Future

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

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

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History

The future is also closely connected to other areas of history.

Prehistory

Early prehistory including the Pliocene, early Pleistocene, early mid Pleistocene, late mid Pleistocene, and late Pleistocene can be connected. Middle prehistory including the 5th decamillennium BP, 4th decamillennium BP, 3rd decamillennium BP, and 2nd decamillennium BP can be connected. Late prehistory including the early 8th millennium BC, late 8th millennium BC, early 7th millennium BC, late 7th millennium BC, early 6th millennium BC, and late 6th millennium BC can be connected.

Links to other sites:

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

Antiquity

The 5th millennium BC including the early 5th millennium BC, early mid 5th millennium BC, mid 5th millennium BC, late mid 5th millennium BC, and late 5th millennium BC can be connected. The 4th millennium BC including the early 4th millennium BC, early mid 4th millennium BC, mid 4th millennium BC, late mid 4th millennium BC, and late 4th millennium BC can be connected. The 3rd millennium BC including the early 3rd millennium BC, early mid 3rd millennium BC, mid 3rd millennium BC, late mid 3rd millennium BC, and late 3rd millennium BC can be connected. The 2nd millennium BC including the early 2nd millennium BC, early mid 2nd millennium BC, mid 2nd millennium BC, late mid 2nd millennium BC, and late 2nd millennium BC can be connected. The early 1st millennium including the 10th century BC, 9th century BC, 8th century BC, 7th century BC, and 6th century BC might be connected.

Classical and medieval history

Early classical history including the 5th century BC, 4th century BC, 3rd century BC, 2nd century BC, and 1st century BC may be connected. Late classical history including the 1st century CE, 2nd century CE, 3rd century CE, 4th century CE, and 5th century CE can be connected. Early medieval history including the 6th century, 7th century, 8th century, 9th century, and 10th century can be connected.

Late medieval history

The 11th century can be connected. The 12th century can be connected. The 13th century can be connected. The 14th century can be connected. The 15th century can be connected.

Modern history

16th century

The early 16th century including the early 1500s, late 1500s, early 1510s, and late 1510s can be connected. The early mid 16th century including the early 1520s, late 1520s, early 1530s, and late 1530s can be connected. The early mid The mid 16th century including the early 1540s, late 1540s, early 1550s, and late 1550s can be connected. The late mid 16th century including the early 1560s, late 1560s, early 1570s, and late 1570s can be connected. The late 16th century including the early 1580s, late 1580s, early 1590s, and late 1590s can be connected.

17th century

The early 17th century including the early 1600s, late 1600s, early 1610s, and late 1610s can be connected. The early mid 17th century including the early 1620s, late 1620s, early 1620s, and late 1620s can be connected. The mid 17th century including the early 1640s, late 1640s, early 1650s, and late 1650s can be connected. The late mid 17th century including the early 1660s, late 1660s, early 1670s, and late 1670s can be connected. The late 17th century including the early 1680s, late 1680s, early 1680s, and late 1690s can also possibly be connected.

18th century

The early 18th century including the early 1700s, late 1700s, early 1710s, and late 1710s can be connected. The early mid 18th century including the early 1720s, late 1720s, early 1730s, and late 1730s can be connected. The mid 18th century including the early 1740s, late 1740s, early 1750s, and late 1750s can be connected. The late mid 18th century including the early 1760s, late 1760s, early 1770s, and late 1770s can be connected. The late 18th century including the early 1780s, late 1780s, early 1780s, and late 1780s can possibly be connected.

19th century

The early 19th century including the early 1800s, late 1800s, early 1810s, and late 1810s can be connected. The early mid 19th century including the early 1820s, late 1820s, early 1830s, and late 1830s can be connected. The mid 19th century including the early 1840s, late 1840s, early 1850s, and late 1850s can be connected. The late mid 19th century including the early 1860s, late 1860s, early 1870s, and late 1870s can be connected. The late 19th century including the early 1880s, late 1880s, early 1890s, and late 1890s can be connected.

20th century

Events of the early 20th century including the early 1900s, late 1900s, early 1910s, and late 1910s can be connected. The early mid 20th century including the early 1920s, late 1920s, early 1930s, and late 1930s can be connected. The mid 20th century including the early 1940s, late 1940s, early 1950s, and late 1950s can be connected. The late mid 20th century including the early 1960s, late 1960s, early 1970s, and late 1970s can be connected.

Late 20th century

The early 1980s including 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, and 1985 can be connected. The late 1980s including 1986, 1987, 1988, 19889, and 1990 can be connected. The early 1990s including 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1995 down to the late 1990s including 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000 are increasingly applicable.

Early 21st century

Events will be continued from the early 2000s, including 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005.

The late 2000s are directly connected to the future. 2006 is complete. 2007 is also complete. 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, November, and December is also connected.

2009 can also be connected and should include the first quarter and second quarter. The third quarter 2009 is connected and includes events of July, August, and September. The fourth quarter 2009 is most directly connected and includes events of October 2009, November 2009 and December 2009.

2010 is also connected. The first quarter 2010 including January 2010 has significant events. The second quarter 2010, and third quarter 2010 can be connected. The fourth quarter 2010 can be connected. October 2010 including 2010 week 40, 2010 week 41, 2010 week 42, 2010 week 43, 2010 week 44, and 2010 week 45 can be connected. November 2010 including 2010 week 45, 2010 week 46, 2010 week 47, 2020 week 48, and 2010 week 49 can be connected. December 2010 including 2010 week 49, 2010 week 50, 2010 week 51, 2010 week 52, and 2010 week 53 can be connected.

