Homework this weekend: finish these questions (you may opt out of three).
QUESTIONS WE WANT TO THINK ABOUT AS WE EXPLORE THE THEME OF ‘FUTURE WORLDS’
- Define the general terms: what is meant by the “future”?
- What time span should be considered?
- What sort of preparations are we making and can we make for the future — technological? economic? political? social? moral? religious?
- Is there a future?
- What will it be like?
- What should it be like? Why?
- How important to the future is a knowledge of the past?
- What can be learned from history?
- Does history repeat itself?
- Is it possible to break away from historical patterns?
- What preconditions would be necessary if that were to happen?
- How important to a study of the future is a knowledge of the present?
- What can be learned from current events and philosophies?
- What preconditions would be necessary in order to radically alter the patterns of the present?
- How important are the ideas and speculations of various writers and thinkers?
- To what extent are the views of such people determined by their own history and environment?
- Is it possible for anyone to project ideas of the future which are not somehow influenced by the present or the past?
- Should the ideas of some thinkers and writers be given more weight than others? For example, politicians, philosophers, poets, inventors, engineers, scientists, religious leaders, artists.
- How do you evaluate their ideas? Why?
- How do considerations of the possible worlds of tomorrow reflect the different religious, ethnic, political or cultural environments of the present, if at all?
- Is it inevitable that current social and power structures (patriarchies) will be the form of future social organisations?
- Will the future be managed by people or will people be managed by the future?
- What will be the relationship between work and leisure, the individual and society; the people and technologies; the “village” of world community?
- Will the future be marked by further progress, material and intellectual, or by decline? Why?
- To what extent will technology be a benign or malignant force to be reckoned with? Why?
- How important will each of the following technologies be: computer, micro-chip, super-conductor, laser, deep space/satellite, artificial intelligence, nuclear, natural and renewable resources? What others can you add to this list?
- To what extent will technology influence or be influenced by national and international politics and/or national and international business interests?
- How, and to what extent, will advanced technologies affect the lives of ordinary people? Give reasons for your beliefs, with concrete evidence (do not merely speculate — base your evaluation on present trends and known possibilities and research.)