FUTURES

Introduction
term journey towards a more intelligent, informed future. The test that the
Longitude Prize will be awarded to will be a major, but by no means the only
step towards that goal. We commissioned stories about a future facing up to
the challenge of AMR as part of a much larger effort to publicise, educate,
and enrich the conversation around AMR. To support the experiment we
invited academics to comment on the project, and to respond to the stories.
Authors were asked to consider not an action hero in the explosive
beginning or empty aftermath of a plague, but the subtler stories of living
in a world where our antibiotics are failing: the shifts in everyday life and
society, the impact on families, relationships, politics and work. They were
offered a series of resources, but no one was expected to become an expert.
Not all the medications, symptoms and procedures in place depicted in these
futures are accurate - some that are at the time of writing may not be within
weeks of publication, when a new discovery renders them obsolete. Some
symptoms are drawn directly from medical case studies, some extrapolate
cautiously, and a few are more loosely imagined. Many dwell more on the
general fear of infection than on specific resistant strains, a reaction that
most likely reflects public understanding of the issue better than depictions
which more strictly adhered to specific illnesses.
As a part of the experiment, we invited comments on the use of narratives
in public engagement with complex issues. David Kirby’s, Brigitte Nerlich’s
and Matthew Clarke’s essays go into more depth about the risks and
opportunities of using short stories in these circumstances.
We were fortunate to receive feedback about the stories from a number
of eminent contributors to the AMR cause. Their responses underlined the
importance of focusing on the lived experience of AMR, rather than a
specific disaster. The stories that were received most enthusiastically were
those that dwelt on everyday life. Jonathan Grant, Director of the Policy
Institute at King’s College London and co-author of the book,The Drugs
Don’t Work enjoyed They Want to Live Too for its focus on ‘the mundane
implications of AMR’ the optimistic depiction of a childhood with many
positive elements marred by the frustration of not being permitted to play
outside. Christopher Butler, Professor of Primary Care Health Sciences had
a similar response to Ayanda. He appreciated that it depicted the shift of an
easily solved problem into a chronic, life-changing condition, and the way
that ‘the infections had wider relationship and social implications without
7