Early 2010s

2011

The first quarter 2011 can be connected. January 2011 including 2011 week 1, 2011 week 2, 2011 week 3, 2011 week 4, 2011 week 5, and 2011 week 6 can be connected. February 2011 including 2011 week 6, 2011 week 7, 2011 week 8, 2011 week 9, and 2011 week 10 can be connected. March 2011 including 2011 week 10, 2011 week 11, 2011 week 12, 2011 week 13, and 2011 week 14 can be connected.

The second quarter 2011 can be connected. April 2011 including 2011 week 14, 2011 week 15, 2011 week 16, 2011 week 17, and 2011 week 18 can be connected. May 2011 including 2011 week 19, 2011 week 20, 2011 week 21, 2011 week 22, and 2011 week 23 can be connected. June 2011 including 2011 week 23, 2011 week 24, 2011 wek 25, 2011 week 26, and 2011 week 27 can be connected.

The third quarter 2011 including July 2011, August 2011, and September 2011 can be connected. The fourth quarter 2011 including October 2011, November 2011, and December 2011 can be connected.

Sociology

Examination of peoples of the world, communities, and social structure and change is vital to examination of the near future, middle future, and far future.

Institutions

Studies of religion, government, economics, education, and families will be vital to studies of the near future, middle future, and far future.

Culture

Studies of behavioral culture, conceptual culture, and material culture can be applied to studies of the near future, middle future, and far future.

Anthropology

Particular groups, human geography, human ecology, physical anthropology, demography, and social foundations can be applied to examination of the near future, middle future, and far future.

Particular groups

These will be somewhat useful in examining the future.

Human geography

Asiatic geography can be considered. Southwest Asia including the Near East, Arabia, Asia Minor, the Transcaucasus, and the Iranian Highlands can be considered. South Asia, Southeast Easia, East Asia, Central Asia, and North Asia can be connected. European geography including Balkan geography, Italian geography, Iberian geography, Northwest European geography, Island European geography, Central European geography, Eastern European geography, and Scandinavian geography can be connected. African geography including Northern African geography, Eastern African geography, Western African geography, North Central African geography, South Central African geography, and Southern African geography can be connected. North American geography including Northern North American geography, Middle North American geography, and Southern North American geography can be connected. South American geography and Oceanic geography will be important.

Human ecology

The influence of people on the environment, relations with other organisms, and the influence of the environment on people can be considered.

Physical anthropology

Human dispersion, racial variation, and human origins may be significant in examining the future.

Demography

Population change, population structure, morbidity and death, migration, and birth and fertility will also be useful.

Social foundations

Social group behavior, social group types, social control, social interactions, and social presentation will be useful in examining the future.

Personal studies

Biography

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.

Psychology

Social psychology, personality, developmental psychology, mental disorders, behavior patterns, mind, and behavioral elements appear to be minimally useful in investigation of the future, but are not likely to change a great deal.

Human body

Form and appearaance, life cycle, disease, body function, and body systems are indirectly connected to studies of the future.

Science

Biology

Biology is good at accounting for events but not as good at predicting them. Biohistory including Precambrian life, Paleozoic life, and Mesozoic life can be connected. Cenozoic life, principally including the Pleistocene and the Holocene, can be examined. Ecology including biogeography, ecosystems, evolution, systems ecology, community ecology, population ecology, and behavioral ecology may be connected. Systematics including animals, fungi, plants, protists, and microbes ca be connected. Organism biology including behaior, life cycle, form, organ systems, tissues, and habitat can be considered. Cell biology including cell types, cell behavior, and cell anatomy can be connected. Molecular biology including nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, small organics, and inorganics may also be of some use.

Earth science

Earth science is so far better at accounting for events than predicting them. Geohistorical events of the Precambrian, Paleozoic, amd Mesozoic eras may be useful. Those of the Cenozoic including the Pleistocene and Holocye epochs are likely to be more useful. Events of physical geography including mapping, oceanic geography, and terrestrial geography can be connected. Events of Atmospheric science including climate, meteorology, and atmospheric structure can be connected to a limited extent. Hydrospheric science including study of oceans, glaciers, freshwater, and groundwater can be considered. Geological predictions including those of interior geology, geologic processes, landforms, petrology, and minerals can be considered.

Astronomy

Various astronomical events can be connected. Cosmology is weakly connected. Events of galactic astronomy are for the most part too distant to have any effect. Events of stellar astronomy are not very useful except in the very distant future. Events of Solar System astronomy including solar system history, the sun, solar planetary systems, minor bodies, and the interplanetary medium can be considered.

Chemistry

Chemical systems including organic systems, inorganic systems, gaseous systems, liquid systems, and solid systems can be connected. Chemical change including nuclear reactions, chemical reactions, and physical changes can be connected. Chemical substances including mixtures, compounds, and elements can be connected.

Physics

The structure of matter including exotic matter, common bulk matter, molecular physics, atomic physics, and nuclear physics can be connected. Quantum physics can be connected. Relativity theory including general relativity and special relativity can be connected. Electromagnetism including optics, magnetism, electric current, and electrostatics can be connected. Thermodynamics including nonclassical thermodynamics, classical thermodynamics, and statistical mechanics can be connected. Mechanics including gravitation, nonrigid mechanics, rigid body mechanics, and particle mechanics can be connected.