Future studies reflects on how today’s changes (or the lack thereof) become tomorrow’s reality. It includes attempts to analyze the sources, patterns, and causes of change and stability in order to develop foresight and to map alternative futures. The subjects and methods of futures studies include possible, probable, and desirable variations or alternative transformations of the present, both social and “natural” (i.e. independent of human impact). A broad field of inquiry, futures studies explores and represents what the present could become from multiple interdisciplinary perspectives. Look up Tomorrow in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Tomorrow is the day after today; it is in the near future. ... Look up transformation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Interdisciplinary work is that which integrates concepts across different disciplines. ...

Futures studies takes as one of its important attributes (epistemological starting points) the on-going effort to analyze images of the future. This effort includes collecting quantitative and qualitative data about the possibility, probability, and desirability of change. The plurality of the term "futures" in futures studies denotes the rich variety of images of the future (alternative futures) and preferable futures (normative futures) that can be studied. It has been suggested that Meta-epistemology be merged into this article or section. ... Look up Future in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Futures studies is often summarized as being concerned with "three P's and a W," or possible, probable, and preferable futures, plus wildcards, which are low probability but high impact events, should they occur. Thus estimates of probability are involved with two of the four central concerns of foresight professionals (discerning and classifying both probable and wildcard events), while considering the range of possible futures, recognizing the plurality of existing images of the future (alternative futures), characterizing and attempting to resolve normative disagreements on the future, and envisioning and creating preferred futures are other major areas of scholarship. Most estimates of probability in futures studies are normative and qualitative, though significant progress on statistical and quantitative methods (technology and information growth curves, cliometrics, predictive psychology, prediction markets, etc.) has been made in recent decades. Prediction markets are speculative markets created for the purpose of making predictions. ...

Like historical studies that try to explain what happened in the past and why, the efforts of futures studies try to understand the latent potential of the present. This requires the development of theories of present conditions and how conditions might change. For this task, futures studies, as it is generally undertaken, uses a wide range of theoretical models and practical methods, many of which come from other academic disciplines (including economics, sociology, geography, history, engineering, mathematics, psychology, technology,tourism, physics, biology, astronomy, and theology). For the novel by Michael Crichton, see Timeline (novel). ... Face-to-face trading interactions on the New York Stock Exchange trading floor. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... History studies the past in human terms. ... Engineering is the design, analysis, and/or construction of works for practical purposes. ... Euclid, Greek mathematician, 3rd century BC, as imagined by by Raphael in this detail from The School of Athens. ... Psychology is an academic or applied discipline involving the scientific study of mental processes such as perception, cognition, emotion, personality, behavior, and interpersonal relationships. ... By the mid 20th century humans had achieved a mastery of technology sufficient to leave the surface of the Earth for the first time and explore space. ... Tourists on Oʻahu, Hawaii Tourism is travel for predominantly recreational or leisure purposes, and also refers to the provision of services in support of this act. ... Physics (Greek: (phúsis), nature and (phusiké), knowledge of nature) is the science concerned with the fundamental laws of the universe. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A giant Hubble mosaic of the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant Astronomy is the science of celestial objects (such as stars, planets, comets, and galaxies) and phenomena that originate outside the Earths atmosphere (such as auroras and cosmic background radiation). ... Theology (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογια, logia, words, sayings, or discourse) is reasoned discourse concerning religion, spirituality and God or the gods. ...

Two factors usually distinguish futures studies from the research conducted by these other disciplines (although all disciplines overlap, to differing degrees):

1. futures studies often examines not only possible but also probable, preferable, and wildcard futures
2. futures studies typically attempts to gain a holistic or systemic view based on insights from a range of different disciplines.

The following discussion, in presenting the history of futures studies and the work of its many branches, conveys futures studies as emergent, cross-cutting and diverse.

Terminology

The discipline goes by different names, depending on the cultural context. Such names include future studies, foresight, futurism, futurology, prospective and futuribles (in France, the latter is also the name of one of the more important 20th century foresight journals published only in French), and prospectiva (in Latin America). Futures studies has become the common term in the English-speaking world. In futures studies, especially in Europe, the term Foresight has become common as of 2005, embracing activities of thinking, debating, shaping the future (European Commission Foresight Website 2005). ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ...

Futurologists attempt to apply Strategic Foresight for forecasting alternative futures. While forecasting -- i.e., attempts to predict future states from current trends -- is a common methodology, professional scenarios often rely on "backcasting" -- i.e., asking what changes in the present would be required to arrive at envisioned alternative future states. For example, the Policy Reform and Eco-Communalism scenarios developed by the Global Scenario Group rely on the backcasting method. Practitioners of futures studies classify themselves as futurists or foresight practitioners. Strategic Foresight is a fairly recent attempt to differentiate futurology from futures studies. It arises from the premise that: the future is not predictable; the future is not predetermined; and future outcomes can be influenced by our choices in the present (Amara (1981)). Strategic Foresight can also be practiced at... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... “Policy Reform” in addition to its more general meanings, has been used to refer to a future scenario which relies on government action to correct economic market failures and to stimulate the technological investment necessary for sustainable development and the creation of a truly sustainable planetary society. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... The Global Scenario Group (GSG) was a team of environmental scholars, headed by Paul Raskin, who used scenario analysis to analyze future paths for world development in the face of environmental pressures and crises. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Scope

Academics forecasting the relative wealth of nations or blocs in a generation's time may well class as futurists. However, Futures studies would not generally include the work of economists who forecast movements of interest rates over the next business cycle. The discipline excludes those who make future predictions through supernatural means, as well as people who attempt to forecast the short-term or readily foreseeable future. Face-to-face trading interactions on the New York Stock Exchange trading floor. ... An interest rate is the price a borrower pays for the use of money he does not own, and the return a lender receives for deferring his consumption, by lending to the borrower. ... // [edit] Introduction [edit] Definition If we were to take snapshots of an economy at different points in time, no two photos would look alike. ... Look up Supernatural in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

As of 2003, over 40 tertiary education establishments around the world teach one or more courses in futures studies. The World Futures Studies Federation has a comprehensive survey of global futures programs and courses. The Acceleration Studies Foundation maintains an annotated list of primary and secondary graduate futures studies programs. The World Future Studies Federation, (WFSF) is a global network of practicing futurists, researchers, teachers, scholars, policy analysts, activists and others. ... the foundations website ...

