furydance8890 Месяц назад

I watched your video again. I think the main critique I have with Solarpunk is that it envisions a flavour of utopian future, but the road there is eithervmissing, or a painfully corporate one. Cyberpunk at least shows you a failed prospect of our world and calls for violence against the machine, but what should we do to reach the solarpunk world that we want? buy yogurt?

@_furydance8890 Месяц назад

"Capitalism is stopping us form reaching this solarpunk future, where is your RAGE?" This is the message I want to read from future, more mature solarpunk media

@thebookofive Месяц назад

@@_furydance8890 that's a fair critique of existing works. Stepping outside of this paradigm, there already exists a large corpus of anarchist works that tackle this particular topic, as well as real world examples of anarchist projects existing today (i.e. The Zapatistas or AANES aka Rojava). Anark had a great video called "After the Revolution" that tackles this precise problem, you might check it out (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-sMoTWFZjoYA.htmlsi=nqMci0p_s06TIn4R), I think Andrewism did some videos about alternative ways of social organisation, I mention the library economy in the video, but he covered broader topics as well

@thebookofive Месяц назад

You can also take a look at the Chilean Project Cybersyn as an example of a non-capitalist system of the distribution of resources, though it's important to mention that Allende wasn't an anarchist.

@Gaia_Gaistar 12 дней назад

We're becoming more and more unable to separate fiction from reality to the point we're trying to correct fiction.

@cyberpunkalphamale 7 дней назад

Baudrillard says hi

@certs743 12 дней назад

I think many misunderstand cyberpunk. It was not manufactured. It came out of a collection of works by people who correctly looked at where our society was headed and looked at what tech actually has been used for by humans for the last 300 years and it doesn't add up to a utopia. And I hate to say it but based on the ideas presented here "solar punk" has already been tried and fizzled out. Because as near as I can tell it is basically the 60s hippie communes with some cool future tech and early 2000s Frutiger Aero inspired aesthetics. It also seems to be set far enough in the future that like the utopias of Star Trek it already skips over the hard parts and just fast forwards to utopia. I honestly don't see how that really is going to be more than a fad.

@mmyr8ado.360 12 дней назад

The hippies and tumblrites share the same sentiment. Nothing new under the sun, it seems.

@flouserschird 4 дня назад

It can’t happen in our lifetime but 100 to 200 years from now it could be a reality. I would imagine several wars, a electrical reset, and governmental reset could propagate this type of society. It would have to be in a world where the population is heavily declined. That is my prediction for the next few hundred years.

@RavenStorm332 19 дней назад

when you look at every cyberpunk book the overall theme is unchecked ambition where people are just advancing for progress just for progress's sake or someone's need to just be rich and don't give a damn about the things that were broken to get there. There's a middle ground between Cyberpunk and Solarpunk which would be ideal for all but what that looks like isn't known

@lynallott3404 9 дней назад

Why do we need to find a middle ground?

@RavenStorm332 8 дней назад

@@lynallott3404 because utopia comes at a cost just like dystopia does. The cost of a utopia is not allowing anyone in who doesn't agree with the vision presented so a middle ground is best for everyone there has to be choice and people need the freedom to choose what they want to do with their lives

@lynallott3404 4 дня назад

@@RavenStorm332 Mhh, I agree with you, and I do think it applies to solarpunk to an extent, but I don't think that solarpunk is a true utopia, and thus it doesn't have the issue as you propose it. Things are still going to be messy, and broken, and needing fixing in solarpunk, that's part of the point, it's meant to be real, even though it can seem utopian in comparison to where we are now.

@RavenStorm332 3 дня назад

@@lynallott3404 I have to read some solarpunk fiction to refine my but just from how solarpunk was explained in the video it does seem utopian. There are cyberpunk stories that aren't completely dystopian though they're not as popular because for some reason people need a bad guy to blame for their problems

@seand.g423 3 дня назад

@RavenStorm332 is Solarpunk really any more "utopian" than any of the countless promises you heard every day until _at least_ your first one of High school, or are you just that utterly broken?

@FPSTav 17 дней назад

Solarpunk, reminds me of a nomadic lifestyle like the. Nomads from Cyberpunk 2077.

