Futures Beyond Dystopia: Creating Social Foresight, Richard A Slaughter, Routledge Falmer, 2004, xxv + 306

ISBN: 0 415 30270 6

This book argues that certain deeply embedded features of mainstream US approaches to strategy, futures and foresight help account for early successes in that context. By the late 1980s, however, most of these approaches were clearly in decline. The book seeks to diagnose this failure and to provide both a rationale and methods for helping the futures and foresight professions move on to new stages of development.

In essence it suggests that empirical (external) futures or foresight work needs to be balanced by two other approaches, namely 'critical' and 'integral' futures (both of which, in large measure, address 'interior' realities). Achieving a new balance between internal and external factors provides a powerful new framework for futures and foresight-related activities in all fields including education, government, business, philanthropy and the third sector.

The pay-off, therefore, is that readers will (1) be able to diagnose the underlying reasons for the decline of the US tradition and (2) rapidly build toward more inclusive and productive approaches. The latter are much better equipped to deal with the embedded issues and problems facing the world. As such the book will provide a vital new stimulus to those looking for new directions and new types of strategic, futures and foresight capability.

The Foreword was written by Ken Wilber.

It is not for sale separately from this site. It is included as one of the four texts on Towards a Wise Culture CDROM with Futures for the Third Millennium, Recovering the Future and The Foresight Principle.