What Is A Futurist? Interview Nine of Them in Nine Minutes

Subject(s):
Patrick Tucker's picture

What is a futurist? Every self-described futurist you ask will likely give you a different answer. A more interesting question is what do these people say about the future? Brian Bethune from Maclean's magazine recently put that query to a grab bag of inventors, technologists, geneticists, business consultants, and writers he encountered at WorldFuture 2012, the Society's recently concluded conference in Toronto, Canada. Brian's video interviews are part of MacLean's Rethink issue, which looks worth reading.

But if you actually want to meet futurists, (or claim to be one), you should probably come to our next WorldFuture event in Chicago.

So what's your take? Are any of these people the real deal?

(Note: You'll need to download Adobe Flash to watch.)

Intel Futurist Brian David Johnson

Me, deputy editor of THE FUTURIST magazine and author of the forthcoming comming book A Future Ever Certain: How the Science of Prediction Will Change the Way We Work, Live, and Love (Current, 2013)

Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project

Andrew Hessel, biologist and co-founder of the Pink Army Co-operative

Edie Weiner, futurist with Weiner Edrich Brown (WEB)

Ramez Naam, technologist with the Foresight Institute and author

Jared Weiner, futurist with Weiner Edrich Brown (WEB)

Geordie Rose, creator of the D-Wave One quantum computer

Erica Orange, futurist with Weiner Edrich Brown (WEB)

About the author

Patrick Tucker is deputy editor of THE FUTURIST magazine and author of the forth-coming book A Future Ever Certain: How the Science of Prediction Will Change the Way We Work, Live, and Love (Current, 2013)

Comments

For more futuristic viewing...

Press play on all of the videos at once and then scroll up and down the page. It's like being on some crazy futurific merry-go-round.

About the author
Patrick Tucker is the senior editor of THE FUTURIST magazine and director of communications for the World Future Society.

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