@Uszolada 3 месяца назад

I'm deeply impressed by this video. The amount of work you've put into it is clearly visible and the further reading section only encourages to explore the topic further. You've made wonderful job with this one, I think it's gotta be one of my fave essays (and I watch plenty of those) I really hope the algorithm will pick it up, this video needs to be watched by much more people

@thebookofive 3 месяца назад

Thank you!

@Siranoxz 3 месяца назад

Solarpunk starts with people gradually practicing it, experimenting what works and what doesn't work. Start living the way you intent on the practices that work and gradually you can structure a system around the practices so the transition becomes smooth and and acceptable instead of enforcing change and see if people like it or not.

@KryyssTV 3 месяца назад

Solarpunk will remain a fiction as long as 1% of the population control 90% of the world's wealth. Governments now need corporate wealth to function too which is why COP24 had world leaders consulting with investors and corporate executives. You could get 99% of the worlds population going green and it wouldn't change a thing because they are a minor part of the world's ecological problems.

@Jabjabs 6 месяцев назад

Yes, yes yes! This is one of the best summaries of Solarpunk I have some across in years. It is a movement of sorts that is still finding its footing but everyday it slowly gets a little more stable and capable. It has been said that the reason why capitalism has lasted so long is because many simply do not have a vision or imagination of any other way. For a total lack of this, we just keep doing the same thing everyday because "there is no other way". Solarpunk is an attempt to provide that vision, a future people would actually want rather than fear. That you mentioned the limited scope of this messaging in mass media is to be expected a little. George Lucas once said that in the 70's he spoke to many film directors in the USSR and found that apart from a few subjects they couldn't touch (critical of the standing government), they were much more free than directors in the US. They didn't have to worry about the entire structure of commercial viability/marketing etc that hollywood has as its backbone. In USSR, they couldn't challenge the political powers. In modern media, you cannot challenge the economic system, for it is the great god of progress and it is looking a little well... fragile... In the face of political tension, ecological blow back, resource depletion - solarpunk is a vision of another way. A word that we shrink into rather than trying to speed out of. To be the essence of Epicurus - 'If thou wilt make a man happy, add not unto his riches but take away from his desires.'

@flouserschird 4 дня назад

Realistically, we will have to go through a Cyberpunk world before we can create a Solarpunk world.

@mexicanhalloween 16 дней назад

"succeeding" at what exactly? being a more popular navel-gazing aesthetic? sure, I guess, but to be anything more than that would require controlling the means of production, which none of these people intend to accomplish, so these discussions are as relevant and important as elves.

@h2o848 10 дней назад

That ending speech from Ursula Le Guin...that was an example of art that inspires hope. The comparison of capitalism with the divine right of kings was jaw-dropping.

@strangebird5974 23 дня назад

I love this so much! I'm kinda not so young anymore. To me, this is new, it is a new kind of hope or a crystallization of a hope that has been with us for a long time. I'm sitting here thinking about small first steps. They say one should start by building community, local power structures and all that. I will see, in what way I can help to do that. But I guess one good first step is a reevaluation of one's role in the system - to stop thinking about oneself as a consumer and start thinking about oneself as a social animal that needs and thrives on connection.

@bouncycow3010 День назад

You aren't getting away with ending that video with one of my favourite authors speaking, accompanied by one of my favourite game osts playing behind. Such an amazing video, really inspired me to think more about the genre and expand my view from thinking it was all about wind turbines and environment sustainability. Thank you

@Dekunodeku 2 месяца назад

Holy s%it. Just. Damn. I've long been a fan of Solarpunk (Ever since I first encountered the concept on that very tumblr post you discussed!) but I couldn't put my fingers on why it resonated so hard. I couldn't put to words why it felt so much more revolutionary and important than other 'punk aesthetics' like steampunk or cyberpunk. Your editing, your analysis, your details and suggestions for further reading and just -- I can't say I can remember a time a video left me in tears because of *hope* before. Because hope, hope for a better world, a better future, a better alternative ... that's what the difference is. That's what's been missing. And you nailed it, without even ever once having to utter that word. That word that we so often get chided as being 'foolish' or 'childish' for when we point to fiction as something to aspire for -- hope. This is only the second video I've seen of yours, the first being "The Other Kind Of Horror" that got randomly recced to me... But I'm absolutely subscribing, already. Just, phenomenal.

