This future-gazing series examines an assortment of speculative scenarios, what-if conjectures and provocative prophecies. Not all of them will come to pass, but thinking about possible futures can help us understand the present, and catch glimpses of the world ahead.

Sign up for Economist Podcasts+ at www.economist.com/podcastsplus

If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.