I was asked this question last week while discussing the FS masters program at the University of Houston that I recently started. Luckily, I had written my answer to this question a few days before.
“Future studies is a rigorous, systematic field of inquiry which seeks to articulate the range of possible and probable alternative futures so that individuals, organizations and societies can move closer to their preferred future(s). It is part science, part art, and part ethical practice.
Future studies is a holistic, multi-disciplinary field which has its modern origins in the early to mid-20th century. While closely related to the disciplines of policy analysis, operations research, anthropology, history, sociology, and others, it is distinct from other fields in the degree of holism, use of specific methods, and in the scope and time scale of inquiry.”
Thoughts?
John Smart has posted a good, short history of the field.
