Knowing Tomorrow?

In our modern day society characterized by turbulence, uncertainty, and change, futures research (the science and art of looking to the future) has become a ver... » 

In our modern day society characterized by turbulence, uncertainty, and change, futures research (the science and art of looking to the future) has become a very important competence for managers, politicians, civil servants, scientists, policy-makers, and citizens. Indeed, many different methods of futures research have been developed, and there is considerable scientific research available on, for instance, how futures research can and should be applied, how futures research can be connected to decision making, and how futures research can be evaluated.

The increasing importance of futures research makes it both interesting and necessary to look at its scientific foundations. Since futures research is interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary, this book looks at how the concept of the future (or futures) is being addressed in various scientific disciplines, such as psychology, philosophy, economics, geography, and astronomy. In doing this, more knowledge is gained about the specific role the future plays in other more classical sciences, allowing futures research to position itself better vis-à-vis other sciences and make its added value clearer.

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. «