The Image Today: Field-Notes on the Interdisciplinary Use of the Visioning Workshop

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 213-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelena Cingel Bodinet
Keyword(s):  
Academic Discipline ◽  
Futures Studies ◽  
Full Bloom ◽  
The Future ◽  
Field Notes ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Images Of The Future

Fred Polak wrote in his classic text, The Image of The Future: The rise and fall of images of the future precedes or accompanies the rise and fall of cultures. As long as the society’s image is positive and flourishing, the flower of culture is in full bloom. Once the image begins to decay and lose its vitality, however, the culture does not long survive. This is, arguably, one of the most important tenets of Futures Studies as an academic discipline. This essay explores the importance and practice of imbuing our communities (especially our youth) with the ability to create positive future images; assisting them in the recognition of their own agency in the creation of preferred futures; and encouraging them to become active participants in the creation of positive personal and communal futures today.

The Futurists. Experts in World Futures

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Andersson
Keyword(s):  
Cold War ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
The Other ◽  
Futures Studies ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Status ◽  
The One ◽  
The Cold War ◽  
Images Of The Future ◽  
The Way

Alvin Toffler’s writings encapsulated many of the tensions of futurism: the way that futurology and futures studies oscillated between forms of utopianism and technocracy with global ambitions, and between new forms of activism, on the one hand, and emerging forms of consultancy and paid advice on the other. Paradoxically, in their desire to create new images of the future capable of providing exits from the status quo of the Cold War world, futurists reinvented the technologies of prediction that they had initially rejected, and put them at the basis of a new activity of futures advice. Consultancy was central to the field of futures studies from its inception. For futurists, consultancy was a form of militancy—a potentially world altering expertise that could bypass politics and also escaped the boring halls of academia.

An Intervention Targetting Hopelessness in Adolescents by Promoting Positive Future Images

2001 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 51-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer M Gidley
Keyword(s):  
Primary Prevention ◽  
Suicide Risk ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Psychology Research ◽  
Futures Studies ◽  
Psychological Literature ◽  
Futures Research ◽  
The Future ◽  
Images Of The Future

This paper presents some ground-work for the development of a new theoretical approach which has the potential to contribute to primary prevention of suicide in adolescents by targetting hopelessness. Drawing on the extensive psychological literature which has linked hopelessness with depression and suicide risk for decades, the author notes that although there is a strong research and clinical base for targetting depression, there is a gap in the psychological literature when it comes to targetting hopelessness, specifically. Looking beyond the psychology field to the futures studies research field, the author draws links between the psychology research that does exist and the youth futures research which correlates rising youth suicide rates with growing fears and negativity of young people towards the future. Based on this new theoretical perspective, an intervention has been developed and is detailed here which attempts to reduce hopelessness in adolescents by promoting more positive images of the future.

Images of the Future in Drama Therapy

2009 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 180-186
Author(s):  
MATTHIAS WARSTAT
Keyword(s):  
Drama Therapy ◽  
High Affinity ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Images Of The Future

For various reasons, there is a tension between drama therapy and the concept of performance. Whereas many notions of performance are deeply rooted in the here-and-now, theatrical types of therapy often include practices concerning the future and constructing future images of self, subjectivity and conflict. This paper argues that therapeutic theatre's high affinity with iconic structures and with the creation of ‘images’ can be explained by its specific problems with the contingency and risk inherent in performance.

A.I. Solzhenitsyn Apropos of Russia’s Future: Specific Outlook Features Depending on Different Historical Context

2019 ◽  
Vol 66 ◽  
pp. 327-334
Author(s):  
Inga V. Zheltikova ◽  
Elena I. Khokhlova
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Context ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
The Political ◽  
Social Stability ◽  
Political Situation ◽  
The Future ◽  
Pessimistic Attitude ◽  
Personal Qualities ◽  
Images Of The Future ◽  
The Church

The article considers the dependence of the images of future on the socio-cultural context of their formation. Comparison of the images of the future found in A.I. Solzhenitsyn’s works of various years reveals his generally pessimistic attitude to the future in the situation of social stability and moderate optimism in times of society destabilization. At the same time, the author's images of the future both in the seventies and the nineties of the last century demonstrate the mismatch of social expectations and reality that was generally typical for the images of the future. According to the authors of the present article, Solzhenitsyn’s ideas that the revival of spirituality could serve as the basis for the development of economy, that the influence of the Church on the process of socio-economic development would grow, and that the political situation strongly depends on the personal qualities of the leader, are unjustified. Nevertheless, such ideas are still present in many images of the future of Russia, including contemporary ones.

