Future Studies

Future studies, also called futurology or futures research, is the systematic study of possible, probable, and preferable futures. Unlike prediction, which claims to forecast what will happen, future studies maps the space of what could happen by analyzing trends, identifying driving forces, and constructing alternative scenarios. The field emerged from post-war military planning and corporate strategy but has since expanded to address civilizational challenges including climate change, technological disruption, and existential risk.

The methodological core of future studies is scenario planning: the construction of multiple, internally consistent narratives about how the future might unfold. Scenarios are not predictions but wind