History

Some intellectual foundations of futures studies appeared in the mid-19th century. In 1997, Wendell Bell suggested that Comte's discussion of the metapatterns of social change presages futures studies as a scholarly dialogue.^[1] One might make a stronger argument that futures studies as a field originated in the early 20th century, intertwined with the birth of systems science in academia, and with the idea of national economic and political planning, most notably in France, the Soviet Union and Eastern bloc countries. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Auguste Comte (full name: Isidore Marie Auguste François Xavier Comte; January 17, 1798 - September 5, 1857) was a French thinker who coined the term sociology. ... It has been suggested that Social development be merged into this article or section. ... This article belongs in one or more categories. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... Systems science is the science of complex systems. ... Plato is credited with the inception of academia: the body of knowledge, its development and transmission across generations. ... For planning in AI see automated planning and scheduling Planning is the (psycholgical) process of thinking about the activities required to create a desired future on some scale. ... A map of the Eastern Bloc. ...

The emergence of futures studies as an academic discipline, however, happened after World War II. Differing approaches arose in Western Europe (mostly in France), in Eastern Europe (including the Soviet Union), in the post-colonial developing countries, and in the United States of America.^[2][1] In the 1950s European people and nations continued to rebuild their war-devastated continent. In the process, academics, philosophers, writers, and artists explored what might constitute a long-term positive future for humanity as a whole, and for their own countries in particular. The Soviet Union and the Eastern bloc countries participated in the European rebuilding, but did so in the context of an established national economic planning process, which also required a long-term, systemic statement of social goals. The newly-independent developing countries of Africa and Asia faced the challenge of constructing industrial infrastructure from a minimal base, as well as constructing national identities with concomitant long-term social goals. By contrast, in the United States of America, futures studies as a discipline emerged from the successful application of the tools and perspectives of systems analysis, especially with regard to quartermastering the war-effort. This article should be transwikied to wiktionary The term post-war is generally used for the period after the end of World War II, i. ... // Recovering from World War I and its aftermath, the economic miracle emerged in West Germany and Italy. ... This box:      A planned economy is an economic system in which a single agency makes all decisions about the production and allocation of goods and services. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ... Eugène Delacroixs Liberty Leading the People, symbolising French nationalism during the July Revolution. ... Cultural identity is the (feeling of) identity of a group or culture, or of an individual as far as she/he is influenced by her/his belonging to a group or culture. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Even today, a schism in perspective lingers between approaches taken by scholars in the U.S. and those in other countries: U.S. practitioners often focus on applied projects, quantitative tools and systems analysis, whereas Europeans investigate the long-range future of humanity and the Earth, what might constitute that future, what symbols and semantics might express it, and who might articulate these.^[3][4] With regard to futures studies within the former centrally-planned economies, or within the newly-developing countries, differences with U.S. futures practice exist primarily because futures researchers in the United States have no opportunity to engage in national planning, nor do their fellow-citizens call upon them to construct national symbols. This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... Adjectives: Terrestrial, Terran, Telluric, Tellurian, Earthly Atmosphere Surface pressure: 101. ... Semantics (Greek semantikos, giving signs, significant, symptomatic, from sema, sign) refers to the aspects of meaning that are expressed in a language, code, or other form of representation. ... A developing country is a country with low average income compared to the world average. ...

By the late 1960s, enough scholars, philosophers, writers and artists around the world had begun to question and explore possible long-range futures for humanity to form an international dialogue. Inventors such as Buckminster Fuller also began highlighting the effect technology might have on global trends as time progressed. This discussion on the intersection of population growth, resource availability and use, economic growth, quality of life, and environmental sustainability — referred to as the "global problematique" — came to wide public attention with the publication of Limits to Growth, a study sponsored by the Club of Rome.^[5] This international dialogue became institutionalized in the form of the World Futures Studies Federation (WFSF), founded in 1967, with the noted sociologist, Johan Galtung, serving as its first president. In the United States, the publisher Edward Cornish, concerned with these issues, started the World Future Society, an organization focused more on interested laypeople. The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... This article belongs in one or more categories. ... Richard Buckminster (Bucky) Fuller (July 12[1], 1895 – July 1, 1983) was an American visionary, designer, architect, poet, author, and inventor. ... Limits to Growth was a 1972 book modeling the consequences of a rapidly growing world population and finite resource supplies, commissioned by the Club of Rome. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The World Future Studies Federation, (WFSF) is a global network of practicing futurists, researchers, teachers, scholars, policy analysts, activists and others. ... Johan Galtung, second from left, and friends in Kilinochchi, Dec 04/Jan 05 Johan Galtung (born October 24, 1930, in Oslo, Norway) is a Norwegian professor, working at the Transcend Institute. ... Founded in 1966 as a nonprofit educational and scientific organization in Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A., the World Future Society investigates how social and technological developments are shaping the future. ...

The field currently faces the great challenge of creating a coherent conceptual framework, codified into a well-documented curriculum (or curricula) featuring widely-accepted and consistent concepts and theoretical paradigms linked to quantitative and qualitative methods, exemplars of those research methods, and guidelines for their ethical and appropriate application within society. As an indication that previously disparate intellectual dialogues have in fact started converging into a recognizable discipline,^[6] two solidly-researched and well-accepted first attempts to synthesize a coherent framework for the field have appeared: Richard A. Slaughter's The Knowledge Base of Futures Studies,^[7] a collection of essays by senior practitioners, and Wendell Bell's two-volume work, The Foundations of Futures Studies.^[8] This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

In a 1932 BBC broadcast the visionary author H.G. Wells called for the establishment of "Departments and Professors of Foresight," presaging the development of modern academic futures studies by approximately 40 years.^[9]

History (by region)