ASO GUMBALO SEBAGAI INSPIRAS DALAM PENCIPTAAN SENI LUKIS

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 178
Author(s):  
Satri Yadi ◽  
Yuniarti Munaf ◽  
Dhasono Dhasono
Keyword(s):  
Design Phase ◽  
Symbolic Expression ◽  
Ethical Research ◽  
Process Stage ◽  
Form Processing ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Visual Strategies ◽  
Work Done ◽  
Exploration Phase

AbstrakAso Gumbalo dalam penciptaan karya seni lukis diilhami dari kehidupan pengembala yang menjadi inspirasi pencipta yang diungkap melalui media seni lukis dengan mengambil ide “Harapan Pengembala” (Aso Gumbalo). Harapan Gembala dapat diartikan sebagai keinginan, kecendrungan dan dorongan hati yang kuat terhadap sesuatu hal yang ingin direalisasikan untuk menjadikan seorang lebih baik dimasa depan. Pengekspresian ide cipta berangkat dari fenomena Aso Gumbalo yang pencipta ungkap dengan ekspresi simbolik kedalam penciptaan karya seni lukis. Metode penciptaan karya ini melalui tahapan yaitu; 1) Tahap eksplorasi adalah tahap pencarian ide-ide dengan melakukan riset emik dan etik untuk pembuatan karya, 2) Tahap perancangan yaitu tahap pembuatan purwarupa yang akan diwujudkan kedalam bentuk karya seni lukis, 3) Tahap proses garapan karya. Konsep dari penciptaan karya merupakan ekspresi simbolik dengan memanfaatkan idiom tradisi, ekspresi tersebut digambarkan pada perwujudan karya menggunakan strategi media dan strategi visual dengan menggunakan konsep pengolahan bentuk, yaitu disformasi dan transformasi dengan melakukan penggabungan beberapa teknik antara lain, teknik plakat, transparan, tekstur semu dan tekstur nyata. Aso Gumbalo sebagai inspirasi yang diungkapkan dalam bentuk karya seni lukis ekspresi simbolik. Karya-karya yang diciptakan pengkarya disajikan dalam bentukpameran.           Kata Kunci:aso gumbalo, ekspresi simbolik, seni lukis.   AbstractAsoGumbalo in the creation of painting works was inspired from the life of the shepherd who became the inspiration of the creator which revealed through the medium of painting by taking the idea of "Hope of the Shepherd" (AsoGumbalo). Shepherd Hope can be interpreted as a strong desire, inclination and encouragement towards something that wants to be realized to make someone better in the future. The expression of copyrighted ideas departs from the phenomenon of AsoGumbalo, which the creator expressed with a symbolic expression into the creation of painting. This method of creating works through several stages, namely; 1) The exploration phase is the stage of searching for ideas by conducting emic and ethical research for the production of works, 2) the design phase that is the prototype-making stage which will be realized in the form of painting, 3) the process stage of the work done. The concept of creation of works is a symbolic expression by utilizing traditional idioms, these expressions are depicted in the realization of the work using media strategies and visual strategies by using the concept of form processing, namely deformation and transformation by combining several techniques, such as plaque, transparent, pseudo-texture and real texture. AsoGumbalo as an inspiration expressed in the form of paintings of symbolic expression. works created by artists are presented in the form of exhibitions.  Keywords:asogumbalo, symbolic expression, painting.  

A Rapture of the Nerds? A Comparison between Transhumanist Eschatology and Christian Parousia

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 343-367
Author(s):  
Roberto Paura
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Point Theory ◽  
The Body ◽  
Christian Theology ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Human Species ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Creation ◽  
The Universe

Transhumanism is one of the main “ideologies of the future” that has emerged in recent decades. Its program for the enhancement of the human species during this century pursues the ultimate goal of immortality, through the creation of human brain emulations. Therefore, transhumanism offers its fol- lowers an explicit eschatology, a vision of the ultimate future of our civilization that in some cases coincides with the ultimate future of the universe, as in Frank Tipler’s Omega Point theory. The essay aims to analyze the points of comparison and opposition between transhumanist and Christian eschatologies, in particular considering the “incarnationist” view of Parousia. After an introduction concern- ing the problems posed by new scientific and cosmological theories to traditional Christian eschatology, causing the debate between “incarnationists” and “escha- tologists,” the article analyzes the transhumanist idea of mind-uploading through the possibility of making emulations of the human brain and perfect simulations of the reality we live in. In the last section the problems raised by these theories are analyzed from the point of Christian theology, in particular the proposal of a transhuman species through the emulation of the body and mind of human beings. The possibility of a transhumanist eschatology in line with the incarnationist view of Parousia is refused.

