Future

Although people have often attempted to predict or forecast the future, they have a mixed record of doing so. Studies of the future (or possible, probable, and desired futures) from an academic or scholarly point of view are known as future studies, and thos who engage in it are known as futurists. Those who do so on the basis of business or government are usually called planners. Those who predict the future based on psychic phenomena are known as clairvoyants, those who do so on a religious basis are usually called prophets.

This subject is at present divided into three ranges: near future, middle future, and far future.

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Science

Physics and chemistry are indirectly useful. Various astronomical events, including many of local astronomy, can be predicted, but few of these are significant. Stellar astronomy, galactic astronomy, and cosmology are also not very useful. Earth science may be useful in explaining some geological, hydrospheric, physical geographic, and geohistorical events, but these are nire difficult to predict. Biology is likewise good at accounting for events at the various levels of molecular biology, cell biology, organisms, systematics, ecology, and biohistory, but not as good at predicting them.

Links to other sites:

• Futures studies. Wikipedia article
• World Future Society A leading group of futurists.

Personal studies

The human body including body systems, body function, life cycle, disease, and form and appearance is indicrectly connected to studies of the people. Psychology including behavioral elements, mind, behavior patterns, developmental psychology, mental disorders, personality, and social psychology also appears to be minimlly useful. Biography is useful for living individuals and for a limited time, however, it is impossible to predict which individuals not yet born will become prominent in the future.

Anthropology

Social foundations with social presentation, interactions, social control, social group behavior, and social group types will be useful in examining the future. Demography including birth and fertility, migration, morbidity and birth, population structure, and population change will also be useful. Physical anthropology including human origins, racial variation, and human dispersion is also significant. Human ecology including the influence of the environment on people, relations with other organisms, and the influence of people on the environment, human geography including European geography, Asiatic geography, African geography, North American geography, South American geography, and Oceanic geography, and particular groups will also be useful.

Culture

Material culture such as foodstuffs, clothing, buildings, transportation and communication technology, tools, and other artifacts will be vital in studies of the future. It also depends on conceptual culture such as language, graphics, literature, mathematics, and applied science. Philosophy including metaphysics, aesthetics, ethics, epistemology, and philosophical schools and doctrines is also useful. Behavioral culture such as customs, occupations, recreation and entertainment, performing arts, sports and games, and cultural events such as miscellaneous events, disasters, meetings, and holidays is also needed.

Institutions

Futures studies should include connections to families, including marriage, parenting, kinship, and particular families. They also include education such as research, teaching, cultural institutions including museums, libraries, and performance venues, Educational organization including course material, students, faculty, and administratin, and particular schools.

Economics

Economic activities including production, distribution and exchange, and consumption are significant. Industries and companies including agriculture, extraction and manufacturing, social and medical services, transportation, communication, and commercial and financial services will be important. Economic systems including firms, networks, economic system types, and economic system behavior will be important.

Government

Law including tribal law, Asiatic law, Western law, and international law can be connected. government structure such as political parties, judicial systems, legislative systems, executive systems, heads of government, and government forms will be useful. Government activity including administration, succession, and state relations can be connected. Particular governments such as local, and national governments are also involved. International government is also useful, although traditional empires and colonial empires are far less useful than modern compacts.

Religion

Religious belief, religious practice, organization including unstructured, fragmented, and highly structured organizations is also important to the future. Religious traditions such as Abrahamic religion are significant. Christianity including Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, Orthodoxy, Other traditional Christianity, and Mormonism is also connected. Islam, and Judaism are significant. Asiatic religion including Zoroastrianism, Manicheanism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism is significant. Secularism, and pagan religion are also prominent.

Sociology

Futures studies depend heavily on studies of social structure and change. Social structure including Anthropological structure, cultural structure, institutional structure, class structure, and community and regional structure will be useful. Social types, which further include hunting and gathering societies, horticultural societies, agrarian societies, and industrial societies. Social change is also vital. Social change factors including natural change, demographic change, cultural change and institutional change will be an essential part of future studies. Social change processes including innovation, transmission, adaptation, and extinction can be considered. Particular changes including the agricultural revolution, agrarian revolution, and industrial revolution will all be important to investigate.

Particular communities with connections to the future are mentioned below under the peoples they belong to. [ Canton, Cairo, Buenos Aires, Moscow, Beijing, Dacca]

This also requires consideration of the peoples of the world. Several nations which are grouped along with the peoples they principally belong to have some mention of the future. [Spain, Argentina, Poland, Tanzania, Kenya, Morocco, and Canada]

Western civilization is particularly interesting. [Particular nations include Colombia] Cities include Los Angeles. Anglic peoples including those of the United States and United Kingdom are important. Cities include New York City. Latin peoples are significant. These include those of Italy. Cities include Sao Paulo. French peoples including those of France can be connected. Hispanic peoples such as those of Mexico and cities such as Mexico City will be important. Lusitanic peoples including those of Brazil can be considered. Northeast European peoples including those of Russia and Ukraine are significant. Germanic peoples including those of Germany can be considered.

Asatic peoples will be significant. [Nations include Myanmar]. Cities include Karachi. Middle Eastern peoples including nations of Egypt with its city of Cairo will be important. Turkey and Iran will also be important. South Asian peoples including nations of India, with its cities of Bombay and Delhi, Pakistan and Bangladesh will also be important. Other South Asiancities include Calcutta. Central Asian peoples including those found in China and Russia will be important. Oriental peoples including those of China with Shanghai, Japan with Tokyo and South Korea with Seoul are highly important. Cities include Osaka. Southeast Asian peoples including those of Indonesia with its city of Jakarta, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand are also important, and cities such as Manila are also important.

African peoples including people of Sudan can be connected. Eastern African peoples including those of Ethiopia can be connected. Western African peoples including those of Nigeria can be connected. Southern African peoples such as those of South Africa can be connected. Central African peoples including Congo (DR) can be connected

American Indian peoples which are found in Colombia among others are also of some interest. Meso-American peoples such as those found in Mexico can be connected. South American Indian peoples including those found in Brazil can be connected. North American Indian peoples including those found in the United States can also be considered.

History

The future is also closely connected to other areas of history. For some studies, prehistory will be most useful. Antiquity may also provide a useful guide. Classical and medieval history may also be useful.

Modern history, including the 16th century, the 17th century, 18th century, 19th century, and the 20th century can also be applied at times. Events of the mid 20th century, the late mid 20th century, late 20th century down to the late 1990s are increasingly applicable.

The early 21st century is also a useful guide. Events will be continued from the early 2000s. The late 2000s could include part of the future. 2006 is complete, but 2007 is not. Events of 2007 Second quarter, will also be useful, the third quarter, and fourth quarter including October, November, and December are connected. 2008 including the first quarter, second quarter including April, May, and June and third quarter down to July, August, and September will be connected. The fourth quarter including October and November is also connected.