North America

1975 saw the founding of the first graduate program in futures studies in the United States of America, the M.S. Program in Studies of the Future at the University of Houston-Clear Lake;^[10] there followed a year later the M.A. Program in Public Policy in Alternative Futures at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.^[11] The Hawai'i program provides particular interest in the light of the schism in perspective between European and U.S. futurists; it bridges that schism by locating futures studies within a pedagogical space defined by neo-Marxism, critical political economic theory, and literary criticism. In the years following the foundation of these two programs, single courses in Futures Studies at all levels of education have proliferated, but complete programs occur only rarely. As a transdisciplinary field, Futures Studies attracts generalists. This transdisciplinary nature can also cause problems, owing to it sometimes falling between the cracks of disciplinary boundaries; it also has caused some difficulty in achieving recognition within the traditional curricula of the sciences and the humanities. In contrast to "Futures Studies" at the undergraduate level, some graduate programs in strategic leadership or management offer masters or doctorate programs in "Strategic Foresight" for mid-career professionals, some even online. Nevertheless, comparatively few new PhDs graduate in Futures Studies each year. 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... A masters degree is an academic degree usually awarded for completion of a postgraduate course of one or two years in duration. ... The University of Houston–Clear Lake, often called UH–Clear Lake or UHCL, is an upper level university located in the bay area of Houston, Texas. ... The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is a public, co-educational university and is the main campus of the greater University of Hawaiʻi system. ... Neo-Marxism was a 20th century school that harked back to the early writings of Marx before the influence of Engels which focused on dialectical idealism rather than dialectical materialism, and thus rejected the economic determinism of early Marx, focusing instead on a non-physical, psychological revolution. ... Economics is the social science studying production and consumption through measurable variables. ... Literary criticism is the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. ... The word leadership can refer to: the process of leading. ... Look up Management in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Strategic Foresight is a fairly recent attempt to differentiate futurology from futures studies. It arises from the premise that: the future is not predictable; the future is not predetermined; and future outcomes can be influenced by our choices in the present (Amara (1981)). Strategic Foresight can also be practiced at...

Key concepts

A number of concepts, tools and methods for recognizing probable, possible and preferable futures and wildcards exist.

Probability and predictability

Some aspects of the future, such as celestial mechanics, have been discovered empirically or by scientific theory to be highly predictable in a quantitative and statistical sense (i.e., certain system behaviors deriving from laws and observed regularities of physics, chemistry, and biology, or from presently less formalized observations in sociology, psychology and technological development). At present these remain a special minority of physical events. At the same time, growth in chaos theory, nonlinear science and evolutionary theory has allowed us to describe many physical systems as essentially unpredictable in their specific future state. Nevertheless a probability distribution in outcomes may frequently be described for such systems, and particular probabilistic system descriptions may be shown to hold over a wide range of time and conditions.

Not surprisingly, the tension between predictability and unpredictability is a source of controversy and conflict among futures scholars and practitioners. Some argue that it is not the province of futures studies to engage in prediction. Others seek to describe complex systems in a language that includes formal and informal probability and prediction, in balance with possible and preferable futures.

As an example, consider the process of electing the president of the United States. At a one level we observe that any U.S. citizen over 35 may run for president, so this process may appear too unconstrained for useful prediction. Yet further investigation demonstrates that only certain public individuals (current and former presidents and vice presidents, senators, state governors, popular military commanders, mayors of very large cities, etc.) receive the appropriate "social credentials" that are historical prerequisites for election. Thus with a minimum of effort at formulating the problem for statistical prediction, a much reduced pool of candidates can be described, improving our probabilistic foresight. Applying further statistical intelligence to this problem, we can observe that in certain election prediction markets such as the Iowa Electronic Markets, reliable forecasts have been generated over long spans of time and conditions, with results superior to individual experts or polls. Such markets, which may be operated publicly or as an internal market, are just one of several promising frontiers in predictive futures research. Prediction markets are speculative markets created for the purpose of making predictions. ... The Iowa Electronic Markets, or IEM, are a group of real-money futures markets that allow traders to buy and sell contracts based on, among other things, political election results. ... An internal market operates inside an organisation or set of organisations which have decoupled internal components. ...

Shaping alternative futures

Futures studies uses scenarios - alternative possible futures - as an important tool. To some extent, people can determine what they consider probable or desirable using qualitative and quantitative methods. By looking at a variety of possibilities one comes closer to shaping the future, rather than merely predicting it. Shaping alternative futures starts by establishing a number of scenarios. Setting up scenarios takes place as a process with many stages. One of those stages involves the study of trends. A trend persists long-term and long-range; it affects many societal groups, grows slowly and appears to have a profound basis. In contrast, a fad operates the short term, shows the vagaries of fashion, affects particular societal groups, and spreads quickly but superficially. Fashion illustration by George Barbier of a gown by Jeanne Paquin, 1912, from La Gazette du bon ton, the most influential fashion magazine of its era. ...

Mega-trends

Trends come in different sizes. A mega-trend extends over many generations, and in cases of climate, mega-trends can cover periods prior to human existence. They describe complex interactions between many factors. The increase in population from the palaeolithic period to the present provides an example of a mega-trend. The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic – lit. ...

Potential trends

Possible new trends grow from innovations, projects, beliefs or actions that have the potential to grow and eventually go mainstream in the future (for example: just a few years ago, alternative medicine remained truly "alternative". Now it has links with big business and has achieved a degree of respectability in some circles and even in the marketplace). Alternative medicine describes practices used in place of conventional medical treatments. ... Big business is usually used as a pejorative reference to the significant economic and political power which large and powerful corporations (especially multinational corporations), are capable of wielding. ...

Branching trends

Very often, trends relate to one another the same way in which a tree-trunk relate to branches and twigs. For example, a well-documented movement toward equality between men and women might represent a branch trend. The trend toward a minimizing differences in the relationship between the salaries of men and women in the Western world could form a twig on that branch. The term Western world or the West (also on rare occasions called the Occident) can have multiple meanings depending on its context (i. ...

Life-cycle of a trend

When does a potential trend gain acceptance as a bona fide trend? When it gets enough confirmation in the various media, surveys or questionnaires to show it has an increasingly accepted value, behavior or technology. Trends can also gain confirmation by the existence of other trends perceived as springing from the same branch. Some commentators claim that when 15% to 25% of a given population integrates an innovation, project, belief or action into their daily life then a trend becomes "mainstream". By the mid 20th century humans had achieved a mastery of technology sufficient to leave the surface of the Earth for the first time and explore space. ...

Weak signals and wild cards

In futures research "weak signals" may be understood as advanced, noisy and socially situated indicators of change in trends and systems that constitute raw informational material for enabling anticipatory action. "Wild cards" refer to low-probability and high-impact events. This concept may be embedded in standard foresight projects and introduced into anticipatory decision-making activity in order to increase the ability of social groups adapt to surprises arising in turbulent business environments. Such sudden and unique incidents might constitute turning points in the evolution of a certain trend or system. Wild cards may or may not be announced by weak signals, which are incomplete and fragmented data from which relevant foresight information might be inferred.

