{"id":7344,"date":"2025-04-07T12:09:42","date_gmt":"2025-04-07T12:09:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seats2meetutrecht.nl\/?post_type=stories&p=7344"},"modified":"2025-07-29T11:56:20","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T11:56:20","slug":"waardenparadigmas","status":"publish","type":"stories","link":"https:\/\/wondersofwork.nl\/en\/stories\/waardenparadigmas\/","title":{"rendered":"Value paradigms: The drivers of our future"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Victor Evink<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Imagine: you are walking through a modern <\/span>smart city<\/span>. Buildings react to the weather, traffic lights adjust automatically based on traffic flows, and digital systems continuously collect data to optimise services. Is this city designed from the idea that efficiency is paramount? Or is human interaction and well-being central? Or perhaps ecology and sustainability? Behind every design is a fundamental view of what is valuable - a values paradigm<\/span>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The future is not a fixed goal<\/b><\/h2>\n

The future is a changing landscape shaped by our perceptions, stories and actions. How we imagine tomorrow influences the choices we make today, subtly steering the course of history. Science fiction, speculative design and <\/span>worldbuilding<\/span><\/i> are not just creative exercises, they are tools to explore possibilities, test ideas and even plant the seeds of real change.<\/span><\/p>\n

In my earlier articles,<\/span> Future plants<\/a><\/em> and <\/span>Future, plural AND verb<\/i><\/a>, I explored how fiction shapes reality and how we can navigate through the indeterminacy of multiple futures. In my new article <\/span>Tending Ambitopias<\/i><\/a> On Substack, I continue where the previous ones ended. Here I elaborate on value paradigms, ambitious science fiction and how I have applied these concepts in my work with filmmaker <\/span>Emilia Tapprest<\/span><\/a><\/em> for <\/span>Liminal Vision<\/span><\/a><\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Two contrasting visions of the smart city generated by ChatGPT. Left: a city designed for centralised efficiency with surveillance and automation. Right: a city built for community autonomy with participatory design and biomimetic infrastructure. Such simplified contrasts often contain subtle \u201cdystopia versus utopia\u201d undertones.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Understanding value paradigms: From theory to practice<\/b><\/h2>\n

Value paradigms are, simply put, our deeply held beliefs about what constitutes a good life and a good society. They are the basic assumptions that determine how we think about morality, human nature and how we should live together.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can think of value paradigms as a mycelial network beneath a forest. Just as these invisible fungal threads transport nutrients, make connections between trees and influence the entire ecosystem, value paradigms are the underlying structure that determines what is visible above ground - from technology to institutions social practices. They are often invisible but have profound and far-reaching effects on the world we create.<\/span><\/p>\n

For organisations and professionals, this perspective offers concrete tools for decisions in the here-and-now:<\/span><\/p>\n