science

Outline of futures studies

Outline of futures studies is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Outline of futures studies rather than just read about it. In short: The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to futures studies: Futures studies (also called futurology) – study of postulating possible, probable, and preferable futures and the worldviews and myths that underlie them. There is a debate as to whether this discipline is an art or science.

Key takeaways

Outline of futures studies belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Outline of futures studies to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Outline of futures studies from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to futures studies: Futures studies (also called futurology) – study of postulating possible, probable, and preferable futures and the worldviews and myths that underlie them. There is a debate as to whether this discipline is an art or science. In general, it can be considered as a branch of the social sciences and parallel to the field of history. History studies the past, futures studies considers the future. Futurology (colloquially called "futures" by many of the field's practitioners) seeks to understand what is likely to continue and what could plausibly change. Part of the discipline thus seeks a systematic and pattern-based understanding of past and present, and to determine the likelihood of future events and trends.

General concepts Accelerating change Calculating demand forecast accuracy Clarke's three laws Collaborative planning, forecasting, and replenishment Causal layered analysis Coolhunting Decision support systems Digital library (initiatives) DIKW pyramid – Harlan Cleveland Emerging technologies List of emerging technologies End of civilization Eschatology Failure mode and effects analysis Forecasting Foresight Future Future Techniques Future energy development Global Consciousness Project Hubbert peak theory Interdependence Kardashev scale Kondratiev wave Malthusian catastrophe Memetics Moore's law Morphological analysis Neo-futurism Omega Point Optimism bias Planetary phase of civilization Planning Potential cultural impact of extraterrestrial contact Prediction Prediction market Psychohistory (fictional) Race of the future Reference class forecasting Risks to civilization, humans and planet Earth Scenario analysis Social network analysis Strategic foresight Systems theory Technological singularity Technology Technology forecasting Theory of constraints Thought experiment Transhumanism Twelve leverage points Ultimate fate of the universe

Futures techniques Anticipatory thinking Causal layered analysis (CLA) Environmental scanning Scenario method Horizon scanning Delphi method Future history Monitoring Backcasting (eco-history) Cross-impact analysis Futures workshops Failure mode and effects analysis Futures wheel Technology roadmapping Social network analysis Systems engineering Trend analysis Morphological analysis Technology forecasting Theory U

Organizations Association of Professional Futurists Bakken Museum Club of Rome Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies Foundation For the Future Future of Humanity Institute Future of Life Institute The Futures Academy Global Business Network Global Scenario Group Hudson Institute Institute for Futures Research Institute for the Future International Institute of Forecasters Long Now Foundation NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts Naval Postgraduate School RAND Corporation Devi Ahilya University Tellus Institute The Millennium Project World Future Society World Futures Studies Federation

Research centers Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies Institute for the Future, Palo Alto, California Tellus Institute, Boston, Massachusetts The Futures Academy, Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland World Futures Studies Federation, world

Academic programs Australia: Australian Catholic University Australia: Swinburne University of Technology Argentina: Universidad Nacional de La Plata Australia: Curtin University of Technology Australia: University of the Sunshine Coast Canada: OCAD University Colombia: Universidad Externado de Colombia Colombia: Uniandes Czech Republic: Charles University of Prague Finland: Turku School of Economics and Business Administration France: CNAM Hungary: Corvinus University of Budapest India: Devi Ahilya University India: University of Kerala Italy: Gregorian University Mexico: Monterrey Institute of Technology Romania: Babeș-Bolyai University Russia: Moscow State University South Africa: Stellenbosch University South Korea: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology Taiwan: Tamkang University Taiwan: Fo Guang University US: University of Hawaii (Since 1971) US: University of Houston (Since 2000) US: Stanford University US: Regent University

Futurologists

Publications

Books The Age of Spiritual Machines: When Computers Exceed Human Intelligence Brave New World The Communist Manifesto Future Primitive Future Shock Futurewise The Limits to Growth Our Final Hour The Revenge of Gaia The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology The Skeptical Environmentalist The Third Wave, Alvin Toffler Physics of the Impossible Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100

Periodicals and monographs Foresight Future Orientation Index Futures International Journal of Forecasting Journal of Futures Studies Technological Forecasting and Social Change

See also Abductive reasoning List of futurologists Index of articles related to the theory of constraints Transhumanism

References

External links

– list of recent publications Archived 2019-03-13 at the Wayback Machine from the Hawaii Research Center for Futures Studies 15 Global Challenges from The Millennium Project

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Outline of futures studies

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Outline of futures studies claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Outline of futures studies before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Outline of futures studies ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Outline of futures studies

In research: Outline of futures studies appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Outline of futures studies in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Outline of futures studies is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Futures studies, Outlines, Outlines of social sciences, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Outline of futures studies outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Outline of futures studies in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Outline of futures studies means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Outline of futures studies out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Outline of futures studies in simple terms?

Why does Outline of futures studies matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Outline of futures studies?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Outline of futures studies.