Other suggestions for thinking about the future

• "Any useful idea about the future should appear to be ridiculous." (Jim Dator)
• "Take hold of the future or the future will take hold of you." (Patrick Dixon)
• "The future is clear to me. What I don't understand is the present." (Gerhard Kocher)
• "There are no future facts." (Fred Polak)
• "A part of our future appears to be evolutionary and unpredictable, and another part looks developmental and predictable. Our challenge is to invent the first and discover the second." (John Smart)

James Allen (Jim) Dator is Professor, and Director of the Hawaii Research Center for Futures Studies, Department of Political Science, University of Hawaii at Manoa. ... Futurewise Dr Patrick Dixon is a business thinker. ... John Smart is a developmental systems theorist whose interests include accelerating change, computational autonomy, evolutionary development, and the technological singularity. ...

Methodologies

Practitioners of the discipline previously concentrated on extrapolating present technological, economic or social trends, or on attempting to predict future trends, but more recently they have started to examine social systems and uncertainties and to build scenarios. In mathematics, extrapolation is the process of constructing new data points outside a discrete set of known data points. ... Technology (Gr. ... Economics (deriving from the Greek words οίκω [okos], house, and νέμω [nemo], rules hence household management) is the social science that studies the allocation of scarce resources to satisfy unlimited wants. ... Although the term social is a crucial category in social science and often used in public discourse, its meaning is often vague, suggesting that it is a fuzzy concept. ... Look up trend, trendy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A prediction or forecast is a statement or claim that a particular event will occur in the future. ... System (from Latin systēma, in turn from Greek sustēma) is a set of entities, real or abstract, comprising a whole where each component interacts with or is related to at least one other component. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Scenario planning or Scenario thinking is a strategic planning method that some organizations use to make flexible long-term plans. ...

Apart from extrapolation and scenarios, many dozens of methods and techniques have uses in futures research (see below).

Futures Studies also includes normative or preferred futures, but a major contribution involves connecting both extrapolated (exploratory) and normative research to help individuals and organisations to build better social futures amid a (presumed) landscape of shifting social changes.

Practitioners use varying proportions of inspiration and research.

Futures studies, although typically informed by science, does not strictly utilize the scientific method in the sense of repeatable experiments creating consensus assertions, lacking the ability to control or repeat the time variable. However, futurists do apply many scientific techniques. Part of a scientific laboratory at the University of Cologne. ... Scientific method is a body of techniques for investigating phenomena and acquiring new knowledge, as well as for correcting and integrating previous knowledge. ...

Some historians project patterns observed in past civilizations upon present-day society to anticipate what will happen in the future. Oswald Spengler's "Decline of the West" argued, for instance, that western society, like imperial Rome, had reached a stage of cultural maturity that inexorably led to decline. Likewise, William McGaughey's "Five Epochs of Civilization" anticipates that the current entertainment-centered culture, having reached an apex of influence and power, will eventually give way to a computer-centered culture based on interactive communication and specialized messages. According to this model, civilizations exhibit a life cycle whose future phases can be "known" through analogy with ones from the past at a similar stage of development. Five Epochs of Civilization: World History as Emerging in Five Civilizations is the title of a book by William McGaughey (Thistlerose Publications, 2000). ...

Practitioners

Several authors have become recognized as futurists. They research trends (particularly in technology) and write accounts of their observations, conclusions, and predictions.

In earlier eras, many of the futurists were attached to academic institutions. For example John McHale the futurist who wrote the book The Future of the Future, and published a Futures Directory, directed his own Centre For Integrative Studies which was a Think Tank within the university setting. Other early era futurists followed a cycle of publishing their conclusions and then beginning research on the next book. More recently they have started consulting groups or earn money as speakers. Alvin Toffler, John Naisbitt and Patrick Dixon exemplify this class. John McHale (born Glasgow 1922, died 1978) was a Constructivist, and originator of Pop art, as well as a jewler, potter, designer, educator with a Doctorate in Sociology, and a Futurist. ... A consultant (from the latin consultus meaning legal expert) is a professional who provides expert advice in a particular domain or area of expertise such as accountancy, technology, the law, human resources, marketing, medicine, finance, public affairs, communication, or more esoteric areas of knowledge, for example engineering of different kinds... Alvin Toffler Alvin Toffler (born October 3, 1928) is an American writer and futurist, known for his works discussing the digital revolution, communications revolution, corporate revolution and technological singularity. ... John Naisbitt (born Jan. ... Futurewise Dr Patrick Dixon is a business thinker. ...

Many business gurus present themselves as pragmatic futurists rather than as theoretical futurists. One prominent international "business futurist", Frank Feather, coined the phrase "Thinking Globally, Acting Locally" in 1979. He has written books such as G-Forces: The 35 Global Forces Restructuring Our Future,^[12] Future Consumer.com,^[13] Future Living,^[14] and Biznets: The Webopoly Future of Business.^[15] The last three examine the strategic impact of the Internet revolution (what he calls the "Webolution") on business, economics, and society. Frank Feather is a business futurist and author. ... The phrase Thinking Globally, Acting Locally was reportedly coined by David Brower, founder of Friends of the Earth, as the slogan for FOE when it was founded in 1969. ... Wall Street, Manhattan is the location of the New York Stock Exchange and is often used as a symbol for the world of business. ... Face-to-face trading interactions on the New York Stock Exchange trading floor. ...

Some futurists share features in common with the writers of science fiction, and indeed some science-fiction writers, such as Arthur C. Clarke, have acquired a certain reputation as futurists. Some writers, though, show less interest in technological or social developments and use the future only as a backdrop to their stories. For example, in the introduction to The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin wrote of prediction as the business of prophets, clairvoyants, and futurists, not of writers: "a novelist's business is lying". Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (born December 16, 1917) is a British science-fiction author and inventor, most famous for his novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, and for collaborating with director Stanley Kubrick on the film of the same name. ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ... Ursula Kroeber Le Guin [] (born October 21, 1929) is an American author. ... Wall Street, Manhattan is the location of the New York Stock Exchange and is often used as a symbol for the world of business. ...

