Alternative Futures

This paper presents a systematic synthesis of the qualities of the sádvipra, as articulated by Shrii Shrii Anandamurti (P. R. Sarkar), the founder of Ananda Marga and the Progressive Utilization Theory (PROUT). Sarkar envisioned the sádvipra as a socio-spiritual leader who integrates moral discipline, deep spiritual practice, intellectual clarity, courage, and a universal outlook free of narrow sentiments. Unlike saints, reformers, or intellectuals bound to a single social class, the sádvipra functions as a dynamic regulator of the social cycle (varńa-cakra), ensuring that no class hardens into an exploiter. This work refines and organizes Sarkar's scattered descriptions into four major domains: Inner Foundations, Social Functions, Cultural and Economic Leadership, and Contemporary Responsibilities, with an appendix providing operational guidelines for leadership. Special emphasis is given to the three non-negotiable boundary conditions-sádhaná (spiritual practice), courage to act against exploitation, and a universal outlook-as the litmus test of sadvipra-hood. By presenting these qualities in a structured and comprehensive format, this paper seeks to clarify Sarkar's vision of the sádvipra as the vanguard of a just, sustainable, and universal civilization. It aims to contribute to scholarship on PROUT, Indian socio-spiritual philosophy, and leadership studies by highlighting a model of leadership that integrates spirituality with social activism.

In the ongoing First Nations and otherwise Indigenous apocalypse in Canada and abroad, the colonial footprint continues to remain firmly stamped on cultures and peoples relegated to the socio-political margins. One recent response occurs in Jeff Barnaby's Rhymes for Young Ghouls (2013) and in his follow-up Blood Quantum (2019). Following a combination of Indigenous theoretical analyses combined with traditional cultural studies, this article demonstrates how these films simultaneously expose the horrific crimes of colonialism in a relatively recent contemporary setting while ironically using the cinematic conventions of horror and apocalypse to critique a stultifying patriarchal ideology both from within and surrounding the Indigenous community. In 2013, Mi'gmaq filmmaker Jeff Barnaby shocked audiences with the release of his meticulously crafted Rhymes for Young Ghouls (2013) and added a radically subversive entry to the rising canon of First Nations cinema in Canada

The (question of the) future is not what it used to be. In an age of irreversible planetary instability, what was once a source of hope and aspiration, and a problem of anticipation, imagination and the fabrication of alternatives, has become precarious, a source of fear and dread, and a problem of finitude, catastrophe, and adaptation. What becomes of the idea of the future on an earth rendered forever unstable and unsafe? This, the article argues, is the key question of a transdisciplinary futures studies in the Anthropocene. At a time when planetary upheavals throw its guiding idea of "alternative futures" into disarray, the task is not, however, to hang on to the fundamental openness of the future as an article of faith. The task is to reckon with the historical nature of the (open) future in the first place, critically interrogating the future's (and futures studies') own historicity and modern conditions of emergence in order to devise ways of attending to emerging and historically shifting relations to the future in the planetary present. Bringing recent debates on the crisis of futurity in futures studies and scholarship on historical futures into a conversation about the shifting historicity of the future in the Anthropocene, this article proffers the notion of "regimes of futurity" as an organising heuristic to reassess the stakes and reimagine the task of a future futures studies.

Nella primavera del 1939, dall’alto dei grattacieli di Manhattan, si scorgevano nella lontananza del Queens due grandi corpi atipici e discordanti. Sono Trylon e Perisphere, simboli della New York World’s Fair, che sovrastano nettamente l’ambiente circostante, nell’esatto centro del vasto Flushing Meadows - Corona Park, e attirano l’attenzione degli spettatori vicini e lontani.
Dopo il tentativo di unione nella Globe Tower di Samuel Fri- ede nel 1906, è qui che l’ago e il globo si rincontrano nel proget- to degli architetti Wallace K. Harrison e Jacques A. Fouilhoux. È questa una nuova, gigantesca e magnifica interpretazione dei due estremi formali apparsi per la prima volta proprio in occasione di un’altra fiera newyorchese - quella del 1853 - e da allora parte integrante del vocabolario archetipico di Manhattan: «per molti aspetti la storia del Manhattanismo, inteso come architettura separata e identificabile, è una dialettica tra queste due forme: fra l’ago che vuole diventare globo e il globo che tenta, di volta in volta a tra- sformarsi in ago»1. A queste due forme pure è affidato il compito di rappresentare un futuro che supera la depressione economica, la crisi sociale, il radicato tasso di disoccupazione e il secondo conflitto mondiale, ormai inevitabilmente alle porte. E così la New York World’s Fair del 1939 non poteva essere di commemorazione al glorioso passato americano, ma lo sguardo fisso al futuro suggerì un tema diverso: "The World of Tomorrow".

