Advancing Futures

Advancing Futures
Author: James A. Dator
Publisher: Praeger
Total Pages: 420
Release: 2002-04-30
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9780275976323

What is Futures Studies, what are the theories and methods underlying the field? What are its basic concepts and metaphors, and how is it related to other academic fields? These are the core questions addressed in this book by a comprehensive assembly of distinguished scholars. They explore the enigma of why Futures Studies, despite its growing maturity as an intellectual endeavor, after more than three decades of groundbreaking work, still struggles for institutional acceptance. Together these contributors paint a picture of Futures Studies not so much a product of the stale intellectual heritage of the 20th century, but as a vibrant harbinger of intellectual perspectives sure to gain wider currency in the 21st. Drawing on their backgrounds in fields as diverse as political science, history, sociology, anthropology, economics, psychology, management, and human ecology, this international line-up of contributors includes world systems theorist Immanuel Wallerstein, philosopher Peter Manicas, management professor Bill Halal, and industrial sociologist Arthur Shostak.

The Future: A Very Short Introduction

The Future: A Very Short Introduction
Author: Jennifer M. Gidley
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 193
Release: 2017-03-13
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0191054259

From the beginning of time, humans have been driven by both a fear of the unknown and a curiosity to know. We have always yearned to know what lies ahead, whether threat or safety, scarcity or abundance. Throughout human history, our forebears tried to create certainty in the unknown, by seeking to influence outcomes with sacrifices to gods, preparing for the unexpected with advice from oracles, and by reading the stars through astrology. As scientific methods improve and computer technology develops we become ever more confident of our capacity to predict and quantify the future by accumulating and interpreting patterns form the past, yet the truth is there is still no certainty to be had. In this Very Short Introduction Jennifer Gidley considers some of our most burning questions: What is "the future "?; Is the future a time yet to come?; Or is it a utopian place?; Does the future have a history?; Is there only one future or are there many possible futures? She asks if the future can ever be truly predicted or if we create our own futures - both hoped for and feared - by our thoughts, feelings, and actions, and concludes by analysing how we can learn to study the future. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Foundations of Futures Studies

Foundations of Futures Studies
Author: Wendell Bell
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 405
Release: 2017-07-05
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1351519433

Futures studies is a new field of inquiry involving systematic and explicit thinking about alternative futures. It aims to demystify the future, make possibilities for the future more known to us, and increase human control over the future. This book summarizes and expands contributions of futurists to the envisioning power and well-being of humanity. Bell brings together futurist intellectual tools, describing and explaining not only the methods, but also the nature, concepts, theories, and exemplars of the field.Foundations of Futures Studies fulfills Bell's five main purposes for writing this two-volume effort: (1) to show that futures studies, like other fields from anthropology to zoology, exists as an identifiable sphere of intellectual activity; (2) to create a teaching instrument that can be used as a basic text for core courses in futures studies; (3) to futurize the thinking of specialists in other disciplines; (4) to contribute to the further development and improvement of futures studies; and (5) to provide tools to empower both ordinary people and leaders to act in ways that create better futures for themselves and their societies. Bell maintains that despite its sometimes doomsday rhetorical style and widespread use by special interests, futures studies offers hope for the future of humanity and concrete ways of realizing that hope in the real world of our everyday lives. It will appeal to all interested in futures studies, as well as sociologists, economists, political scientists, and historians.

The Future

The Future
Author: Jennifer Gidley
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 185
Release: 2017
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0198735286

Can we ever truly influence, predict, and direct our own futures? Are there multiple futures or only one awaiting us? Jennifer Gidley explains our innate fascination with the unknown future, and considers the role of the human consciousness in embracing multiple future possibilities, and creating a world of our choices.

Foundations of Futures Studies

Foundations of Futures Studies
Author: Jose Valciukas
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 578
Release: 2017-07-05
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1351519425

Futures studies is a new field of inquiry involving systematic and explicit thinking about alternative futures. It aims to demystify the future, make possibilities for the future more known to us, and increase human control over the future. This book summarizes and expands contributions of futurists to the envisioning power and well-being of humanity. Bell brings together futurist intellectual tools, describing and explaining not only the methods, but also the nature, concepts, theories, and exemplars of the field.Foundations of Futures Studies fulfills Bell's five main purposes for writing this two-volume effort: (1) to show that futures studies, like other fields from anthropology to zoology, exists as an identifiable sphere of intellectual activity; (2) to create a teaching instrument that can be used as a basic text for core courses in futures studies; (3) to futurize the thinking of specialists in other disciplines; (4) to contribute to the further development and improvement of futures studies; and (5) to provide tools to empower both ordinary people and leaders to act in ways that create better futures for themselves and their societies. Bell maintains that despite its sometimes doomsday rhetorical style and widespread use by special interests, futures studies offers hope for the future of humanity and concrete ways of realizing that hope in the real world of our everyday lives. It will appeal to all interested in futures studies, as well as sociologists, economists, political scientists, and historians.

