Key questions in critical futures studies

At the heart of Critical Futures Studies (CFS), as articulated by Sohail Inayatullah, lies the endeavor to “loosen the future.” Instead of creating new images of the future (in the form of scenarios, for example), the goal is first to identify and deconstruct the images of the future that are already there, in the room and the minds. Picture yourself watching the latest keynote from the likes of Zuckerberg or Altman. You hear them declare, “This is the future!” and you might start wondering, “Wait? Why? And why do you want me to believe this is the future?” Welcome to CFS. It begins with asking questions.

In their fresh look at CFS in Beyond Capitalist Realism, [[ Luke Goode, Michael Godhe|Goode and Godhe ]] suggested a foundational set of questions aimed at critically evaluating specific future visions.

Question to ask of a specific future:

  • How is the future invoked?
  • What kind of future is evoked?
  • Who would want to live in such a future (and who would not)?
  • What sort of people live in such a future?
  • How are we expected to arrive at this future?
  • What is the persuasive power of such a vision?
  • What’s the history behind this vision of the future?

Furthermore, Goode and Godhe propose an additional framework for analyzing the broader context in which these future images emerge, termed the “political economy of the future”:

Questions to ask of the “political economy of the future”

  • Who are the actors (institutions, individuals etc.) producing and propagating images of the future?
  • What are the institutional arrangements (from scientific institutes to popular and online media) shaping the circulation and discussion of images of the future?
  • How are ideas of the future discussed and contested in public life?
  • Who are the agenda-setting and gatekeeping powers in the futural public sphere?
  • What potential impact could this vision of the future have?

These questions are tremendously helpful in my work and even my everyday life. From client meetings to reading tech news, they provide a guideline to identify underlying assumptions, values, and motivations for rendering future narratives in particular ways. They reveal that most images of the future will tell you very little about the actual future but vast amounts about the interests and intentions of their proponents (Present futures).

Notes mentioning this note

Critical Futures Studies
The field of [[Futures Studies]] describes “the scientific concern with possible, desirable and probable future developments”1. While the majority of...
Questions for the Start of a Foresight Project
I first developed these questions for an article about The Beginning and the End of Foresight.

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AI and science fictionAI, future imaginaries, and futures studiesArtificial IntelligenceAnti DystopiaApproachDr. Armin GrunwaldArticle - Future FailArticle – Future of Terranascient Futures Studies...Article - Futures from RuinsArticles on FuturesArtifical general intelligence (agi)Artificial Intelligence and future imaginariesArticle – Beyond Capitalist RealismThe Blue Ant TrilogyBooks on FuturesCla gameCharacteristics of Future ImaginariesCollective MemoryCommon SenseComparable and related approachesComparison of national AI strategiesComponents of Future ImaginariesConceptual challenges and inconsistenciesConclusionCondensation of Future ImaginariesCritical Futures StudiesCyberpunkDates and eventsDifferentiation from similar termsDigital GardenEarly Approaches to ImaginariesEffect of performativity on future imaginariesFictional Expectations from BeckertFred PolakPaper – From Critique to Cultural RecoveryFuture Imaginaries from CookFuture Imaginaries from Goode and GodheFuture ScenarioFutures StudiesFutures terminologyFuturesGlobal business networkGoalsImages of the Future from InayatullahImaginaries from Lockton and CandyImaginaries from an anthropological perspectiveImaginariesInteresting Questions in Futures Studies &...IntroductionIntroductions to Futures Thinking & ForesightKey questions in critical futures studiesLeitbildLiterature on Critical Futures StudiesLongtermismMaster's Thesis – Future ImaginariesMeaning-Making and AIMegatrendsMetaphorMethodsMinimum group size for (future) imaginariesMythNele fischer on critical futures studiesNo future is neutralNo such thing as “future-proof”Observations from the examination of futures and...Official futureOutlook – Application of future imaginariesOverton WindowPattern recognitionPresent futures from GrunwaldPull of the FutureQuestions for the Start of a Foresight ProjectRationalistsResearch QuestionsRoles of Future ImaginariesSarkar gameSituating the ResearcherSocial ImaginariesSociotechnical Imaginaries from JasanoffSohail InayatullahTescrealThe Difference between Present Futures and Future...Book – The Image of the FutureThe JackpotThe network stateThe Role of Futures in CapitalismThe distinction between imaginaries and future...The vagueness of future imaginariesThinkers on futuresTools for the examination of future imaginariesTowards a definition of Future ImaginariesTraining Practice for FuturistsSorry, but this is not a trend reportVerge frameworkVisionWhat good is scientific rigor when nobody gives a...William GibsonMethod: WindtunnelingWorldbuildingCritical FuturesFuture Imaginaries