This research paper examines the intersection of spirituality and science through the lens of P.R. Sarkar's unified theory of spirituality and Microvita, offering a comprehensive framework for holistic healing in the contemporary world. The primary objective is to explore the spiritual dimensions of Microvita theory and assess its relevance to overall well-being. Using qualitative content analysis, the study closely engages with Sarkar's writings to extract key themes and principles related to spirituality, energy, consciousness, and healing. The research identifies Microvita theory as a conceptual bridge between scientific and spiritual paradigms, proposing a model of healing that integrates the mind, body, and spirit. The findings highlight the influence of Microvita on energy flow, spiritual development, and self-realization, suggesting new possibilities for enhancing health and well-being. The theory underscores the interconnectedness of all living beings and points to its broader implications for ecological balance and collective wellness. This integrated approach provides valuable insights for healthcare by emphasizing the spiritual dimension of healing, the significance of inner vitality, and the importance of fostering spiritual awareness for mental peace and intuitive growth. Moreover, Microvita offers potential as a subtle intervention tool in healing practices, opening pathways to more effective and inclusive therapeutic methods. In essence, this study affirms that acknowledging the unity of life and the role of subtle energies can lead to a deeper understanding of health and contribute meaningfully to both individual and planetary well-being.

Social learning, defined as a convergence in the perspectives of stakeholders on a complex (environmental) problem and its possible solutions, is considered an important mechanism in developing integrated solutions requiring broad societal support and concerted action. Quantitative environmental models can support social learning of stakeholders by providing a platform for communication and integration and by allowing exploration of the consequences of different choices. However, in many integrated assessment projects that combine quantitative modelling with stakeholder participation, the models fail to play a significant supporting role in social learning. Two major reasons for this failure are: (1) stakeholder perspectives are inadequately integrated into the model, and (2) insufficient iterations are made between model outcomes and stakeholder choices. In recent years, a number of software tools have become available that may help to remedy these shortcomings. For instance, with ...

Futures researchers aim to anticipate and shape desirable futures, but cognitive biases and research fallacies can compromise the validity and reliability of their outputs, raising concerns among decision-makers and policymakers. This study investigates the impact of cognitive biases and research fallacies on futures research through a systematic literature review of 120 peer-reviewed articles, monographs, and reports published between 2015 and 2025. It identifies four prevalent cognitive biases—confirmation bias, overconfidence bias, hindsight bias, and anchoring bias—and seven research fallacies, including biased sampling, false causality, and cherry-picking, that undermine foresight reliability. Bias-free foresight, achieved through neural bias mapping, methodology stress-testing, institutional memory building, and interdisciplinary collaboration, minimizes these distortions. Neural bias mapping involves tracking cognitive biases via structured registries, while methodology stress-testing evaluates foresight tools under varied scenarios. The study introduces a novel taxonomy distinguishing cognitive biases from re-search fallacies and proposes a practical framework to enhance foresight quality. It offers action-able insights for decision-makers in high-stakes domains like public policy and national defense.

-96 DDS students > 300 have rotated through Hibbing, Willmar & SD beginning this fall School of Public Health -450 students in 4 programs -50% increase since 2002 >1,000 students in on-line learning • College of Veterinary Medicine -90 students -VetFAST, collaboration with CFANS graduates first class Primary Care

The book explores the transregional dimension of both the conception of European spatial planning as well as the activity and praxis of transnational collaboration in Europe. A particular emphasis is put on the EU's 'macro-regions' which have been developed since 2009 in an attempt for forge functional collaboration across large-scale territories above the nation-states and going beyond mere cross-border cooperation.

The European Water Framework Directive poses new challenges to sovereign nations that share river basins. Upstream and downstream countries now must cooperate in developing long-term plans that address policy issues related to water management in the entire river basin. Vision building and strategic planning in (transboundary) river basins are presented as a means to overcome lack of common goals and fragmentation in planning and implementation. Systems analysis is a first step in planning. The definition of system boundaries cannot be limited to the watershed of the river: system boundaries must shift according to the policy issue concerned. These shifting boundaries, and their consequences for the selection and implementation of measures to improve water management, are presented in a student vision for the Scheldt river basin.

Les valeurs doivent être distinguées des comportements. Les valeurs sont profondes et ne se dévoilent pas facilement. Alors que les comportements se dénombrent plutôt aisément. • Les valeurs sont des idéaux et des préférences qui structurent les représentations et les actions des individus, ce qui les prédispose à agir dans un sens donné. • Les caractéristiques principales des valeurs : -Elles sont intégrées au cours de la socialisation, pendant la jeunesse, puis remodelées lentement tout au long de la vie. -Les systèmes de valeurs s'inscrivent dans la durée. Ils distinguent les sociétés et les différents groupes sociaux, pas seulement les individus. -Une cohérence -partielle -de l'organisation des valeurs individuelles. -Pas de lien automatique avec les comportements. On est souvent dans des conflits de valeurs.