Research centers

• Futures Studies Department, Corvinus University of Budapest
• Department of Futures Studies, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India^[16]
• Futures Research Committee of Hungarian Academy of Sciences^[17]
• Finland Futures Research Centre, Turku School of Economics and Business Administration
• Foresight and Futurology Unit, a BT Group think tank
• Hawaii Research Center for Futures Studies, University of Hawai`i at Mānoa
• Institute for Alternative Futures, Alexandria, Virginia
• Institute for the Future, Palo Alto, California
• Laboratory for Investigation in Prospective Strategy and Organization, CNAM Paris^[18]
• National Intelligence Council, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Washington DC, ^[19]
• Tellus Institute, Boston MA
• World Future Society
• The Futures Academy, Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland
• Futuribles,^[20]
• SUBITO! Research&Futures, Europe/Norway^[21]
• Zukunftsinstitut, Europe/Germany ^[22]
• proGective, Europe/France ^[23]
• World Futures Studies Federation, world ^[24]

It has been suggested that Talk:Futures Studies Department be merged into this article or section. ... Corvinus University of Budapest The Corvinus University of Budapest is specialized in teaching economics, but since 2000 it has incorporated other universities as well. ... The Turku School of Economics and Business Administration (Finnish Turun kauppakorkeakoulu) is a university specialising on economic and business sciences located in Turku, Finland. ... BT Group plc (formerly British Telecommunications plc) which trades as BT (also previously as British Telecom and is still commonly known as such amongst the general public) is the privatised UK state telecommunications operator. ... This article is about the institution. ... Hawaii Research Center for Futures Studies is a futures studies research institute Directed by Jim Dator. ... The University of HawaiÊ»i at Mānoa is a public, co-educational university and is the main campus of the greater University of HawaiÊ»i system. ... Institute for Alternative Futures (IAF) is a non-profit futures research and education organization. ... Location in Virginia Coordinates: Country United States State Virginia Founded 1718 Mayor William D. Euille Area    - City 39. ... The Institute for the Future (IFTF) is an independent nonprofit research group. ... Location of Palo Alto within Santa Clara County, California. ... The Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM) is a higher education establishment operated by the French government dedicated to providing education and conducting research for the promotion of science and industry. ... The Tellus Institute is a non-profit research and policy organization based in Boston, Massachusetts. ... Founded in 1966 as a nonprofit educational and scientific organization in Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A., the World Future Society investigates how social and technological developments are shaping the future. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... The Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) was established officially in 1992 under the Dublin Institute of Technology Act but had been previously set up in 1978 on an ad-hoc basis. ... The World Future Studies Federation, (WFSF) is a global network of practicing futurists, researchers, teachers, scholars, policy analysts, activists and others. ...

Futures techniques

Main article: Futures techniques

Futurists use a diverse range of forecasting methods including: Futurists use a diverse range of forecasting methods for futures studies including: // The Delphi method is a very popular technique used in Futures Studies. ...

• Anticipatory thinking protocols:
  • Causal layered analysis (CLA)
  • Environmental scanning
  • Scenario method
  • Delphi method
  • Future history
  • Monitoring
• Backcasting (eco-history)
  • Back-view mirror analysis
  • Cross-impact analysis
• Futures workshops
  • Failure mode and effects analysis
  • Futures biographies
  • Futures wheel
  • Relevance tree
• Simulation and modelling
  • Social network analysis
  • Systems engineering
    • Thinklets
    • Visioning
• Trend analysis
• Morphological analysis
• Technology forecasting

This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... For a company to gain or maintain a sustainable competitive advantage, it must be ever vigilant, watching for changes in the business environment. ... Scenario planning or Scenario thinking is a strategic planning method that some organizations use to make flexible long-term plans. ... The Delphi method has been an anticipatory thinking (futures) technique aimed at building an agreement, or consensus about an opinion or view, without necessarily having people meet face to face, such as through surveys, questionnaires, e-mails etc. ... A future history is a postulated history of the future that some science fiction authors construct as a common background for fiction. ... A media monitoring service provides clients with documentation, analysis, or copies of media content of interest to the clients. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The future workshop is a futures technique developed by Robert Jungk, Ruediger Lutz and Norbert R. Muellert in the 1970ies. ... Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is a fault tree method (first developed for systems engineering) that examines potential failures in products or processes. ... A futures wheel as described by Jerome C. Gleen. ... A social network is a map of the relationships between individuals, indicating the ways in which they are connected through various social familiarities ranging from casual acquaintance to close familial bonds. ... Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary approach and means for enabling the realization and deployment of successful systems. ... This is a list of topics related to future studies. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Trend estimation. ... Morphological analysis is a technique developed by Fritz Zwicky (1966, 1969) for exploring all the possible solutions to a multi-dimensional, non-quantified problem complex. ... Technology forecasting is predicting the future characteristics of useful technological machines, procedures or techniques. ...

Alternative futures forecasting

Sample predicted futures, as of 2003, range from predicted ecological catastrophes, through a utopian future where the poorest human being lives in what present-day observers would regard as wealth and comfort, through the transformation of humanity into a posthuman life-form, to the destruction of all life on Earth in, say, a nanotechnological disaster. 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, and also: The International Year of Freshwater The European Disability Year Events January events January 1 Luíz Inácio Lula Da Silva becomes the 37th President of Brazil. ... Man-made negative alteration of the ecosystem that has widespread or long lasting consequences. ... Left panel (The Earthly Paradise, Garden of Eden), from Hieronymus Boschs The Garden of Earthly Delights. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Buckminsterfullerene C60, also known as the buckyball, is the simplest of the carbon structures known as fullerenes. ...

Futurists have a decidedly mixed reputation and a patchy track record at successful prediction. For reasons of convenience, they often extrapolate present technical and societal trends and assume they will develop at the same rate into the future; but technical progress and social upheavals, in reality, take place in fits and starts and in different areas at different rates.

Many 1950s futurists predicted commonplace space tourism by the year 2000, but ignored the possibilities of ubiquitous, cheap computers, while Marxist expectations of utopia have failed to materialise to date. On the other hand, many forecasts have portrayed the future with some degree of accuracy. Current futurists often present multiple scenarios that help their audience envision what "may" occur instead of merely "predicting the future". They claim that understanding potential scenarios helps individuals and organizations prepare with flexibility. // Recovering from World War I and its aftermath, the economic miracle emerged in West Germany and Italy. ... The curvature of the Earth seen from orbit would be one of the main attractions for tourists paying to go into space Space tourism is the recent phenomenon of space travel by individuals for the purpose of personal pleasure. ... A BlueGene supercomputer cabinet. ... Marxismtakes its name from the praxis — the synthesis of philosophy and political action — of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ... Left panel (The Earthly Paradise, Garden of Eden), from Hieronymus Boschs The Garden of Earthly Delights. ... A scenario (from the Italian, that which is pinned to the scenery) is a brief description of an event or a series of events. ...

Many corporations use futurists as part of their risk management strategy, to help identify so-called wild cards - low probability, potentially high-impact risks.^[25] Every successful and unsuccessful business engages in futuring - for example in research and development, innovation and market research, anticipating competitor behavior and so on. Risk management is the process of measuring, or assessing, risk and developing strategies to manage it. ... Definition Wild cards refer to low-probability, high-impact events. ... Wall Street, Manhattan is the location of the New York Stock Exchange and is often used as a symbol for the world of business. ...

