The first of a series of articles on futurism for GOOD Magazine:
When we transform our notion of “the future” into visions of alternative futures, we transform our relationship to the very idea of change. We move from thinking we are heading toward an inevitable destination to seeing the world as a dependent, contingent, and therefore actionable, possibility space for us to design. Pluralizing “the future” makes us both more empowered and more responsible for our ultimate outcomes. It may seem like a semantic triviality, but it represents an important shift in thinking.
Even though we can’t predict exactly what will happen, we can make reasonable assumptions about what potential futures might look like, and in doing so we can begin to make choices today that can help us bring about the changes we hope to realize in the world.
GOOD: What Futurists Actually Do
(via Chris)
See also:
Interview with Chris Arkenberg interview of IFTF
Interview with David “Pesco” Pescovitz of Boing Boing and IFTF