Laisse entendre qu'il y a une homogénéité entre les jeunes d'une même génération . Ils seraient marqués par un même événement central : génération du baby boom, génération de la guerre d'Algérie, de mai 68, de mai 1981, génération d'une crise économique (fin des années 1970, 2008…), génération covid…. . Ils seraient marqués par un style de vie : la musique (avec des écarts selon les périodes), la technologie numérique . Peut-on parler d'un « fossé des générations » entre jeunes et plus âgés . Cela supposerait une grande difficulté de compréhension réciproque . Le fossé des générations correspond plutôt à la situation des années 1970-1980. La génération du baby boom était largement incomprise des générations antérieures, beaucoup plus traditionnelles. . Une utilisation au singulier qui pose problème . La jeunesse est très diverse : selon les origines sociales et selon qu'on est aujourd'hui favorisé ou défavorisé, selon qu'on est femme ou homme, selon les origines nationales… . Au point que Pierre Bourdieu a pu dire : « La jeunesse n'est qu'un mot », ce serait une illusion, les vrais clivages étant sociaux. . Le pluriel convient mieux ; les jeunesses La jeunesse, une notion discutable

Résumé. Ce texte de recherche méthodologique sur les processus d’administration d’enquête par voie postale repose sur 18 ans de pratique pour produire les données françaises de l’ISSP. Il montre les efforts déployés pour utiliser une base de sondages de bonne qualité, mais aussi pour faire monter le taux de retour des questionnaires par une série d’initiatives : évolution de la lettre de présentation de l’enquête, ligne téléphonique dédiée dont l’analyse des messages reçus permet d’appréhender les craintes et les critiques des personnes ciblées, développement d’un site internet, instauration d’une sensibilisation téléphonique auprès des ménages sélectionnées avec identification de la personne concernée. Au total, contrairement aux idées reçues, ce type de méthodologie apparaît très performant.

What might be required for us to inhabit a present defined by crises and collectively imagine a hopeful future? This paper explores some of the ways in which the dominance of crisis framings in contemporary life might shape our ability to 'imagine together', and identifies a burgeoning body of work aligned with the concerns of spiritual ecology, that endeavours to cultivate the field of our collective imagination as an act of deep meaning-making. I identify a set of interlinked themes or qualities that resonate throughout and animate this work, and argue that these may gesture towards ways of cultivating spaces rich with imaginative potential to enable us collectively to imagine 'beyond crisis'. These include a recognition of the ways in which Western scientific modernity continues to shape spaces of imaginative possibility; a resurgence of contemporary animism and a 're-membering' of humans in broader kinship with the animate earth; challenges to temporalities of crisis; the honouring of emotions such as joy, hope, and grief; and the reconnection with somatic wisdom and ritual.

This paper provides a comprehensive doctrinal analysis of Ananda Sutram, the foundational scripture of Ananda Marga composed by Shrii Shrii Anandamurti in 1961. Treating each sutra as primary source material, the document offers a thematic exploration of the metaphysical, ethical, social, and economic dimensions embedded in the text. It draws from the original Sanskrit sutras and their purports to clarify core philosophical concepts such as Brahma, dharma, pratisaincara, the five layers of mind, sadvipra leadership, and the Progressive Utilization Theory (PROUT). This work is intended as a reference for serious practitioners, scholars, and educators, and seeks to preserve the doctrinal purity of Ananda Marga teachings in the face of contemporary misinterpretation.

This study identifies current research gaps within the field of futures studies. It aims to clarify re-search priorities and direct scholarly attention toward underexplored areas. By identifying these gaps, the study seeks to inform the global foresight community and support the advancement and practical relevance of the discipline. Through a mixed-methods design, the research integrates a comprehensive literature review with survey data collected from 215 foresight professionals and futures researchers. The analysis uncovers notable deficiencies in theoretical frameworks, methodological development, contextual applications, and emerging domains. The most pro-nounced gaps exist in contextual and emerging areas. Survey participants ranked methodological rigidity, technology and data analytics gaps, and participatory engagement gaps as the most urgent areas for further inquiry. The findings highlight the necessity of inclusive and participatory ap-proaches in futures studies. Concrete recommendations are proposed, such as enhancing methodological rigor, embracing diverse viewpoints, and utilizing new technologies. This work establishes a foundation for subsequent investigations and aims to support the ongoing evolution of the field.