Near-term predictions

A long-running tradition in various cultures, and especially in the media, involves various spokespersons making predictions for the upcoming year at the beginning of the year. These predictions sometimes base themselves on current trends in culture (music, movies, fashion, politics); sometimes they make hopeful guesses as to what major events might take place over the course of the next year. Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning to cultivate), generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significance. ... A prediction or forecast is a statement or claim that a particular event will occur in the future. ...

Some of these predictions come true as the year unfolds, though many fail. When predicted events fail to take place, the authors of the predictions often state that misinterpretation of the "signs" and portents may explain the failure of the prediction. A prediction or forecast is a statement or claim that a particular event will occur in the future. ... This article is about the Signs Signs, see Signs (disambiguation). ... Omens or portents are signs encountered fortuitously that are believed to foretell the future. ...

Marketers have increasingly started to embrace future studies, in an effort to benefit from an increasingly competitive marketplace with fast production cycles, using such techniques as trendspotting as popularized by Faith Popcorn. Wikibooks has more about this subject: Marketing Look up marketing in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Daily Show includes many recurring segments, recurring gags, and other miscellany, a partial catalog of which is presented here. ... Faith Popcorn (born February 11, 1947) is a futurist and founder of the boutique consultancy, BrainReserve. ...

Futures education

Education in the field of futures studies has taken place for some time. Beginning in the United States of America in the 1960s, it has since developed in many different countries. Futures education can encourage the use of concepts, tools and processes that allow students to think long-term, consequentially, and imaginatively. It generally helps students to: The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ...

1. conceptualise more just and sustainable human and planetary futures
2. develop knowledge and skills in exploring probable and preferred futures
3. understand the dynamics and influence that human, social and ecological systems have on alternative futures
4. conscientize responsibility and action on the part of students toward creating better futures.

Thorough documentation of the history of futures education exists, for example in the work of Richard A. Slaughter (2004).^[26] Social responsibility is a doctrine that claims that an entity whether it is state, government, corporation, organization or individual has a responsibility to society. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

While futures studies remains a relatively new academic tradition, numerous tertiary institutions around the world teach it. These vary from small programs, or universities with just one or two classes, to programs that incorporate futures studies into other degrees, (for example in planning, business, environmental studies, economics, development studies, science and technology studies). Various formal Masters-level programs exist on six continents. Finally, doctoral dissertations around the world have incorporated futures studies. A recent survey documented approximately 50 cases of futures studies at the tertiary level.^[27] For planning in AI see automated planning and scheduling Planning is the (psycholgical) process of thinking about the activities required to create a desired future on some scale. ... Face-to-face trading interactions on the New York Stock Exchange trading floor. ... Part of a scientific laboratory at the University of Cologne. ...

Academic programs

• Australia: Australian Catholic University
• Australia: Swinburne University of Technology
• Argentina: Universidad Nacional de La Plata^[28]
• Australia: Curtin University of Technology^[29]
• Australia: University of Sunshine Coast
• Canada: Futurismos^[30]
• Colombia: Universidad Externado de Colombia^[31]
• Colombia: Uniandes^[32]
• Czech Republic: Charles University of Prague
• Finland: Finland Futures Academy, FFRC, Turku School of Economics and Business Administration^[33]
• France: CNAM / LIPSOR^[34]
• Germany: Institut für Zukunftsforschung und Technologiebewertung, Berlin
• Hungary: Corvinus University of Budapest^[35]
• India: University of Kerala^[36]
• Italy: Gregorian University^[37]
• Mexico: Monterrey Institute of Technology^[38]
• Pakistan: Pakistan Futuristics Institute
• Romania: Babes-Bolyai University
• Russia: Moscow State University
• South Africa: MPhil Futures Studies Stellenbosch University^[39]
• Taiwan: Tamkang University^[40]
• Taiwan: Fo Guang University^[41]
• USA: Global Options^[42][43]
• USA: University of Hawaii^[44]
• USA: University of Houston-Clear Lake^[45]
• USA: Stanford University^[46], a program that seems both critical and normative because of its work with futurists and designers.
• USA: Regent University ^[47]

See also the Acceleration Studies Foundation's annotated list of 10 primary and 60+ secondary graduate futures studies programs. Australian Catholic University The Australian Catholic University, or ACU National, is a Roman Catholic, public, multi-campus, multi-state university, based in eastern Australia, open to all staff and students regardless of their religious beliefs. ... Swinburne University of Technology is a university based in a number of campuses in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. ... National University of La Plata (Spanish:Universidad Nacional de La Plata) is an Argentine state university, and the most important in La Plata, capital of Buenos Aires Province. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Established in 1996, the University of the Sunshine Coast is a very small public university (by Australian standards), having fewer than 4,000 students. ... The Universidad Externado de Colombia (University Externado of Colombia) in Bogotá, Colombia is a private university which grants 4 and 5 year primary (Licenciados) and professional degrees as well as advanced 2-year Magister degrees. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... The Charles University of Prague (also simply University of Prague; Czech: Univerzita Karlova; Latin: Universitas Carolina) is the oldest, largest and most prestigious Czech university and among the oldest universities in Europe, being founded in 1340s (for the exact year, see below). ... The Turku School of Economics and Business Administration (Finnish Turun kauppakorkeakoulu) is a university specialising on economic and business sciences located in Turku, Finland. ... The Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM) is a higher education establishment operated by the French government dedicated to providing education and conducting research for the promotion of science and industry. ... Corvinus University of Budapest The Corvinus University of Budapest is specialized in teaching economics, but since 2000 it has incorporated other universities as well. ... The University of Kerala was a university located in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala state, India. ... The North American College at the Gregorian The Pontifical Gregorian University is a Roman Catholic theological seminary in Rome. ... ITESM is the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, located in Monterrey, Mexico, is also known as the Tec de Monterrey, or simply Tec. The name is translated into English as the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Studies (for this reason, some call it the Mexican MIT... The Babeş-Bolyai University (UBB), Cluj-Napoca, Romania, is the largest university in the country. ... Moscow State University M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russian: Московский государственный университет имени М.В.Ломоносова, often abbreviated МГУ, MSU, MGU) is the largest and the oldest university in Russia, founded in 1755. ... MPhil in Futures Studies is a master’s degree offered by the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. ... Stellenbosch University (Afrikaans: Universiteit van Stellenbosch) is an internationally recognised university which is situated in the town of Stellenbosch, South Africa. ... Tamkang University, Tamshui Campus Lights, Tamshui Campus, June 2006 Tamkang University (Traditional Chinese:淡江大學) is a private Taiwanese university located in Danshuei township, Taipei County. ... Foguang 佛光 University is in Ilan, Taiwan. ... This article is about the University of Hawaii system. ... The University of Houston–Clear Lake, often called UH–Clear Lake or UHCL, is an upper level university located in the bay area of Houston, Texas. ... The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly known as Stanford University (or simply Stanford), is a private university located approximately 37 miles (60 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco and approximately 20 miles northwest of San José in an unincorporated area of Santa Clara County. ... Regent University is an accredited Christian educational institution. ... the foundations website ...