@zahreeveerman6510 6 месяцев назад

This Video is not only good in it's making, it is touching as well... and the beginning of a rabbit hole or even better, a starting point and resource for the unknowing and untouched. As an artist, I salute you. Thank you.

@thebookofive 6 месяцев назад

Thank you for watching!

@AunSiro 18 дней назад

People in the comments attacking renewable resources, as if we could choose. Non renewable, by definition, eventually run out. There is no escaping that. The only difference is that the more we delay the transition, the worse the world becomes. Why is it so difficult for some people to see that?

@Ftroll 7 дней назад

Many people are very superficial and short-sighted. And also lifestyle advertising today and don’t think about what will happen next, advertising of unbridled consumption, humiliation of those people who are trying to do at least something to attract attention to the problem. Ideocracy is what it is...

@zazander732 11 дней назад

Came back round too Star Trek in the end there. Welcome home.

@jonblack3807 4 дня назад

I find it interesting that this video treats the idea that an end to capitalism is the only true way to the utopias depicted in solarpunk, considering that the greatest environmental protection initiatives have happened under capitalism and the Soviet Union was responsible for insane amounts of environmental damage, including the destruction of the Aral Sea, the mass exploitation of untouched Siberian wilderness, and unrestricted nuclear testing that left a significant portion of Central Asia irradiated.

@kolyashinkarev7366 День назад

Also soviet union recycled before before it was even a thing in the us

@Agitoforestspirit 19 дней назад

Someone else mentioned Origin: Spirits of the Past (2006) briefly but I want to mention it again because it’s really good. It’s a story with strong solarpunk energy before the genre had a name. It deals with a clear structural criticism of the past world (our world) and the world the characters in the film live in. It’s post apocalyptic but a very hopeful tale and has a really interesting use of plant-based body horror. It’s a lot less idyllic of a world than some other solarpunk art but it ultimately still upholds the core concepts. It’s pretty obscure, also failed at the box office, but it has a lot to say about the way in which the idealized past will not save anyone, the importance of working to live in harmony with nature, and also a really firm statement on bodily autonomy (in this case altering ones body in a way society deems unacceptable) that borders on allegorical in a particular way🏳️‍⚧️ also a strong criticism on the idea of normality. One line that sticks with me from an argument between the main characters is the line “The world doesn’t have to go back to normal”

@davidlescano8688 19 дней назад

I like Solarpunk, it gives me hope, hope for a better future. May sound cliche but Solarpunk just sounds so nice, so calming.

@oliverbohn8861 21 день назад

Thank you so much for making this amazing video and doing this important topic justice imo!

@niloofarrafatpanah2 Месяц назад

Unrelated to the topic but when you played Iscarus at 2:15 i just burst into tears

@thebookofive Месяц назад

Deus Ex Human Revolution score is legendary 🔥

@niloofarrafatpanah2 Месяц назад

@@thebookofive wish it wouldn’t be treated like this, so much of a better cyberpunk game than Cyberpunk 2077 😢

@1lostinprocess 5 месяцев назад

Thank you for your video. I hope algorithm picks up your work, and spreads the good word around. Success.

@thebookofive 5 месяцев назад

Thank you for watching!

@hazonku 4 дня назад

Made me think of that mall in Tokyo with the park on it that all the tourists think is great but the locals are like, "Yeah but they build a mall on our park This was the compromise."

@Eckendenker 6 месяцев назад

Very good video, thank you!

@acosma7730 24 дня назад

Arthur Clarke’s Songs of Distant Earth comes to mind.

@afterwords_ 6 месяцев назад

Your editing style is soooo satisfying

@thebookofive 6 месяцев назад

Thank you!

@MarkTheDank 2 месяца назад

I think this video has awaken something in me. Amazing work. You really deserve more views and subcribers, but hey...at least you got one more with me 😊

@thebookofive 2 месяца назад

Thank you!

@SuperSealMan777 5 дней назад

Bro, your editing is extremely good man. That soft fade out scream from rules of nature was immaculate. Keep up the good work!

@GertrondeBaggins 4 месяца назад

Second video I watch from your channel and I really love your stuff.

