solarpunk vs. cyberpunk

cyberpunk (A Scanner Darkly model):

• defined by high-tech, low-life
• technology is extractive + alienating
• weaponised by hyper-capitalist/authoritarian structures
• ontology = zero-sum; survival requires paranoia

solarpunk (A Psalm for the Wild-Built model):

• defined by high-tech, high-harmony
• tech is decentralised, ecologically restorative, community-owned
• system = cooperative
• prioritises human + planetary flourishing over infinite growth

extrapolating anxieties:

• cyberpunk = relatively easy to write (simply turns up volume on existing systemic failures):
  • corporate overreach
  • environmental collapse
  • surveillance

built-in conflict:

• dystopian world = plot writes itself
• survival against oppressive system:
  • immediate stakes
  • clear villains
  • traditional hero’s-journey tension

• if world isn’t ending / government isn’t trying to kill you, where does conflict come from?

• solarpunk requires shifting conflict away from existential threats toward:
  • internal growth
  • philosophical inquiry
  • relational friction
  • complex, ongoing work of maintaining a healthy system
  • eg Dex’s internal crisis of purpose in A Psalm for the Wild-Built despite living in a utopia

• dystopias like A Scanner Darkly (PKD body of work in general) serve as warning signs of what to avoid
• but no architectural blueprint for what to build instead

• we can’t build a future we haven’t first imagined
• solarpunk = target coordinate
• writing cooperative, ecologically sound futures = necessary prerequisite for engineering them in reality