In present times, in which we face several complex societal challenges and see a renewed interest in and importance of foresight, it makes sense to look back on looking forward in contexts of public policy: to reflect on lessons learned, to avoid common pitfalls and build on what works. In this paper, we describe our 25-year journey in the world of foresight from the question of how foresight practitioners assess the future and how these experts, in this process, come to grips with an uncertain future while supporting public policy and decision-making. On this journey, we witnessed futurists constructing their own profession as well. Based on our detailed, ethnographically informed, reflection on action, we conclude that: 1. The methodological challenges we already observed during the first trajectories of our journey, which included accommodating stakeholder perspectives, dealing with uncertainty and non-stationarity in foresight, and combining analytical and intuitive foresight approaches to inform policymaking, continue to challenge foresight practice today. 2. To meet the complex, societal challenges of our times, we must learn to resist the urge to seek comfort in certainties and become more proficient in embracing uncertainty. 3. A combined approach of unravelling knowledge production and construction of meaning on both a micro-level of interaction as well as on a community level strengthens the research of contemporary knowledge practices.

Background and Objectives: This study was performed to determine and identify the origin, concentration and source of perylene entry and some PAH compounds in surface sediments of Ghalam Goodeh )A(, Siyah Kashim )B(, and Talab Markazi )C( in Anzali wetland. Materials and methods: We collected 22 samples of sediments )from each region( and 2 samples of soils )from A region( in April of 2012. Sampling was performed from soil for proving the condition of concentration and origin of perylene in under investigating sediments. GC-MS was applied for extraction of PAH compounds using organic solvents and 2-phase column chromatography. Diagnostic ratios of Ph/An, Flu/Pyr, Flu/Flu+Pyr, BaA/BaA+Chr and IP/IP+BghiP were used to determine the origin of PAH compounds. Results: In all sediment samples, the origin of perylene and PAH compounds were found to be natural and petrogenic, respectively. The total concentration of PAH compounds were ranged between 560.05 to 1051.93 ng/g dry weight and per...

The Climate Change Adaptation in Africa (CCAA) research and capacity development program was launched in 2006 and is jointly funded by Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID). It is hosted and managed by IDRC from headquarters in Ottawa and three regional offices in Africa. We aim to improve the capacity of African countries to adapt to climate change in ways that benefit the most vulnerable. The program works to establish a self-sustained African body of expertise on adaptation that responds to needs defined by African communities, decision-makers, and institutions. IDRC is a Canadian Crown corporation that works in close collaboration with researchers from the developing world in their search for the means to build healthier, more equitable, and more prosperous societies. DFID is the part of the UK government that manages Britain's aid to poor countries and works to get rid of extreme poverty www.dfid.gov.uk The Center for International Forestry Research is a nonprofit, global facility dedicated to advancing human wellbeing, environmental conservation and equity. We conduct research that enables more informed and equitable decision making about the use and management of forests in less-developed countries. www.cifor.cgiar.org Adaptation to climate change entails changes in processes, practices or structures, either autonomous or planned, to minimize potential damage or to take advantage of opportunities associated with climate change. Effective adaptation strategies should reduce present and future vulnerability and may include changes in institutional or individual practices in response to perceived changes, coping strategies, or proactive actions taken by various actors to capitalize on new opportunities . Key concepts that will help to standardize language in the area of climate change adaptation include: Adaptation: This consists of adjustments in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which moderate harm or exploit beneficial opportunities. Adaptive capacity: This is the ability of a system to adjust to change (including climate variability and extremes) to moderate potential damages, take advantage of opportunities, or cope with consequences. This capacity depends largely on one's access to assets (natural, human, social, physical and financial), and how well these assets are utilized. Those with higher adaptive capacity are often able to recover or adapt to new conditions. Greater adaptive capacity means the ability to cope with and/or reduce levels of exposure and sensitivity.

ABSTRACT: This article aims to establish a foundation for the vocational and applied study of the possible, probable and preferable futures of the leisure industries. It does so by presenting a novel methodological approach, integrating state-of-the-art generative AI (GenAI) created content within actionable formats, with a design futures approach and process, validated by several industry awards by, for example, market research organisation ESOMAR in the early 2000s. In this article, the authors propose to merge the novelty of GenAI with the constructivist
tradition of design futures in a hybrid approach to leisure futures in a system including: (1) archetypal scenarios, to structure future potentials of scenarios at macro-level, to orientate possibilities, probabilities and preferable futures; (2) a quadrants tool, based on design futures principles and practices, but based on AI-generated archetypal scenarios, enabling the mapping of leisure cards in participatory workshops; and (3) leisure cards, to generate signals and manifestations of leisure futures, offering the possibility to include hallucinations that inspire liminal hypercreativity in any forecast. By presenting this approach, the authors aim at establishing a first foundation of a systematic exploration of leisure futures, to be further developed at scientific and applicative levels
of vision, methods and outcome in the form of signals and trends.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/22243534.2025.2450334