@francescoanni751 3 месяца назад

A very touching video. Thank you 👍👍👍

@kirbyurner 3 месяца назад

I've referred this documentary to our book club for background viewing, for when we take up The House of Tomorrow, a novel (and later movie) likewise investigating punk rebelliousness vs technologically developed utopianism.

@theoutergod8666 19 дней назад

The title is so clickbaity. Cyberpunk was never meant to be hope for future like solar punk, something to strive for, it was always a warning

@BilalAhmad-ff3xq 12 дней назад

Correct, it's like saying that George Orwell WANTED to live in oceania. 😂😂😂

@zazander732 11 дней назад

Wrong. Solarpunk was never "meant" to be anything, it's not a top down phenomenon. Rewire your brain before its too late.

@theoutergod8666 11 дней назад

@@zazander732 Maybe those who should rewire their brains should be those who write those clickbaity titles based on comparing apples and oranges.

@zazander732 11 дней назад

@@theoutergod8666 cool so ARE not gonna even attempt to adress who wrong you were, no room for you in my Solarpunk Utopia. L.

@theoutergod8666 11 дней назад

@@zazander732 Aaaah yes, trying to fight ignorance by not fighting it, not even trying to enlight others. What an upstanding representative of utopian altruism you are. Keep stacking those Ls.

@DJVirgoNeun1 22 дня назад

While Haiyou Miyazaki does not openly discuss nor is aware of the sub genre, movies like Castle in the Sky and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind does incorporate Solarpunk elements So does Made in Abyss to some extent. Even much older anime such as Green Legend Ran and Origin: Spirits of the Past harbor Solarpunk-like elements. Lush green scenaries with little to no signs of bygone technology are evident in the aforementioned anime mediums above.

@ArielleDistel 6 дней назад

Thank you so much for this video. It was extremely educational and helped me a lot.

@worldreader9945 8 дней назад

"We live in capitalism. It's power seems inescapable... so did the divine right of kings." Holy Moly, did that hit me square in the gut...

@convergencechannel 5 месяцев назад

Marvelous work, thank you

@icarus313 Месяц назад

Really interesting and hopeful essay. Thank you!

@handlehaggler 22 дня назад

i'd love a solarpunk game. exactly something like cyberpunk but in a solarpunk enviroment this time

@helline9 Месяц назад

Of all the words, I'm simply going to say Thank you. …oh, there is so much to be done. :)

@DennisMoore664 24 дня назад

Hope - something we could use a bit more of these days. Thank you!

@BananaArmsMcNess 24 дня назад

Great video, i really enjoyed the presentation and ideas

@razkrunk3169 5 месяцев назад

Amazing video!

@orthy853 3 дня назад

The only major issue I see is that there is no way without some sort of cataclysm that the meager power generation of wind and solar can possibly sustain a technological world. Nuclear would be an option and it would be cool to see nuclear power plants supported by a ecologically friendly network of solar, geothermal, wind, and hydro.

@VitriolicVermillion 16 дней назад

Beautiful video!

@Heraclatian 22 дня назад

Fun fact, humans at least where we are now wouldn't be able to handle a utopia. It's boring. We need conflict to give us meaning. The architect in the matrix said it best and i paraphrase, humans were given paradise and couldn't handle it. That is why cyberpunk hits the heart of so many far more than solarpunk. The universe is in constant entropy. It is a place of natural conflict and survival. A utopia built by beings meant for survival and geared for conflict isn't possible. Our coming to grips with that fact is depicted in cyberpunk heavily which us why cyberpunk is not just aesthetic but a reflection of ourselves within the greater universe.

@malaizze 21 день назад

Nihilistic drivel. This is exactly the conclusions you draw when you get your worldview from sci-fi action movies. You are right to say that people are geared for survival, but your analysis only provides for _one_ understanding of survival. If people are raised in a world where survival is conditional on greed and individualism of course they will act antisocially and reproduce such a society. This is not because people are averse to cooperation but precisely because we are so _adaptive._ It is the material conditions, the environment, that shape what we prioritize for our survival. The solarpunk aesthetic is based, largely, in the anarchist doctrine, which argues that the construction of a non-hierarchical society based in values of mutual aid and free organization. This is not a denial of the drive to survive but a design purpose-built for it. When people are raised in a society designed around community in which their needs are met and they are incentivized at every level to engage in communal and social behaviors, what do you think the result is? It is still surviving, but not the cruel or greedy survival of the cyberpunk capitalist economy - rather it is a survival of mutual aid, what Peter Kropotkin called one of the most important factors of evolution (in his book of the same name). All people want to survive, the point of solarpunk’s concept is to make survival synonymous with cooperation. There will still be conflict, of course, “true” conflictless utopia is impossible, but the point is to constantly work every day to get there - otherwise you will not even get close. Accepting a dismal program because it reflects “human nature” is not an acceptance of nature but rather of nurture. It is laying down and conceding to your social conditioning, that people must be selfish and cannot coexist. It is not a fact but instead a lie

