Binding: Paperback
Description: From the beginning of time humans have been driven by both a fear of the unknown and a curiosity to know. We have always yearned to know what lies ahead whether threat or safety scarcity or abundance. Throughout human history our forebears tried to create certainty in the unknown by seeking to influence outcomes with sacrifices to gods preparing for the unexpected with advice from oracles and by reading the stars through astrology. As scientific methods improve and computer technology develops we become ever more confident of our capacity to predict and quantify the future by accumulating and interpreting patterns form the past yet the truth is there is still no certainty to be had. In this Very Short Introduction Jennifer Gidley considers some of our most burning questions: What is "the future "?; Is the future a time yet to come?; Or is it a utopian place?; Does the future have a history?; Is there only one future or are there many possible futures? She asks if the future can ever be truly predicted or if we create our own futures - both hoped for and feared - by our thoughts feelings and actions and concludes by analysing how we can learn to study the future. About THE Series: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket - sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts analysis perspective new ideas and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Title: The Future: A Very Short Introduction
Author(s): Gidley Jennifer M. (President World Futures Studies Federation (Unesco Partner))
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Barcode: 9780198735281
Pages: 192 Pages, 10 Black And White Images
Publication Date: 6/1/2017
Series: Very Short Introductions
Category: Social Forecasting, Future Studies