Futurists and foresight thought leaders

The Charles Babbage Institute (also titled the Center for the History of Information Technology) is a research center specializing in the history of information technology, particularly the post-World War II history of digital computing, programming/software, and computer networking. ... Earl Bakken and Palmer Hermundslie founded Medtronic in 1949 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ... Gaston Berger (1896-1960) was a French futurist, who created the Centre International de Prospective in Paris. ... Clem Bezold is one of the founders of the Institute for Alternative Futures, and is the current Chairman of the Board. ... Nick Bostrom (Boström in the original Swedish) is a philosopher at the University of Oxford, and known for his work on the anthropic principle. ... James Burke James Burke (born November 22, 1936) is a British science historian, author and television producer best known for his documentary television series called Connections, focusing on the history of science and technology leavened with a sense of humour. ... Harlan Cleveland (b. ... Hugo de Garis (born 1947, Sydney, Australia) became an associate professor of computer science at Utah State University. ... James Allen (Jim) Dator is Professor, and Director of the Hawaii Research Center for Futures Studies, Department of Political Science, University of Hawaii at Manoa. ... Bertrand deJouvenel (1903-1987) was a French philosopher, political economist and futurist, who established the Association Internationale Futuribles in Paris. ... Futurewise Dr Patrick Dixon is a business thinker. ... Mahdi ElMandjra Mahdi ElMandjra (born March 13, 1933) is a Moroccan futurist, economist and sociologist. ... Jacque Fresco with Roxanne Meadows Jacque Fresco (born March 13, 1916) is an industrial engineer, architectural designer, social engineer and futurist based in Florida. ... Arthur Harkins, Ph. ... Willis Harman was President of the Institute of Noetic Sciences in California. ... Stephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA, (born 8 January 1942) is a British theoretical physicist. ... Robert Anson Heinlein (July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was one of the most popular, influential, and controversial authors of hard science fiction. ... Hazel Henderson (born 1933 in Bristol, England) is a futurist and an evolutionary economist. ... Rear Admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank that originated from the days of Naval Sailing Squadrons and can trace its origins to the British Royal Navy. ... Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper (December 9, 1906 – January 1, 1992) was an American computer scientist and United States Navy officer. ... Sohail Inayatullah has been writing in the area of futures studies for over 20 years. ... Erich Jantsch (1929-1980) was an Austrian astrophysicist who wrote the book The Self-organizing Universe: Scientific and Human Implications of the Emerging Paradigm of Evolution (1980). ... Bill Joy (left) with Paul Saffo. ... Robert Jungk (1913-1994) was an Austrian writer and journalist who wrote mostly on issues relating to nuclear weapons. ... Theodore Kaczynski Theodore John Kaczynski, Ph. ... Herman Kahn, May 1965 Herman Kahn (February 15, 1922 – July 7, 1983) was a military strategist and systems theorist employed at RAND Corporation, USA. // Born in Bayonne, New Jersey, Kahn grew up in the Bronx, then in Los Angeles following his parents divorce. ... Dr. Raymond Kurzweil (born February 12, 1948) is a pioneer in the fields of optical character recognition (OCR), text-to-speech synthesis, speech recognition technology, and electronic musical keyboards. ... Jaron Lanier (born 1960) is an American musician and virtual reality developer. ... Homer Alex McCrerey (July 29, 1919-1999) became U.S. Navy Meteorologist and oceanographer for CINCPACFLT until 1972. ... John McHale (born Glasgow 1922, died 1978) was a Constructivist, and originator of Pop art, as well as a jewler, potter, designer, educator with a Doctorate in Sociology, and a Futurist. ... John Naisbitt (born Jan. ... Aurelio Peccei (July 4, 1908 - March 14, 1984) was an Italian scholar and industrialist, best known as the founder and first president of the Club of Rome. ... Fred L. Polak is one of the Dutch founding fathers of futures studies. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Dr. Paul Raskin is President of the Tellus Institute where he directs a team of professionals in environmental, resource, and development policy research. ... Jeremy Rifkin (b. ... Bill Joy (left) with Paul Saffo (right). ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... John Smart is a developmental systems theorist whose interests include accelerating change, computational autonomy, evolutionary development, and the technological singularity. ... Strauss and Howe (William Strauss and Neil Howe) are bestselling authors and national speakers based on their proprietary model of generations in American history. ... Alvin Toffler Alvin Toffler (born October 3, 1928) is an American writer and futurist, known for his works discussing the digital revolution, communications revolution, corporate revolution and technological singularity. ... It has been suggested that Timothy F.X. Finnegan be merged into this article or section. ... Irma M. Wyman (born 19xx) was accepted into the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan in 1945. ... John Zerzan John Zerzan (born 1943) is an American anarchist and primitivist philosopher and author. ...

Books

Time periods between key events in human history shrink expotentially in a chart by Kurzweil depicting his Law of Accelerating Returns, explained in the book. ... Brave New World is a dystopian novel by Aldous Huxley, first published in 1932. ... The Manifesto of the Communist Party (German: ), usually referred to as The Communist Manifesto, was first published on February 21, 1848[]by J. E. Burghard in London, and is one of the worlds most influential political tracts. ... Future Shock is a controversial book written by the sociologist and futurologist Alvin Toffler in 1970. ... Futurewise is a non-profit charitable organization in Washington State that works to keep overdevelopment and urban sprawl from consuming farms, forests and rural areas. ... Limits to Growth was a 1972 book modeling the consequences of a rapidly growing world population and finite resource supplies, commissioned by the Club of Rome. ... Our Final Hour is a 2003 book by the British Astronomer Royal Sir Martin Rees. ... This article or section contains a plot summary that may be overly long, confusing, or ambiguous. ... Cover of the book The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology (Viking Books, ISBN 0-670-03384-7) is a 2005 update of Raymond Kurzweils 1999 book, The Age of Spiritual Machines and his 1987 book The Age of Intelligent Machines. ... The Skeptical Environmentalist: Measuring the Real State of the World (Danish: Verdens Sande Tilstand, literal translation: The Real State of the World) is a controversial book by political scientist Bjørn Lomborg, which argues that claims made about global warming, overpopulation, declining energy resources, deforestation, species loss, water shortages, and... The Third Wave was the name given by history teacher Ron Jones to an experimental recreation of Nazi Germany which he claims to have conducted with high school students. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The annual State of the Future (print edition) assesses 15 Global Challenges, updates the State of the Future Index, gives brief summaries of other reseach during the year, and contains a CD an annotated scenario bibiograph of over 550 secenario sets, and research results and methods of all major research... Technological Forecasting and Social Change is a peer reviewed international academic journal which discusses futures studies and technological forecasting. ...