@Heraclatian 21 день назад

@malaizze I get my worldview from the life I have lived and things I have seen. Not from fiction. I've seen how the world really operates and the true nature of people and no amount of mental gymnastics can prove otherwise. Does it mean I want this type of reality, no. But I'm a realist. Not an idealist.

@malaizze 21 день назад

@@Heraclatian hope is not idealism and pessimism is not realism. The things you have seen are real, but the analyses you draw from them are flawed. When I look at the horizon the world looks flat, yet it is round.

@Heraclatian 21 день назад

@malaizze It's not pessimism when you've seen it first hand, its fact. Follow the money also. We can accomplish a lot as humans, to that I know. Ultimately money is what gets anything done and it's those with the money that drive society and it's programming. Change that and you may have a chance but even then, you have to evolve the human condition to a point where it no longer craves or needs conflict, change thebhuman dynamic entirely. That requires as I said evolution, introspection and maturity. Something most just do not have and won't accept. Down with government and corporations sure, then what? A power vacuum waiting to be filled by someone that controls resources. This will never stop unless you change the current human condition. This is reality not pessimisim.

@malaizze 21 день назад

@@Heraclatian you mistake the future I propose for one without government or corporations. It isn’t just _without_ those things, it is _against_ them. A society without hierarchies that doesn’t actively oppose their creation will just end up as a power vacuum, like you said. Opposing the creation of these systems of domination is the whole point. There’s tons of literature on how to organize so as to prevent monopolies of power occurring too. Suggest you read up on it, could do you some good. Maybe not everyone wants to introspect and change, I grant you that, but I think putting down humanity as forever stuck in this condition is blind pessimism. There’s a great analogy I love to use with grasshoppers and locusts: we think of grasshoppers as kind and good and locusts as greedy and destructive, but they’re actually the same species - their behaviors and appearances just change as their material conditions shift. Not everyone can be better on their own, but a change in their conditions that incentivizes working together goes a long way. That’s the kind of future solarpunk politics propose. Anyways, I’m not interested in replying anymore. See you.

@coldhippie 5 месяцев назад

i love this video essay

@GlitchedVision 4 дня назад

if Cyberpunk is a dire warning of a corporate dystopian future, Solarpunk is the desperate cry of hope from those who wish to avoid that fate.

@Afronautsays 24 дня назад

I think the primary issue with solar-punk as it's imagined is the post-scarcity aspect of it. Solarpunk needs to define what it imagines post-scarcity to be for people to be able to latch onto it outside of just "green tech and environmentalism". I don't believe solarpunk will ever get out of it's aesthetic stage if it can't come to terms with how it operates economically, and this has to be figured out along the entire wealth class of humanity, whether they live in cities or rurally. There needs to be consistency.

@thebookofive 24 дня назад

That's something I definitely plan to tackle in some of the future videos. Thanks for the comment!

@malaizze 21 день назад

Watch Andrewism’s video on solarpunk anarchism. The economic basis has been established by many people already

@jingbot1071 20 дней назад

No, the problem is lack of conflict. Cyberpunk sells because it's brutal and sexy. Solarpunk is comfy, sure, but it's the genre equivalent of a desktop wallpaper you like right now.

@niatora 6 месяцев назад

So much food for thought, thank you for putting together such a comprehensive and uplifting video essay! Loved the editing as well, looking forward to future content :D

@thebookofive 6 месяцев назад

Thank you for watching!

@netook8 День назад

IMO Solarpunk is only possible if most materials are mined and refined in space, or if energy is so bountiful as to facilitate energy to matter conversion. There would always be areas on the planet that would look dystopian, to extract, refine, or recycle the materials needed for the tech. Maybe some unknown genetic modification could make animals and plants produce these materials, who knows.