This review paper explains the latest advances in veterinary medicine from the perspective of sustainable animal health management and disease prevention. The objective of this study is to evaluate the integration of sustainability into veterinary practice with an emphasis on the role played by emerging technologies, preventive measures, and eco-friendly methods in improving animal health outcomes. Some of the key advances discussed include the use of the One Health principle, which integrates human, animal, and environmental health; the adoption of antibiotic stewardship to combat antimicrobial resistance; and the use of alternative and natural interventions in the management of animal health. The article also discusses the role of new diagnostic methods and genomic technologies in identifying and preventing disease at an early level. The article also highlights environmental sustainability in veterinary businesses, climate change mitigation, and promotion of sustainable farming and waste management. Furthermore, ethical and social considerations such as animal welfare and public education are presented with regard to sustainable veterinary medicine. The findings show that while there has been tremendous progress in veterinary medicine with sustainable strategies, some matters such as economic considerations and the spread of emerging diseases remain problems. Continued study, collaboration, and policy development are needed to enhance the sustainability of veterinary medicine practice, with the vision of advancing long-term improvements in animal and public health.

Urban areas are expanding at a very fast rate worldwide. The task of managing urban growth has increased in both scope and complexity and has become one of the most important challenges in the 21st century. This article aims to examine the urban development and optimize spatial patterns of future urban growth allocation based on scenarios to provide a basis for urban environmental management in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. We developed an artificial neural network based urban growth allocation model for the valley. This predictive model optimizes spatial patterns of future urban growth allocation under the three scenarios, i.e., spontaneous, environment-protecting, and resources-saving. The predicted spatial patterns mirrors where and how the urban development in the valley is likely heading by 2050 and provides a crucial information on land availability for future land development projects. The results suggest that the current urban development process is in critical stage where urban and peri-urban areas will face unprecedented stress on land resources costing river and forest ecosystems and other environmentally sensitive areas by the next decade. Rural vicinities will face regional imbalance on urban growth allocations. However, there are still possibilities to improve urban environment and manage the potential land demands in the valley by enforcing the urban growth policies strictly and altering the current growth trend as revealed in the environment-protecting and resources-saving scenarios.

Tropical forests play a major role in storing large carbon stocks and regulating energy, and water fluxes, but such forest cover is decreasing rapidly in spite of the policy attention on reducing deforestation. High-resolution spatiotemporal maps are unavailable for the forests in majority of the tropical regions in Asia because of the persistent cloud cover and haze cover. Recent advances in radar remote sensing have provided weather-independent data of earth surface, thus offering an opportunity to monitor tropical forest change processes with relatively high spatiotemporal resolutions. In this research, we aim to examine the tropical deforestation process and develop a spatial model to simulate future forest patterns under various scenarios. Riau Province from central Sumatra of Indonesia is selected as the study area; this province has received much attention worldwide because the highest CO 2 emission resulting from tropical deforestation has been recorded. Annual time series PALSAR data from 2007 to 2010 were analyzed for forest mapping and detecting land cover changes. A spatial model was calibrated using the Bayesian method. Modeling parameters were customized for the local subregions that allocate deforestation on the basis of their empirical relationships to physical and socioeconomic drivers. The model generated landscape spatial patterns mirrored the possible locations and extent of deforested areas by 2030 and provided time-series crucial information on forest landscape under various scenarios for future landscape management projects. The results suggested that the current deforestation process is in a critical stage where some subregions may face unprecedented stress on primary forest costing rivers and forest ecosystems by the end of 2020. The perspective views of Riau Province generated by the model highlighted the need for forest/environmental planning controls for the conservation of environmentally sensitive areas.

Over the years, Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar gained a reputation as an all-knowing entity, able to talk in detail about many subjects and about the distant past and the future. Here he speaks of a future time when human babies will be created from chemical compounds in laboratories, and how human beings will lose their biological reproductive power as a natural result of this. Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar, (1921-1990), was a spiritual guru in the tradition of Shiva and Krishna. He introduced the empowered universal spiritual mantra "Baba Nam Kevalam" ["love is all there is"], composed a collection of 5018 spiritual songs called Prabháta Saḿgiita, and founded the global socio-spiritual organization Ananda Marga ("the Path of Bliss").-Richard Gauthier, Saint Louis, USA, April 8, 2025. Laboratory Babies July 1961, Ranchi, India.

This paper critiques the impact of development and the Anthropocentric mindset on postcolonial landscapes in Hawaii and Indonesia, focusing on the novels Mahele o Maui and Lemah Tanjung. The narratives represents the far-reaching consequences of modernization, deforestation, and loss of green areas, leading to a longing for traditional sustainable lifestyles. Nakkim and Ibrahim contextualize the differing historicity of Hawaii/Indonesia concerning the issue of indigeneity, sovereignty, and political aspirations.While Hawaii's history is marked by settler colonialism and the struggle for Indigenous self-determination, Indonesia's postcolonial condition is shaped by internal political and economic transformations that have affected local communities differently. The analysis highlights shared themes of critique towards development and Anthropocentrism, as well as the distinct elements of Native Hawaiian Indigenous resistance (Aloha' Āina) and dialectics of land ownership portrayed in each novel. This comparative study of Indonesia/Hawaii emphasizes how two distinctive literary traditions criticize the impact of Western Anthropocentrism through agency and resistance.

