futurestudy
Futurestudy, commonly referred to as futures studies or foresight, is an interdisciplinary field that examines possible, probable, and desirable futures and how present choices influence those futures. Its aim is to expand foresight in decision making by exploring drivers of change, uncertainties, and alternative scenarios. Practices involve analyzing trends, signals of change, and systemic interactions across technology, environment, economy, and society to inform policy, strategy, and personal planning.
Historically, futures thinking emerged in the mid-20th century through think tanks and research groups such as
Common methods include horizon scanning, trend analysis, scenario planning, backcasting, Delphi surveys, cross-impact analysis, and weak
Critiques of future study discuss its inherent uncertainty, potential biases, and normative assumptions about desirable futures.