Stimulating (different) thinking about the future
It seems this may become a regular focus of some of my posts – the different ways to think about the future and some of the difficulties different approaches bring.
I stumbled across an article that recalls an approach used by Kevin Kelly and Brian Eno to “loosen up our expectations of what might happen in the near future” – in a similar way that Edward de Bono uses random words and techniques to encourage creative thinking, this approach is about stimulating other ways of viewing possible future. Their approach presents a list of ‘unthinkable futures’ – possibilities that challenge the norm.
BCH is not about predicting the future, but exploring a range of socio-technological possible, probable and preferable futures to understand the implications for education – and it is important to consider how these wild cards can not only dramatically impact upon the way in which we live, but also how, over time, smaller incremental changes can lead to very different ways of living – which means that thinking about different futures needs to be imaginative yet considered; suprising yet expected.
The Long Now Foundation holds open seminars to share information, ways of thinking about the future and providing the sorts of stimulus that enables this wider exploration of futures. For those not able to travel easily to San Fransisco, summaries and recordings of previous seminars can be found towards the bottom of this link
However, some methods do make bolder claims about predicting ‘the future’ – from the use of entrails and tea leaves as indicators of the future to more ’scientific’ exploration of data and trends. One challenge here is the ability to hold to account the strength of any prediction (the ‘predictor’ presumably long gone before long term futures are revealed!) But if you’re feeling more confident about your interpretations of developments and trends (or want to see some others who are) – maybe Long Bets is where you can stake your claim.