Futures Beyond Dystopia

Futures Beyond Dystopia
Author: Richard Slaughter
Publisher: Psychology Press
Total Pages: 342
Release: 2004
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780415302708

How can dystopian futures help provide the motivation to change the ways we operate day to day? This book raises and tackles a number of important questions about the future and the lessons we can learn for the present.

Facing Our Futures

Facing Our Futures
Author: Nikolas Badminton
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2023-02-16
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 139940024X

A fascinating insight into how professionals and businesses can develop their foresight and strategy to ensure that they are prepared for an unpredictable future. Businesses, organizations and society-at-large are all subject to unforeseeable events and incidents that often have a dramatic impact upon prosperity and profit. Due to their unpredictable nature, business leaders and executive teams are unable to prepare for these specific events. But, through innovation, strategizing and an open-minded approach, they can restructure their organization and practices in order to mitigate (or even take advantage of) the impact of such events. In Facing Our Futures, Nikolas Badminton draws upon his decades of experience as a consultant and futurist to provide readers with the skillset and outlook they need to prepare their organization, team and themselves for whatever obstacles the future may hold. CEOs, executive teams, government leaders and policy makers need to gain a broader perspective and a firmer grasp on how their relevant industry, society or community is evolving and changing. Once they have acquired this foresight, they need to then discover how to fully harness it – by strengthening their foundations, forecasting and establishing a resilient and adaptable strategy. Facing Our Futures acts as a primer on the value of seeing how bad things can get and the power in imagining these futures. It also provides a proven strategic planning and foresight methodology - the Positive Dystopia Canvas (PDC) - that allows leaders to supercharge their teams to build evocative visions of futures that strengthen planning today.

Future Intelligence

Future Intelligence
Author: Shlomo Shoham
Publisher: Verlag Bertelsmann Stiftung
Total Pages: 189
Release: 2011-02-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 3867933006

As the pace of change has grown more rapid, an emphasis on survival and short-term thinking has increasingly pervaded the realm of leadership and political decision-making. In a bold response to this problem, the Israeli Knesset established the Commission for Future Generations and appointed the former judge, Shlomo Shoham, as head of the Commission in 2001. Shoham was tasked with the difficult work of representing the needs, interests and rights of those not yet born. Drawing upon his legal and political experience, Shoham today demonstrates how we can overcome the pitfalls of short-term thinking by developing our "future intelligence." This kind of intelligence, he argues, is the key to infusing public administration with visionary thinking and creative foresight. Endorsements: From Shimon Peres, President of the State of Israel In his book Future Intelligence, Judge (ret.) Shlomo Shoham provides a practical model on how to enhance sustainability in government and policy-defining bodies to serve the future of mankind and nature in a changing planet. Future Intelligence turns to the decision-makers of today to break away from the conservative outlook and adopt a long-term vision for posterity. From Horst Köhler, former President of the Federal Republic of Germany Shlomo Shoham presented the work of the Commission for Future Generations at the First Forum on Demographic Change of the former German President in 2005. For President Horst Köhler and other participants, Shoham's conceptual contributions proved immensely valuable in helping lay out new means of dealing with the fundamental challenges facing all countries, including Germany.

Knowing Tomorrow?

Knowing Tomorrow?
Author: Patrick A. Duin
Publisher: Eburon Uitgeverij B.V.
Total Pages: 224
Release: 2007
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9059722299

"In Knowing Tomorrow, well known futures researchers from around the world [e.g., Italy, the U.K., the U.S.A, the Netherlands, Taiwan, and Australia) discuss how the future is being dealt with in different sciences. They describe how scientists have incorporated the future in their theories, thereby often taking a historical perspective. The findings of this book can offer strong support to the scientific foundations of futures research and thus improve futures research as a scientific discipline."--BOOK JACKET.