Outline of futures studies
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to futures studies:
Futures studies - study of postulating possible, probable, and preferable futures and the worldviews and myths that underlie them. There is a debate as to whether this discipline is an art or science. In general, it can be considered as a branch of the social sciences and parallel to the field of history. History studies the past, futures studies considers the future. Futurology seeks to understand what is likely to continue and what could plausibly change. Part of the discipline thus seeks a systematic and pattern-based understanding of past and present, and to determine the likelihood of future events and trends.
General concepts
- Accelerating change
- Calculating demand forecast accuracy
- Clarke's three laws
- Collaborative planning, forecasting, and replenishment
- Causal layered analysis
- Coolhunting
- Decision support systems
- Digital library
- DIKW pyramid – Harlan Cleveland
- Emerging technologies
- * List of emerging technologies
- End of civilization
- Eschatology
- Failure mode and effects analysis
- Forecasting
- Foresight
- Future
- Future energy development
- Global Consciousness Project
- Hubbert peak theory
- Interdependence
- Kardashev scale
- Kondratiev wave
- Malthusian catastrophe
- Memetics
- Moore's law
- Morphological analysis
- Neo-futurism
- Omega Point
- Optimism bias
- Planetary phase of civilization
- Planning
- Potential cultural impact of extraterrestrial contact
- Prediction
- Prediction market
- Psychohistory (fictional)
- Race of the future
- Reference class forecasting
- Risks to civilization, humans and planet Earth
- Scenario analysis
- Social network analysis
- Strategic foresight
- Systems theory
- Technological singularity
- Technology
- Technology forecasting
- Theory of constraints
- Thought experiment
- Transhumanism
- Twelve leverage points
- Ultimate fate of the universe
Futures techniques
- Anticipatory thinking
- Causal layered analysis
- Environmental scanning
- Scenario method
- Horizon scanning
- Delphi method
- Future history
- Monitoring
- Backcasting
- Cross-impact analysis
- Futures workshops
- Failure mode and effects analysis
- Futures wheel
- Technology roadmapping
- Social network analysis
- Systems engineering
- Trend analysis
- Morphological analysis
- Technology forecasting
- Theory U
Organizations
- Association of Professional Futurists
- Bakken Museum
- Club of Rome
- Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies
- Foundation For the Future
- Future of Humanity Institute
- Future of Life Institute
- The Futures Academy
- Global Business Network
- Global Scenario Group
- Hudson Institute
- Institute for Futures Research
- Institute for the Future
- International Institute of Forecasters
- Long Now Foundation
- NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts
- Naval Postgraduate School
- RAND Corporation
- Devi Ahilya University
- Tellus Institute
- The Millennium Project
- World Future Society
- World Futures Studies Federation
Research centers
- Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies
- Institute for the Future, Palo Alto, California
- Tellus Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
- The Futures Academy, Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland
- World Futures Studies Federation, world
Academic programs
- Australia: Australian Catholic University
- Australia: Swinburne University of Technology
- Argentina: Universidad Nacional de La Plata
- Australia: Curtin University of Technology
- Australia: University of the Sunshine Coast
- Canada: OCAD University
- Colombia: Universidad Externado de Colombia
- Colombia: Uniandes
- Czech Republic: Charles University of Prague
- Finland: Turku School of Economics and Business Administration
- France: CNAM
- Hungary: Corvinus University of Budapest
- India: Devi Ahilya University
- India: University of Kerala
- Italy: Gregorian University
- Mexico: Monterrey Institute of Technology
- Romania: Babeș-Bolyai University
- Russia: Moscow State University
- South Africa: Stellenbosch University
- South Korea:
- Taiwan: Tamkang University
- Taiwan: Fo Guang University
- US: University of Hawaii
- US: University of Houston
- US: Stanford University
- US: Regent University
Publications
Books
The Age of Spiritual Machines: When Computers Exceed Human IntelligenceBrave New WorldThe Communist ManifestoFuture PrimitiveFuture ShockFuturewiseThe Limits to GrowthOur Final HourThe Revenge of GaiaThe Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend BiologyThe Skeptical EnvironmentalistThe Third Wave, Alvin TofflerPhysics of the Impossible- ''Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100''