Organizations

the foundations website ... The Applied Foresight Network (AFN) is a global web of university-based centres connected by a network of forums for professors, students, teachers, and concerned citizens. ... The History and Development of the Association of Professional Futurists ________________________________________ Andy Hines ________________________________________ Appears in Richard Slaughter, Knowledge Base of Futures Studies. ... The Global Business Network is a consultancy firm that advises businesses on possible future scenarios. ... The Global Scenario Group (GSG) was a team of environmental scholars, headed by Paul Raskin, who used scenario analysis to analyze future paths for world development in the face of environmental pressures and crises. ... The Millennium Project provides an international capacity for early warning and analysis of global long-range issues, opportunities, and strategies. ... NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts is apparently an organisation within NASA that funds research on advanced concepts, that is, not some boring present day concepts, but exciting future technologies. ... Alternate meanings: See RAND (disambiguation) The RAND Corporation is an American think tank first formed to offer research and analysis to the U.S. military. ... The Tellus Institute is a non-profit research and policy organization based in Boston, Massachusetts. ... The Arlington Institute (aka TAI) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit think tank specializing in predictive modeling of future events. ... Founded in 1966 as a nonprofit educational and scientific organization in Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A., the World Future Society investigates how social and technological developments are shaping the future. ... The World Future Studies Federation, (WFSF) is a global network of practicing futurists, researchers, teachers, scholars, policy analysts, activists and others. ... The Millennium Project of the American Council for the United Nations University, in its State of the Future series of annual reports has defined and tracked 15 global challenges since 1997. ... In future studies, an agentization means an existence of software beings independently of the human. ... The Applied Foresight Network (AFN) is a global web of university-based centres connected by a network of forums for professors, students, teachers, and concerned citizens. ... A termite cathedral mound produced by a termite colony: a classic example of emergence. ... The end of civilization or the end of the world are phrases used in reference to human extinction scenarios, doomsday events, and related hazards which occur on a global scale. ... Look up forecast in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Future energy development faces great challenges due to an increasing world population, demands for higher standards of living, demands for less pollution and a possible end to fossil fuels. ... A bell-shaped production curve, as originally suggested by M. King Hubbert in 1956. ... Kardashev scale projections ranging from 1900 to 2100. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This is a list of topics related to future studies. ... Growth of transistor counts for Intel processors (dots) and Moores Law (upper line=18 months; lower line=24 months) Moores Law is the empirical observation made in 1965 that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit for minimum component cost doubles every 24 months. ... Unable to find an adequate lens through which to analyze dense alazon and eiron motifs in post-apocalyptic genre, Neofuturism began as an intellectual movement that embraced the non-Freudian elements of Jungian analysis. ... Omega point is a term invented by French Jesuit Pierre Teilhard de Chardin to describe the ultimate maximum level of complexity-consciousness, considered by him the aim towards which consciousness evolves. ... The Planetary Phase of Civilization is a concept defined by the Global scenario group (GSG), an environmental organization that specializes in scenario analysis and forecasting. ... The annual State of the Future (print edition) assesses 15 Global Challenges, updates the State of the Future Index, gives brief summaries of other reseach during the year, and contains a CD an annotated scenario bibiograph of over 550 secenario sets, and research results and methods of all major research... When plotted on a logarithmic graph, 15 separate lists of paradigm shifts for key events in human history show an exponential trend. ... By the mid 20th century humans had achieved a mastery of technology sufficient to leave the surface of the Earth for the first time and explore space. ... Technology forecasting is predicting the future characteristics of useful technological machines, procedures or techniques. ... In philosophy, physics, and other fields, a thought experiment (from the German Gedankenexperiment) is an attempt to solve a problem using the power of human imagination. ... Natasha Vita-Mores Primo is an artistic depiction of a hypothetical posthuman of transhumanist speculation. ...

References

Limits to Growth was a 1972 book modeling the consequences of a rapidly growing global population, commissioned by the Club of Rome. ...

Further reading

• Cornish, Edward (2004). Futuring: The exploration of the future. Bethesda, MD: World Future Society.
• Godet, Michel (2004). Creating Futures Scenario Planning as a Strategic Management Tool. Economica, 2001.
• de Jouvenel, Bertrand (1967). The Art of Conjecture. (New York: Basic Books, 1967).
• Lindgren, Mats and Bandhold, Hans (2003). Scenario Planning-the link between future and strategy. Palgrave Macmillan, Hampshire and New York.
• Lindgren, Mats et al. (2005). The MeWe Generation. Bookhouse Publishing, Stockholm, Sweden.
• Retzbach, Roman (2005). Future-Dictionary - encyclopedia of the future, New York, USA
• Slaughter, Richard A. (2005). The Knowledge Base of Futures Studies Professional Edition CDROM. Foresight International, Indooroopilly, Australia
• Woodgate, Derek with Pethrick, Wayne R. (2004). Future Frequencies. Fringecore, Austin, Texas, USA

External links

Wikibooks has a book on the topic of

Futurology

• Association of Professional Futurists: Professional organization for futurists
• Buckminster Fuller Institute
• Club of Amsterdam High-level events and publishing about preferred futures
• Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies
• Cyber-Salon Forum Discussion
• Futures Studies (ASF list): Global Graduate Programs and Resources
• Future Studies Methodology: Introduction to futuring and methods
• Futurist (ASF definition): Twelve developmental types of futures thinking
• Global Futurists Podcast series examines topics about the future.
• Why it's impossible to predict the future of the stock market and such things
• Principia Cybernetica: Links on future development
• The Future Chronicles Futurist commentary on select technologies and trends since 1996

• Wikia has a wiki about this topic: Futures Wiki