Politics + Science = Futures Studies?

In: American behavioral scientist: ABS, Band 42, Heft 3, S. 427-435

Abstract

The eternal truth of the future cannot, of course, be the goal of futures studies. Future is full of surprises, uncertainty, trends and trend breaks, irrationality and rationality, and it is changing and escaping from our hands as time goes by. It is also the result of actions made by innumerable more or less powerful actors. In this article, the author describes the general features of futures studies, especially in its impact on societal development and decision making. The aim is also to show that the change in societal development has brought new challenges to the theoretical and methodological aspects of futures studies. Finally, the author discusses the problem of linking scenarios of the future to social and political decision making.