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2719
2719 presents a history of the future. It is a creative prognosis that charts how Singapore will develop for the next seven hundred years. Moments in the island’s real history will reverberate through the course of its current challenges, its cycles of self-making, and the future of our world order. This work complements the bicentennial commemoration by turning our gaze well beyond the past and ourselves.
25 pages, ebook
Published January 1, 2020
10 people want to read
About the author
Gwee Li Sui
42 books38 followersGWEE LI SUI is a bestselling poet, artist, critic, and translator from Singapore.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 2, 2020
This book can be found free for download on the publisher (Ethos Books website; https://www.ethosbooks.com.sg/)
Kudos to EthosBooks for making this book free. However I am hesitant to call it a book, as this thought piece can easily be read in under 30minutes.
During my time at the Centre for Strategic Futures, we learnt the basic structures of producing foresight work. So when I heard of this book, I was naturally excited to see how someone would see the Singapore story play out.
As expected, there are developments and major inflection points due to technology and in politics. However, the whole book seemed very off-the-cuff and improvised with not much thought put into many of the scenarios. Many were way too extreme (atomic scanning of every inbound good/person in 20 years?) and sometimes incongruent (if you have nuclear fusion why still bother with renewables).
I can see how the author also tries to relate today's scenario by extrapolating Singaporean characteristics, but sometimes specifics are also extrapolated which make little sense (Yes, Ah Meng is going to be the first animal we clone when we can in 70 years because the people then will still love and care about an animal their grand parents once saw as children. No obviously they would clone something closer to their own hearts)
What I am trying to say is that because this book extrapolates and has an inexplicably huge expectation of how fast technology can develop (teleportation are you serious?), it comes off as laughable really.
Kudos to EthosBooks for making this book free. However I am hesitant to call it a book, as this thought piece can easily be read in under 30minutes.
During my time at the Centre for Strategic Futures, we learnt the basic structures of producing foresight work. So when I heard of this book, I was naturally excited to see how someone would see the Singapore story play out.
As expected, there are developments and major inflection points due to technology and in politics. However, the whole book seemed very off-the-cuff and improvised with not much thought put into many of the scenarios. Many were way too extreme (atomic scanning of every inbound good/person in 20 years?) and sometimes incongruent (if you have nuclear fusion why still bother with renewables).
I can see how the author also tries to relate today's scenario by extrapolating Singaporean characteristics, but sometimes specifics are also extrapolated which make little sense (Yes, Ah Meng is going to be the first animal we clone when we can in 70 years because the people then will still love and care about an animal their grand parents once saw as children. No obviously they would clone something closer to their own hearts)
What I am trying to say is that because this book extrapolates and has an inexplicably huge expectation of how fast technology can develop (teleportation are you serious?), it comes off as laughable really.
September 1, 2020
[DO YOU WANT TO LOOK INTO THE FUTURE?]
It doesn’t get more speculative than this.
As people indulged in nostalgia by looking at Singapore’s various histories, ‘2719’ is the brainchild of Gwee Li Sui, as he looks into past cycles to predict what Singapore would be like 700 years into the future, the bicentennial serving as the midway point.
This 20-page short starts off hopeful – describing, spelling out the progress Singapore makes as a speculative city of the future. A shift to better equality, improved equity, technological advancements balanced with the intricacies of heart and humanity. Sounds like utopia.
But like most fictional utopias, humanity almost always finds its way to conflict.
In light of new technologies and uncertainties from new discoveries, ‘2719’ places Singapore as the setting behind ideological clan wars stemmed from the undying histories and cultures of various camps. And as the centuries progressed, the gravity (LOL) of this incident fades, depending on which camp you find yourself leaning towards.
That said, we may hear that the best way to predict the future is to create it yourself. Then again, perhaps while history may not be as doomed to repeat itself as remembered, but the patterns that influence our decisions stay embedded.
If I may recommend – read ‘2719’ in the Marina Bay area – Gardens by the Bay, Marina Barrage, or even a Millenia Walk café. Take your time to absorb the story together with your surroundings, then take another walk through where you are, just for that extra inspiration. ~ Jo
It doesn’t get more speculative than this.
As people indulged in nostalgia by looking at Singapore’s various histories, ‘2719’ is the brainchild of Gwee Li Sui, as he looks into past cycles to predict what Singapore would be like 700 years into the future, the bicentennial serving as the midway point.
This 20-page short starts off hopeful – describing, spelling out the progress Singapore makes as a speculative city of the future. A shift to better equality, improved equity, technological advancements balanced with the intricacies of heart and humanity. Sounds like utopia.
But like most fictional utopias, humanity almost always finds its way to conflict.
In light of new technologies and uncertainties from new discoveries, ‘2719’ places Singapore as the setting behind ideological clan wars stemmed from the undying histories and cultures of various camps. And as the centuries progressed, the gravity (LOL) of this incident fades, depending on which camp you find yourself leaning towards.
That said, we may hear that the best way to predict the future is to create it yourself. Then again, perhaps while history may not be as doomed to repeat itself as remembered, but the patterns that influence our decisions stay embedded.
If I may recommend – read ‘2719’ in the Marina Bay area – Gardens by the Bay, Marina Barrage, or even a Millenia Walk café. Take your time to absorb the story together with your surroundings, then take another walk through where you are, just for that extra inspiration. ~ Jo
October 28, 2020
A short read. Incredibly imaginative and funny. It really helps to be somewhat familiar with Singaporean governance and ethos to appreciate the future laid out in the book.
May 3, 2023
another lovely book written by a singaporean author! a relatively short read but full of complexity :)
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews