Futures Studies, Foresight, Futurism, Futurology, Futures Thinking…What Name???

19 thoughts on “Futures Studies, Foresight, Futurism, Futurology, Futures Thinking…What Name???”

1. Nice video. The black & white is cool

2. Thanks for creating this video. A good reference to share with people who want to learn more about foresight practice.

3. I am the first futurist in the Bahamas me and my husband

4. Interesting. Tested high "Futuristic" under Gallup Strengthsfinders. Glad I stumbled

5. Super

6. Hi Alex, I just watched this video following your interview with Riel Miller on Futures Literacy. Brilliant stuff!! Just making some observations on these two vids. Based on that interview, what I understand is futures literacy is the capability that enables the use of the methods in futures and foresight. And futures thinking is the cognitive process that is the outcome of the use of the methods (as you mentioned here).
   This distinction is useful because I have the tendency to conflate futures literacy and futures thinking.

   So, simplistically put, would you say futures literacy is the 'ability to use the future' (comes before), futures and foresight is the set of methods to construct alternative futures, and futures thinking is the cognitive outcome of the use of these methods (comes after)? But overtime, they become cyclical and feed into each other? Curious to hear your thoughts…

7. amazing. Thank you for that.

8. Highly appreciate your excellent explanation of this interesting field of study. Best wishes,

9. I studied this in college. Best thing I ever did.

10. really good explanation of what Foresight is and what is not.. thanks a lot for this amazing job.

11. Interesting exposition and interpretation, Alex. Thanks! More people do seem to say “futures and foresight” these days, though I’m not convinced this mash-up works.

    I'll offer a somewhat cynical alternative to your analysis. "Foresight" is what proponents of "futures studies" pitch to others to try to drum up greater interest in other work/approaches they’re actually seeking to promote and do which, in practice, tend to mostly entail forms of "futurism" and/or "futurology" but these activities sound more legitimate if you make them sound and appear like a formal discipline ("futures studies") and/or a methodologically rigorous activity ("futures research") so we use those terms instead. I'm only half joking!

    As for "futures literacy", having listened to your other video where you discuss this with Riel Miller I'm still fairly clueless as to what it really means and adds. Perhaps the power of the term is that no one want to be illiterate – we know that's a bad thing – so we figure we ought to be/become futures literate (in addition to other literacies we've mastered). However, perhaps that term ought to be abandoned, as it just seems to add to the overall terminological chaos.

12. Thank you, thank you, thank you 🙏🏽

13. What about design futures?

14. Amazingly explained, very clear and deep didactics, why don't you have so many followers? I am your fan, follow you

15. In response to the comments, these are my propositions on the basis of what I have read in the literature. The distinction/overlap between futures studies and foresight is rather clear in the literature.

16. Hi Alex. Thanks for this clarification, so badly needed indeed. Even if, like Stef, I can't agree with it all, this is important that you addressed this challenge. In case, you would go further, may I recommend you to read: Masini, Eleonora. Why Futures Studies? London, England: Grey Seal, 1993. An old but still must-read book.
    Concerning your list of words I would like to see included "prospective" as this French word has been (and is still) widely used, esp. in French-speaking Africa and MENA, as well as in Latin America (prospectiva), and its concept stands between FS and foresight (maybe because it dates from the 50s). "Prognosis" is also re-emerging these days, interesting enough to wonder why.

17. Very clear and concise. Congrats.

18. It is very clear your exposition and the concepts very well treated, thanks a lot

19. hi, where can I study this subjet? thanks

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