The Foresight Principle: cultural recovery in the 21st Century, Praeger, Westport, Connecticut: xviii + 224 pp (1995)

ISBN: 0 275 95292 4 (Cloth) 0 275 95293 2 (Paperback)

This book has a simple but profound message: we do not have to walk blindly into the 21st century. By taking the in-built human capacity for foresight, developing it in various ways and then creating institutional niches, the view ahead becomes much clearer. And while that view may be very challenging, it is by no means as dark and forbidding as it is portrayed. The two central themes are first, the pivotal role of foresight as a human capacity; and second, the need for wisdom in shaping our future. The Foresight Principle is a heartening book. It does not obscure the very real dangers which lie ahead, but it does provide a rationale for greater use of foresight and a number of related strategies.

The book is divided into three parts. Part one is devoted to establishing the context: looking beyond the industrial worldview. Part two looks at ways of applying and extending the foresight principle. Part three takes up the theme of cultural recovery in the 21st century. Here are chapters on: creating positive views of futures with young people; cultural reconstruction in the post-modern world and towards a wise culture. A concluding chapter: the promise of the 21st century, reinforces the tone of qualified optimism that runs through the book. There is also an extensive annotated bibliography of some 100 futures books.

Out of print

Now available on Towards a Wise Culture CDROM with Futures for the Third Millennium, Recovering the Future and Futures Beyond Dystopia.