Ever wonder what would happen if the animals around us could speak—and lead the world? It might sound like something out of Zootopia, but imagine it as a real possibility in a parallel world.
But what would those futures look like? And more importantly, what lessons could we learn from their challenges and successes?
These futures are what we call unreachable—they can’t happen in our world because they belong to a reality so different from ours. This is part of the Multiversal Futures Concept, where we explore these distant, parallel worlds and see what we can learn from their unreachable futures.
Let’s take a closer look at three intriguing futures from a world where animals speak, have developed their own societies, and live alongside humans.
Future 1: Animals as Global Leaders
In this future, animals control major political systems, while human governments are mostly advisory. Different species take on leadership roles based on their natural abilities. For instance, owls serve as judges, wolves lead the military, humans run the economy, and dolphins handle international relations.
What can we learn?
- Leadership isn’t just for humans—diverse intelligences can offer new ways of governing.
- Focusing on long-term thinking and sustainability might lead to better decision-making.
- When species (or humans) collaborate, societies can become more harmonious.
Takeaway: This future pushes us to rethink leadership. Could our world benefit from a more inclusive, balanced approach where different strengths—whether human or animal—are used to create better policies?
Future 2: Animals Driving Innovation
In this future, animals are the leaders of technological and scientific innovation. They use their unique problem-solving skills to tackle global challenges. Crows lead the way in engineering, while elephants dominate neuroscience, thanks to their impressive memories. Humans rely on animals’ creativity to solve issues they can’t handle on their own.
What can we learn?
- Diverse types of intelligence, like animal cognition, can lead to unexpected breakthroughs.
- Designing tech inspired by nature could make our solutions more sustainable.
- Collaboration between different minds (human or not) is key to innovation.
Takeaway: This future reminds us to value diverse perspectives in science and technology. Nature itself might hold the keys to solving some of our biggest problems.
Future 3: A World of Social Hierarchies
In this future, society is divided into classes based on species size. Larger animals like rhinos, giraffes, and whales form the upper class, humans and mid-sized animals like wolves and dolphins are the middle class, and smaller creatures like birds, bees, and mice make up the lower class. Each group has specific roles: larger animals lead, middle-sized ones manage, and smaller species handle tasks like transportation. Though the system “works,” it creates dissatisfaction, especially among those in the lower classes.
What can we learn?
- Inequality based on physical traits reflects social hierarchies we see today.
- While rigid systems can maintain order, they often sacrifice fairness and opportunity.
- Even societies that seem functional can still foster inequality and discontent.
Takeaway: This future makes us think about inequality in our own world. Are the systems we rely on fair, or are they just holding things together at the expense of others? How can we build more inclusive, just societies?
Conclusion: What These Futures Tell Us About Our World
These unreachable futures may never exist in our reality, but they offer powerful lessons for our world today. They show us that leadership could benefit from diverse perspectives, that innovation can come from unlikely places, and that rigid social structures often create inequality.
By exploring these parallel worlds and their [unreachable] futures, we gain insights that challenge our assumptions and inspire us to create more equitable, innovative, and sustainable futures in our own reality.