@tristan2116 24 дня назад

This really reminds me of the last book in Frank Herbert's Dune, "Chapterhouse". Especially in regard to how the Bene Gesserit treat the land and organize their society.

@user-xsn5ozskwg 13 дней назад

Always love seeing a good video on solarpunk. It's a wonderful aesthetic and I think broadly helps people envision a better future that we can achieve. You should look into ecomodernism, the capitalist attempt to co-opt the aesthetic and broader goals of the movement. To me it really embodies the risks that come from believing aesthetic alone means anything, and really risks swaying those who do believe we can just consume our way out of equality and climate disasters.

@tahnadana5435 12 дней назад

oh yeahhh.. solar doesnt sound boring at all, rebel moon can be consider solar punk, a work without foundation, sounds fitting to the genre

@The_CGA 25 дней назад

Apropos of this videos’ conclusion that solarpunk is in a really nascent state, Terra Nil itself as a game is a little bit undecided-as a game-about where the soul of its gameplay and player experience lies. There aren’t many different ways to play Terra Nil (yet), just as we haven’t plumbed the depths of what kind of stories and worldbuilding are possible within solarpunk

@derek96720 19 дней назад

The problem with post-capitalist utopia's in film is that it usually involves small agrarian communities which are separated from each other by large distances. So modern issues like lack of resources or population density aren't a thing. This is where the entire fantasy fails, in my opinion. We have more people alive today than at any point in human history, and the only reason that's possible is because of densly-populated urban centers with heavily-industrialized supply chains. Renewable resources, as they appear in fiction, simply isn't equipped to deal with the overwhelming needs of such a large and densely-packed population.

@jamespaguip5913 10 дней назад

I kinda solarpunk better because it’s cyberpunk because it has so much beauty and it’s very relaxing.

@oregano2771 5 месяцев назад

good video, commenting for algorithm!

@BeachandHills-hb2pq 6 дней назад

Degrowth and open bourders. So wonderfull. No extra jobs and thousands wanting food and work wondering around. Really positive idea:)

@mikaelolsson7246 19 дней назад

Horizon: zero dawn is a good example of a solapunk game aswell, i mean the whole story is to fight back against old capitalistic technology and ideas that is now infecting the now reborn and healing world

@clavius5734 16 дней назад

Great video! I connect deeply with the philosophy of solarpunk, but I cannot shake the feeling it is such an incredibly small thing. When I heard about it a few years ago, I of course found Andrewism and Dear Alice, but that’s more or less also where it seemed to end. Still now, in this video I see the same few sources paraded, with the main vibe of the video, and in discussions elsewhere; “We need more of this. We need this to be a real Thing”. Sadly, I can only join the chorus. More Solarpunk please!

@r-saint 6 дней назад

Most of the EV batteries don't even use Cobalt anymore and are using lithium-iron chemistry.

@thebookofive 6 дней назад

Lithium still needs to be mined, so I think the original point still stands, but thank you for the clarification

@BeachandHills-hb2pq 6 дней назад

Degrowth lets become Romania again :) Lovley farms no towns. Saving all our food for the winter and feeding the horses :) Such wonderful hospitals.

@suneaglemcneely 10 дней назад

It's not division, because it's a path to true freedom.

@OscarLT321 15 дней назад

Very interesting video! I think we as humans are more intrigued by cyberpunk, a dystopian future, rather than solarpunk, a utopian future since it is **easier** to imagine. I love the idea of solarpunk way more, obviously, however I think we consider cyberpunk more realistic when looking at our history. There is some weird balance between suffering and happiness that somehow feels absent in utopian futures. We are so used to suffering, we cannot imagine a future without the unending greed of humanity. I think both genres have their place, however I think solarpunk has a lot more developing to do to embrace human nature into it, instead of being solely blind hope. That being said, art is freedom. The ending speech says it all.