Programa de Millora i Innovació en la Formació Inicial de Mestres (ARMIF 2017).Recurs per avaluar la competència de recerca a la formació inicial de mestres. Ha estat elaborat en el marc del projecte de recerca "Disseny, aplicació i avaluació d'una proposta formativa per a promoure competències de recerca en els Graus de Mestra/e: la investigació com a estratègia d'innovació de la pràctica educativa” (ARMIF 00002).Secretaria d'Universitats i Recerca del Departament d'Empresa i Coneixement de la Generalitat de Catalunya. Programa de Millora i Innovació en la Formació Inicial de Mestres (ARMIF 2017)

For centuries, many researchers and thinkers have sought to prove that war is a necessary element of human development. According to this viewpoint, only through struggle does society avoid stagnation and decline, being forced to invent new technologies and adapt to changes. War, they claim, is an inevitable force that pushes humanity forward, compelling it to mobilize resources and concentrate efforts on solving complex problems. But is that really the case?

Demographic and land use dynamics have important implications for the natural environment within both developed and developing nations. Within the context of developed nations, popular and policy debates surrounding contemporary patterns of suburbanization attest to the salience of demographic and development issues. We examine the implications of land-use patterns as related to population and development within the context of the California Mojave Desert ecosystem. In a general sense, we aim to better understand the land requirements inferred by varying levels of population growth and density, as well as the natural habitat implications of those requirements. We develop a GIS including remotely sensed imagery, and demographic, economic, and biophysical data to examine of the implications of various demographic scenarios on species diversity. Spatial and statistical models are designed to develop possible alternative land use 'futures'. Within the context of the California Mojave region, our results suggest that high-density development could reduce conflict with regions providing potential habitat for threatened or endangered species by over 80 percent. The process of model development demonstrates a potentially useful tool for policymakers, allowing for estimation and visualization of the land use implications of policy decisions.

This article provides a critical review of historical theories from the perspective of predicting the future, placing this within a broader framework of the philosophy of history. It engages the contributions of seminal thinkers, such as Hegel, Marx, Spengler, Toynbee, and Ibn Khaldun, to interrogate how historical philosophy offers predictive utility in terms of contemporary global challenges. The discussion has dealt with the development of historical thinking from its deterministic underpinnings to its application in attempting to navigate the exigencies of modernity; globalization, systemic interdependence, emergent phenomena, and unprecedented contingencies in dynamic interaction characterize the latter. The case studies explored a variety of instances, from the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2008 Global Financial Crisis to the widespread protest movements of the Arab Spring. The article argues that while historical theories may offer insight into patterns, cycles, and structural dynamics, their predictive power is necessarily limited. History is reconceptualized instead as a reflective and suggestive framework that improves contextual understanding and adaptability and informs strategic choice. From that perspective, historical philosophies do have something to contribute: not by way of determinant mappings but by showing routes to resilience and innovation, the importance of nuanced and supple engagement with history for a world that is facing increasing interconnection and uncertainty.

This research paper came as response to a plethora of corruption cases implicating senior officials in Southern African governments. Public media is awash with incidences of corruption in government departments and in the corridors of power. This is symptomatic of a serious bankruptcy in terms of spiritual capital among senior officials in governments. This research seeks to identify areas of intelligences that the Southern African leaders need for them to lead and manage government departments competently and ethically. It is practically impossible to instil ethical values to the junior staff members when those in the top echelons of the organogram are not ethical. The researcher has identified 5 intelligences that need to be an integral part in leadership development programmes. The study started by conducting a literature review of relevant theories on different forms of intelligence. A qualitative research paradigm was adopted as a research methodology for this study. Data was collected through interviewing a sample of 50 senior managers within government and the responses were recorded and later transcribed for analysis. Five major themes came out of the research which showed that, in Southern Africa, senior managers in government are spiritually bankrupt and therefore lack a sustainable source of ethical values. The results also showed that most leaders were just average in terms of social and emotional intelligence. On intellectual and physical intelligence, the results depicted mastery of those intelligences. The researchers responded to the findings and conclusions by developing a Sikhosana Five-Fold Model which when used to develop

