Why Futurism Matters
No event in recent memory demonstrates the need for futurist thinking
more vividly than the September 11 terrorist attack on U.S. targets. This issue of THE
FUTURIST includes a retrospective on the lessons we need to learn from September 11 and
other crises, such as the Enron/Andersen debacle, and an analysis of what lies ahead. (See
"Learning from Crises," beginning on page 18 of the print edition).
One of the lessons of such crises must be to discover ways to avert them
in the future. That is one of the reasons the World Future Society was formed in the first
place. The mission of the Society is to improve our understanding of what is knowable
about the future so that we can make better decisions and take more effective actions in
shaping the future for ourselves and our families, businesses, and communities.
This issue of THE FUTURIST contains a special pullout brochure that
describes the Society and its services and provides a succinct overview of what the study
of the future is all about. (See "The Future: An Owner's Manual," following page
30.)
Included in this special section is a glimpse of the history of the
Society. We are proud to have been supported by a number of distinguished thought leaders
since the Society was founded in 1966. Several contributors to this issue of THE
FUTURIST--such as former NATO ambassador Harlan Cleveland, consulting futurist Joseph
F. Coates, and business futurist Arnold Brown--have volunteered their insights
at our conferences and in our publications for many years, giving the Society the
long-term perspective needed to help its members survive in a constantly changing world.
You are invited to share this brochure with interested family members,
friends, and colleagues. To request additional copies to give to clients, distribute at
meetings, or hand out in classrooms, please contact Society headquarters at
mailto:info@wfs.org.
