Learn about What If
A What If Seed begins with a question and follows it wherever imagination, reason, curiosity, or uncertainty might lead. These Seeds are speculative by nature. They invite us to temporarily set aside what we know, believe, expect, or take for granted and consider another possibility.
What if artificial intelligence created humanity? What if we discovered that time could run backward? What if you could know the exact date of your death? What if money disappeared tomorrow? What if humans encountered another intelligent species? What if a decision you regret turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to you?
The question can be scientific, philosophical, technological, social, historical, personal, humorous, frightening, hopeful, or completely unexpected. Many What If Seeds explore what it means to be human, challenging our assumptions about consciousness, morality, relationships, identity, free will, society, technology, life, and death. Others simply change one familiar fact or circumstance and ask us to imagine the consequences.
There doesn’t have to be a correct answer. In fact, the most interesting What If questions often don’t have one.
What If Seeds are usually Original Seeds, because the question itself can become a starting point from which many different creative branches grow. A fiction writer might turn the question into a story. An artist might visualize it. A photographer could interpret its underlying emotion. A nonfiction writer might argue whether the premise is scientifically possible. A filmmaker could create a speculative video, while another contributor might simply challenge the assumption behind the question.
The purpose isn’t to predict the future or prove a theory. It is to create a compelling possibility and invite other people to explore it… and hopefully be inspired to create something in response or participate in the discussion.
