Futures thinking becomes a priority for all globalized societies

Abstract This essay provides a concise impression of the many contemporary attempts to revitalize futures thinking. Futures thinking—in the sense of a systematic anticipatory approach based on sound scientific expertise and backed by socio-philosophical reasoning which must carefully balance idealis...

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Main Author: Roland Benedikter
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer 2025-02-01
Series:Discover Global Society
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s44282-024-00128-7
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author Roland Benedikter
author_facet Roland Benedikter
author_sort Roland Benedikter
collection DOAJ
description Abstract This essay provides a concise impression of the many contemporary attempts to revitalize futures thinking. Futures thinking—in the sense of a systematic anticipatory approach based on sound scientific expertise and backed by socio-philosophical reasoning which must carefully balance idealism and pragmatism—was asleep for some time but is now rapidly becoming a top priority for all societies, independent of their socio-political system, composition, organization and outlook. Vis-a-vis recent global crises events and resulting “global” settings of combined uncertainty and acceleration, the trend goes towards a more meta-systemic and trans-sectoral “futures pan-humanism” in the sense of a “futures research science” conceived as a practically applicable tool of analysis of “futures in the present” featuring an inter- and trans-disciplinary character. This trend is what current trajectories in the global futures discourse exemplify, such as manifest at the Dubai Future Forums 2022, 2023 and 2024, as well as in other initiatives which aim, in widely converging ways, at showcasing, "casting" and “designing” creative interfaces of co-evolving futures. This text presents the most central buzz words, framings, concepts and overall style prevalent in contemporary global future fora and initiatives, taking them as symptomatic for an ongoing renaissance of approaches towards “futuring” in the advanced forms of “futures staging”, “futures casting” and “futures design” which, if this trend continues, could eventually lead to a more stable, post-conventional and wide-spread trans-national implementation of the discipline of “critical futures studies” in academia, policy and practice.
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spelling doaj-art-a539f74e1d3944caaa251c415adfebd12025-02-09T12:27:08ZengSpringerDiscover Global Society2731-96872025-02-013111510.1007/s44282-024-00128-7Futures thinking becomes a priority for all globalized societiesRoland Benedikter0Eurac ResearchAbstract This essay provides a concise impression of the many contemporary attempts to revitalize futures thinking. Futures thinking—in the sense of a systematic anticipatory approach based on sound scientific expertise and backed by socio-philosophical reasoning which must carefully balance idealism and pragmatism—was asleep for some time but is now rapidly becoming a top priority for all societies, independent of their socio-political system, composition, organization and outlook. Vis-a-vis recent global crises events and resulting “global” settings of combined uncertainty and acceleration, the trend goes towards a more meta-systemic and trans-sectoral “futures pan-humanism” in the sense of a “futures research science” conceived as a practically applicable tool of analysis of “futures in the present” featuring an inter- and trans-disciplinary character. This trend is what current trajectories in the global futures discourse exemplify, such as manifest at the Dubai Future Forums 2022, 2023 and 2024, as well as in other initiatives which aim, in widely converging ways, at showcasing, "casting" and “designing” creative interfaces of co-evolving futures. This text presents the most central buzz words, framings, concepts and overall style prevalent in contemporary global future fora and initiatives, taking them as symptomatic for an ongoing renaissance of approaches towards “futuring” in the advanced forms of “futures staging”, “futures casting” and “futures design” which, if this trend continues, could eventually lead to a more stable, post-conventional and wide-spread trans-national implementation of the discipline of “critical futures studies” in academia, policy and practice.https://doi.org/10.1007/s44282-024-00128-7Futures thinkingFutures stagingFutures designFutures ethics/Philosophy of futuresAnticipationSocio-technological imaginaries
spellingShingle Roland Benedikter
Futures thinking becomes a priority for all globalized societies
Discover Global Society
Futures thinking
Futures staging
Futures design
Futures ethics/Philosophy of futures
Anticipation
Socio-technological imaginaries
title Futures thinking becomes a priority for all globalized societies
title_full Futures thinking becomes a priority for all globalized societies
title_fullStr Futures thinking becomes a priority for all globalized societies
title_full_unstemmed Futures thinking becomes a priority for all globalized societies
title_short Futures thinking becomes a priority for all globalized societies
title_sort futures thinking becomes a priority for all globalized societies
topic Futures thinking
Futures staging
Futures design
Futures ethics/Philosophy of futures
Anticipation
Socio-technological imaginaries
url https://doi.org/10.1007/s44282-024-00128-7
work_keys_str_mv AT rolandbenedikter futuresthinkingbecomesapriorityforallglobalizedsocieties