I confess when I bought my first new car I wanted to marry it. I couldn't have asked
for more from a husband: It made me comfortable, took me wherever I wanted, and played
beautiful music. I named him Dashiell. (Twelve years later, he's still all mine.)
What if people really could marry their cars--or their computers or their pets? These
are questions worth pondering, according to cultural historian Stephen Bertman,
because marriage itself as a rite of commitment is already undergoing a historic
transformation that promises to change the social landscape in the next few years. (See
"The Transformation of Marriage" on page 44 of the print edition.)
"What if" questions are a vital component of futuring, since they engage our
imaginations and drive us to examine our decision-making processes, according to educator Daniel
Rigney. As a tool for teaching critical thinking, he presents his students a what-if
question about whether they would choose to use a smart pill that provides instant
intelligence enhancement. (See "What If You Could Be Instantly Smarter? A Thought
Experiment," page 34.)
Other mind-stretching what-if questions offered in this issue focus on choosing to
genetically enhance one's child ("Letters to Unborn Daughters: Exploring the
Implications of Genetic Engineering" by Sarah Stephen, page 37) and the
potential consequences of learning to communicate with animals ("Doctor Dolittle for
Real? Raising Questions about Interspecies Communications" by Bruce Lloyd and
Susan Clayton, page 40).
If these topics get you excited about thinking about the future, just wait till you see
the rich marketplace of ideas offered at the World Future Society's next conference, WorldFuture
2004: Creating the Future Now! The two-and-a-half-day meeting will be packed with the
latest ideas from great futurist thinkers like Ray Kurzweil, Joel Barker, Richard
Lamm, Jennifer Jarratt, and Lynn Burton. For more details and to
register, visit us online at www.wfs.org/2004main.htm.
