The human condition can almost be summed up in the observation that, whereas all experiences are of the past, all decisions are about the future. It is the great task of human knowledge to bridge this gap and to find those patterns in the past which can be projected into the future as realistic images. The image of the future, therefore, is the key to all choice-oriented behavior.
Kenneth Boulding, 1973.
In the bibliography below a few of the very many recent sources underlying each of “the generic four alternative images of the futures of the Manoa School” that Jim Dator will discuss in his presentation at the opening plenary.
He insists that: “It is very important to understand that the generic four alternative images of the futures of the Manoa School are not “made up”. Rather, each of them is built on a very firm empirical base. That is to say, there are many groups and individuals around the world who hold some version of one of them as an accurate image of The Future—while also usually proclaiming that the other three are wrong. I believe there are strong arguments supporting each of the four generic images, and that it is not possible for me, as a futurist, to say that any one is wrong or right. Rather, it is my duty to present specific versions of each of the four to you as appealingly and accurately as possible so that you may decide how best to envision and create your preferred futures in response to all four of the alternative futures images.”
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