As much as I’d love to tell you your appreciation of talent and a savvy mind for business is the key to a successful future, that’s just not the case. Yes, artistry will be important, but a mind for science will prove to be a greater asset in the early days. Maybe not so much in the area of theoretical physics, but the powerful thing about Hawking was his endless curiosity and his constant search for answers. This kind of attitude will serve the future in a more tangible way than a clever lyric or sick guitar riff. Art exists in the modern world because science made space for it. With eight billion souls on this planet there are enough passionate scientists to find the answers, leaving room for artists to spread their wings in the in-between. Within the dome, the population will lean heavily towards academia, and finding experts in major areas will be prioritized: social, environmental, and health sciences, biology, botany, mathematics, law. Yes, those accomplished in the arts will be part of the society, but they will make up less than fifteen percent of the whole.

This is not going to be a new world without art. We have already established that art is very important, not only to those who are naturally tuned to be creative, but also for mental health. The production and/or consumption of art is a necessary human need.

You said you wanted to have the talent of Taylor Swift over the brains of Stephen Hawking. Perhaps your hackles go up as I push back against you, but let me leave you with this one last thought: Taylor may be breaking records, but Stephen remains one of the most creative souls to grace this planet, and I don’t know about you, but when it comes to learning how to survive in the new era, I’ll take wild, out-of-box creativity over platinum records any day.

As you’re putting the final touches on your survival shelter, take those Taylor Swift albums with you (analog versions only—remember, the internet will be burned away and it may never return—streaming platforms will disappear wherever ones and zeros go to die) and maybe grab a copy of Hawking’s book A Brief History of Time. You may find more hope in it than you’d expect.