scholarly journals Fears for the future among Finnish adolescents in 2019

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
P Lindfors ◽  
L Lahti ◽  
J Kinnunen ◽  
A Rimpelä
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Nationwide Survey ◽  
Working Life ◽  
Political Values ◽  
Global Issues ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Future ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Images Of The Future

Abstract Background Adolescents' images of the future emerge from knowledge built on experiences of the past and present and their age-related developmental tasks. Images of the future direct adolescents' decision-making, choices, and behavior. The images of the future can act as a mirror of our times, reflecting the political values and ethos of society. The aim of this study was to examine the fears for the future among Finnish adolescents in the era of climate change. Methods Data from a nationwide survey on the health and health behavior of 12-, 14-, 16-, and 18-year-olds (n = 3520, the response rate 37 %) in 2019 in Finland. An open-ended question on fears for the future was employed as a final question on the survey. The data was analyzed first by inductive content analysis and then by statistical methods. Altogether 7829 fears were reported. These were constructed into 12 main categories. Results Fears for the social relationships and loneliness were the most common (35 %). Fears related to death (33 %), physical health and wellbeing (25 %), life management and success (19 %) and working life (17 %) were next common. Only 9 % of the adolescents reported climate and the environment related fears. In age group comparisons, 12-14-year-olds reported more global and social fears, while 16-18-year-olds reported more personal fears, such as study, working life and relationships. The most common fears among boys and girls were similar in all age groups. Conclusions The most common fears among Finnish adolescents are related to personal life and less to global issues. Against our hypothesis, climate and environmental related fears were not among the top fears, even these topics are figured prominently in media and other research has also reported high proportions of climate change related fears among adolescents. The inconsistencies might be explained by the differences in the research methodologies: whether open-ended questions or structured questions are used. Key messages Most common fears for the future are related to personal issues like relationships, health and work. Fears for climate change were not among the most common ones when open-ended questions were used.

scholarly journals Hope against hope: COVID-19 and the space for political imagination

2021 ◽  
pp. 136754942110045
Author(s):  
Jonathan Gross
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Studies ◽  
Critical Pedagogy ◽  
Political Imagination ◽  
Futures Studies ◽  
Political Struggle ◽  
Discursive Space ◽  
Devised Theatre ◽  
Interdisciplinary Field ◽  
The Future

COVID-19 has loosened neoliberalism’s hegemonic grip on the future. Amid the enormous suffering experienced internationally, there is much discussion of how to ‘Build Back Better’, and hope for a more caring, just and sustainable world. But competing futures are being imagined and planned. Hope is never politically neutral, and the content of collective hope is a key site of political struggle. This is partly a question of space: who has the literal and discursive space in which to develop visions of the future? The following article considers the role that cultural studies can play in this struggle. ‘Conjunctural analysis’ has a key task, making visible the competing futures contained within the present. But cultural studies should go further: combining conjunctural analysis with methods drawn from a range of scholarly and activist traditions – including critical pedagogy, devised theatre and the interdisciplinary field of futures studies – that deliberately create spaces for imagining new futures.

The early story: A brief history of the creation of entrepreneurship at Babson College and the discovery of innovation’s missing imperative

2020 ◽  
pp. 095042222097856
Author(s):  
Robert Ronstadt ◽  
Jeffrey Shuman ◽  
Karl Vesper
Keyword(s):  
Academic Discipline ◽  
Early History ◽  
Academic Programs ◽  
Institutional Commitment ◽  
Undergraduate Major ◽  
Outreach Programs ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Core Part ◽  
Complete Story

The authors document in detail how the entrepreneurship program was created at Babson College in the 1970s. They recount the early history of Babson’s program because the school was one of the first, if not the first, to make a huge institutional commitment that led to entrepreneurship becoming a core part of its academic programs. At the time, other schools had an entrepreneurship course or two, but Babson’s commitment involved the creation of an undergraduate major, an MBA concentration, an annual research conference, a Distinguished Academy of Entrepreneurs, an Entrepreneurship Chair, and numerous outreach programs. These efforts influenced other universities to increase their entrepreneurship offerings to the extent that a new academic discipline—entrepreneurship studies—was born. A second reason for this article is the belief by those directly involved in the creation of Babson’s program that the complete story has not been told and is in danger of being misunderstood. Like most innovations, the creation of Babson’s entrepreneurship program was not a neat and tidy affair, but one more consistent with the turbulent notions put forth by Joseph Schumpeter and Clayton Christenson. Understanding Babson’s early history with entrepreneurship can help others pursuing or facilitating their own academic innovations.

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