@reishibeatz 17 дней назад

blew my eardrums out @14:00

@s.tunafish 22 дня назад

This guy just casually made the hardest yoghurt commercial ever! 😂

@Thesandchief 12 дней назад

Great video. I don't agree with leftism as a muslim but the video is very well made and is a good primer on the topic with interesting thoughts. A subgenre of solarpunk called Islamo-Solarpunk or Islamic Solarpunk is beginning to form. It's Solarpunk with Islamicate aesthetics and is grounded on an islamic conceptual framework instead of the usual leftist framework that's used for Solarpunk. Another very new variant of Islamo-Solarpunk is Islamo-Lunarpunk which is basically Solarpunk but more pessimistic with more of an emphasis on privacy, open source protocols, digital sovereignty while still being aspirational in it's overall presentation. basically an inbetween phase before Solarpunk but after the current world. All this is still very cutting edge because it's parent genre Solarpunk itself is very new. Be on the lookout for Islamo-Solarpunk if it interests you.

@jonblack3807 4 дня назад

Islamo- Solarpunk seems really interesting, and I also really dislike how pervasive communism is in Solarpunk, I’ll definitely be on the lookout for Islamo-Solarpunk.

@autocareslucho 5 месяцев назад

Your accent gives the essay a lot of personality. I love it.

@biocapsule7311 17 дней назад

It reminds me what happen to the 'cultivation' genre, when it met the Western LitRPG genre. I recently saw a video with the critique that the 'cultivation' genre is toxic. For me, it's a yes and no. Cultivation genre came from the Chinese Xianxia genre, basically chinese fantasy, and in it's classical way, it focus on anti-traditionalist, anti-social hierarchy in a setting where magic exist. Then the genre got popular with certain Western writers (who are as most people of our generation, also gamers), and got combine with LitRPG, the worst thing is that they focus on the wrong aspects of the genre and made it into some power-progression fantasy with the murderhobo is the ultimate protagonist, in a world of muderhobos. And example of the subtle difference between the better written and the toxic ones: the better written one have the protagonist reflects on the conversations people are having in a tavern about him. He recognized and laments about the glim of greed he saw in the eyes of *one* of the people. Whereas in a toxic cultivation litRPG... everyone the protagonist met have the tendency to look at what he have with 'greed', everyone is just waiting to commit highway robbery on him, giving the rationale to return the favor. The LitRPG world is just full of greedy murderhobos waiting for the protagonist to dispense "justice", loot them and level up.

@C.DWoods 3 месяца назад

new sub

@innomi4343 4 месяца назад

I was into looking into some Solarpunk stories and seeing how it can be expressed only to find thousands of explanations and solutions with no plots and only exploring old worlds. I was sad to find that only Strange World was the only story with a plot that's not seeing some old building or society.

@thebookofive 4 месяца назад

As I said in the video, the genre is comparatively young, but you can check out The Monk & The Robot books if you feel like it. These are fully realised stories with a ton of character and great writing

@chrisportway Месяц назад

You could also read Pacific Edge by Kim Stanley Robinson and the anthology of short stories METAtropolis, both have definite plots.

@faaip0de0oaid 23 дня назад

I just see solarpunk as hopefull fantasy. Let's be honest, for a future like that to be possible, this world would have to collapse in almost every way, and who knows what humanity wil do at a so dire reality. And history does not help invision a bright future... The only hope i have left is to be wrong

@kurumikatta 10 дней назад

It's speculative fiction and an utopian dream for a certain type of people. To blame everything on capitalism is to blame human nature for wanting to profit from his resources and abilities. That fundamental nature can't be changed, merely tempered by individual foresight and wisdom. It's not solarpunk in the same sense as cyberpunk, only punk as an aesthetic. It's a solar dream.

@kurumikatta 10 дней назад

Utopian thinking is fundamentally flawed because existing is fundamentally flawed. It has issues and suffering. The best solutions accept that the human condition has nasty elements that can't be fixed, only mitigated through individual virtue and wisdom. Talking about beliefs is pointless. No one changes their mind.

@thebookofive 10 дней назад

You are aware that profit isn't a natural phenomenon right? Also, you don't get the full value of your work under capitalism anyway.

@jonblack3807 4 дня назад

@@kurumikattaMy thoughts exactly, for communism to work, it would have to rely on a constant supply of countless completely benevolent people at every level of society, which is why communism has always fallen into authoritarianism.

@kolyashinkarev7366 День назад

@@jonblack3807why when we talk about dismantling capitalism it always defaults to building communism? Don't we have something else? Can't we invent something else?