The Future of the World: From Scientific Account to Interactive Storytelling

Abstract

Starting from the observation that a cognitive distance prevents human beings from taking the measure of the current climate crisis and adopting adequate behaviors, this article asks the question to what extent a narrative approach could help to reduce it. First, it proposes a narratological analysis of some of the scenarios of the future of the world outlined by the scientific community, the Shared Socio-economic Pathways, which leads to the conclusion that, despite the terminology used in the associated commentaries, these scenarios have little narrative value. Continuing with a questioning of the difficulties and implications of the conception of a narrative about the future, it then shows how the approach of anticipation narratives, which consist in envisioning tomorrow on the basis of choices made today, naturally approaches that of interactive narrative. Finally, it argues that transforming the scientific scenario into a fully-fledged narrative cannot be done without adding fictional elements which, if they are coherent and plausible, can only enrich it and sharpen its didactic impact.