This study aims to highlight how Octavia Butler's life influenced her writing "Parable of the Sower." Characterization, storyline, and other aspects of the novel are all very intimately tied to Butler's life. Butler and Lauren were both raised in traditional Baptist homes, and they have both always been captivated by the psychological effects of religion. Butler had the opportunity to explore cultural and racial variety while growing up in the ethnically mixed Pasadena neighbourhood. Butler drew on her historical reading and background to create the fictitious worlds. What Butler predicted for the future is more important than ever today. She saw a world that was poised to come to an end. She encountered a Black woman prophet who understood that absolutely nothing is predetermined and that we have the power to shape events and change their trajectory. It encourages us to let go of the conventions that can push us towards a disastrous future and to embrace our greatest strength—the capacity for change. She offers a vision of a humanist future where metaphysical spirituality is possible without the need for a conventional, all-powerful Supreme deity. She created imaginary worlds like the one we live in, but she also gave each of us the inspiration to follow our own goals and face our apprehension about the unknown while being brave and creative. The Earth seed aphorism serves as a constant reminder that "Everything you touch, You Change..."

This paper addresses research around curiosity that the authors have begun and its relationship to design education. It begins by situating this research in the cross-disciplinary, emerging field of curiosity studies pioneered by Perry Zurn and Arjun Shankar. It introduces a framework for creating moments of curiosity and then shows how that framework might be used to document moments of curiosity. The field of motion design can meaningfully contribute to how curiosity is documented and made more understandable. The goal of this research is to render curiosity less breakable, more visible, more tangible, and more durable in and outside the classroom.

We organised a policy hackathon in order to quantify the impacts accelerated and high-end sea-level rise up to 20 metres on the coast of the Netherlands, and develop possible solutions. This was done during one day, with 20 experts that had a wide variety of disciplines, including hydrology, geology, coastal engineering, economics, and public policy. During the process the problem was divided up into several sub-sets of issues that were analysed and solved within small teams of between 4 to 8 people. Both a top-down impact analysis and bottom-up vulnerability analysis was done by answering the questions: What is the impact of sea level rise of x meter?; and How much sea level rise can be accommodated with before transformative actions are needed? Next, adaptation tipping points were identified that describe conditions under which the coastal system starts to perform unacceptably. Reasons for an adaptation tipping point can be technical (technically not possible), economic (cost-bene...

The term "spillover" is used here to represent effects of the project on non-BHP households. The same term is also used to represent possible effects of the project among BHP households in control villages (rather than the more negative term "contamination"). 3 Bob Baulch with Annette Fox, "Thanh Hoa Bamboo Impact Assessment Report," Report to the International Finance Corporation by Prosperity Initiative, Hanoi, 2008 (March). 4 The definition of household consumption in both countries includes the consumption of home-produced food and other goods and, in Cambodia, an imputed rental value for owner-occupied housing and expenditure on consumer durables (rather than an estimate of their annual use value). In Laos, household consumption excludes expenditure on major durables.

This paper was originally presented as a talk at a conference entitled "Posthuman Futures" held in Oxford by the Ian Ramsey Centre in the Faculty of Theology. The subject of the conference was what it means to be human as we contemplate a posthuman future.

The third edition of the Futures and Foresight Events calendar (2025) covers selected professional development opportunities that primarily focus on the use of futures studies and foresight in societal, technological, economic, environmental, political, and value-based (STEEPV) contexts, as well as training and learning in foresight. Only announcements that were publicly available until December 31, 2024, were used to prepare this list, which includes dates, titles, descriptions, locations, and links to the respective web pages.

Trust in political institutions is vital to the normal functioning of the political system. The EU is a political system in the making, thus the levels of trust in EU institutions and in the EU as a whole could be an important indicator of the 'health' of this emerging polity. Trust is influenced by the social, economic and social environment, which means that periods of crisis could have an impact on trust. In this paper, we analyse the levels of trust during two different EU crises -the rejection of the constitutional treaty and the current Eurozone crisis. The purpose of the analysis is to establish how different types of crises, with different degrees of salience for Europeans and with different outcomes in terms of problem-solving efficiency, affect trust in the EU and confidence in its future.

In a crises-ridden time where life is under threat due to human activities which exceed planetary boundaries, Indigenous women conceptualize such activities as terricide (Latin terra: 'the world' and cadere: 'to kill'). A case study of the 'Indigenous Women's Movement for Buen Vivir' in Argentina shows that its participants offer a conceptualization of terricide that condemns crimes against humanity and nature alike. They establish an ecocide-genocideepistemicide nexus. Firstly, terricide frames human activities as destroying nature through ecocide (Greek oikos: 'home'). Second, terricide results in genocidal phenomena because it harms humans by threatening or destroying their physical and socio-cultural existence. Third, terricide is epistemicide because it destroys the relational knowledge systems that oppose the human and culture/nature divide inherent in 'modern' thinking. From a relational perspective, everything that exists, humans, ecosystems and other-than-human subjectivities, form part of a dense web of relations constituting an interdependent, symbiotic community of life.

Este Cuaderno de Trabajo es el número fundacional de la serie: "Desarrollo de Tecnología Metafísica.}".  Contiene el texto completo original del "Cuarto Manifiesto de Chetumal a los Habitantes del Planeta Tierra, emitido como alerta del Observatorio Ciudadano de Política e Ideología en agosto de 2010. Tiene un total de 10 páginas. Por razones de espacio, no incluye los dos anexos que se mencionan.

In this article, we explore P.R. Sarkar's contribution to asceticism, particular his concept of karma sam. nyāsa. Sarkar enjoins the yogi with eyes firmly fixed on the supreme to engage in a politics of social liberation. In this transformative practice, he does not ally himself to shaman or brahmin priest; rather, Sarkar imagines and through his social and spiritual movements, intends on creating the sadvipra-the person with the balanced mind. It is this critical reading of Tantra-as spiritual and social liberation-that extends him beyond Aurobindo and Gandhi, taking him outside the Vedic orbit as well as outside the nationalistic politics of the BJP.

There is a growing interest in the use of fuzzy cognitive mapping (FCM) as a participatory method for understanding social-ecological systems (SESs). In recent years, FCM has been used in a diverse set of contexts ranging from fisheries management to agricultural development, in an effort to generate transparent graphical models of complex systems that are useful for decision making, illuminate the core presumptions of environmental stakeholders, and structure environmental problems for scenario development. This increase in popularity is because of FCM's bottom-up approach and its ability to incorporate a range of individual, community-level, and expert knowledge into an accessible and standardized format. Although there has been an increase in the use of FCM as an environmental planning and learning tool, limited progress has been made with regard to the method's relationship to existing resilience frameworks and how the use of FCM compares with other participatory modeling/approaches available. Using case study data developed from community-driven models of the bushmeat trade in Tanzania, we examine the usefulness of FCM for promoting resilience analysis among stakeholders in terms of identifying key state variables that comprise an SES, evaluating alternative SES equilibrium states, and defining desirable or undesirable state outcomes through scenario analysis.

The following chapter presents an ideology of working – ‘landscape fictions’ as ‘future realities’ – and an example of how this methodology was deployed in one recent design project. Both the methodology and the project are reflective of the agency of the absurd or ‘sublime madness’ (as described in the piece) to point, prod, expose, and catalyze change through imaginative response to the conditions in which we currently exist.

The aim of this article is to extend the explanatory power of Martin Thrupp’s legacy within the framework of critical realism. Specifically, it argues that critical realism’s methodological complement, the morphogenetic approach, provides a metatheoretical toolkit that can deepen and expand Thrupp’s realist analysis of school contexts. The article elaborates on how the morphogenetic approach offers a stratified, temporally phased view of causality that integrates structure, agency, and culture (SAC). By foregrounding SAC, it argues for a layered and nuanced understanding of context in education policy analysis, refining Thrupp’s conceptualisation of the constraints and opportunities available to school leaders. The article also delineates how the morphogenetic approach offers greater analytical precision in examining how emergent socio-cultural configurations condition agency and change within global educational systems, particularly through its positing of ‘situational logics’ that predispose agents towards specific courses of action. The final section outlines the potential of the morphogenetic approach for theorising the impact of globalised neoliberalism and managerialism on education, ultimately complementing and sharpening Thrupp’s realist contextualism. The article concludes that Thrupp’s contextual approach can be ‘rebranded’ through the morphogenetic framework, enhancing his realist analysis with a stratified understanding of how global neoliberal forces shape local educational contexts while offering strategies to resist managerialism and promote social justice.

Condition and Trends of Ecosystem Services and ... Coordinating Lead Authors: Henrique M. Pereira, Belinda Reyers, Masataka Watanabe Lead Authors: Erin Bohensky, Simon Foale, Cheryl Palm Contributing Authors: Maria Victoria Espaldon, Dolors Armenteras, ...

This paper summarizes a design practice (''Take the Memory Out for a Future Walk'') conducted with undergraduate students in a park in Barcelona. Through walking, sensory mapping, artificial intelligence exploration, and prototyping, participants explored the interplay between embodied experiences, memory, future speculation, and design intervention. Walking the park fostered sensory engagement, shaping students' understanding of the site and its history. This informed the development of projects addressing environmental concerns and promoting sustainable practices through reimagined spaces or objects. Students employed AI tools to generate ideas where they envisioned alternative futures and challenged existing norms. This process encouraged non-canonical reflection, urging students to move beyond conformistic approaches while fostering future-oriented critical thinking. The practice yielded valuable insights for design education. Firstly, it showed why the integrating walking and sensory mapping into design processes can challenge space determinism. In addition, it contributed to the potential of speculative design and future studies to foster alternative imagination and address pressing issues like climate change, promoting planetary awareness. Further iterations could benefit from expanding on-site exploration and incorporating material limitations to deepen student engagement with the natural surroundings, community and project sustainability.