A memoir of postmodern times, cast as a history. This book is narrated by a far-future historian, Peter Jensen, who leaves this account of the world from the 1990s to the opening of the 23rd century as a gift to his granddaughter. A combination of fiction and scholarship, this edition of Wagar's speculative history of the future alternates between descriptions of world events and intimate glimpses of his fictive historian's family into the first centuries of the new millennium.

As a talk-show host for more than four decades, Larry King has encountered the most powerful and influential people in the world. Now, in Future Talk, he converses with some of today's most provocative thinkers to get their perspectives on what's in store for us in days to come.

In this book, composed of original interviews never broadcast or published before, Larry King takes us on a tour of the future of politics, religion, the media, war and peace, money, work, travel, sports, and the arts--all from the point of view of highly regarded individuals at the top of their fields.

King has conversations with: Stephen Jay Gould on the unprecedented challenges mankind faces; Marian Wright Edelman on the risks confronting families; Tim Russert on the media and political coverage; Doris Kearns Goodwin on the talents a future president will need to succeed; Gen. John Shalikashvili on military developments; Bill Gates on how computers and the Internet will continue to permeate our lives; Richard C. Holbrooke on the challenges of world diplomacy; C. Everett Koop on the increasingly volatile relationship between government and health care; Lester Thurow on world economics and how the United States needs to position itself; Albert Berkeley on how Wall Street will play less of a central role in investors' lives; Bob Costas on how sports will grow and change, as well as how they will be covered; Maya Angelou and Peter Max on the meanings and relevance of art; Isaac Mizrahi on what we'll be wearing; Stephen Cannell on what we'll be watching; and Robert Thurman and Elaine Pagels on spirituality and what we'll be doing to nourish our souls.These and many other interviews offer comments that are candid and opinionated, optimistic and pessimistic. They will engender reflection and surprise and ultimately provide insight into what tomorrow will bring.

What methodological tools have been most useful in doing evaluation? What are some of the new methodologies that are being used and developed? Will the types of things evaluated expand from programs, personnel, and products to foreign aid, medical technology, environmental interventions, and World Bank loan programs? What will evaluation be like in the 21st century? These impressive evaluators from around the globe explore how evaluation has come to be what it is today and what the professional evaluation landscape will be like in the future. They examine the following:

-What makes evaluation different from other disciplines?

-The links and differences between evaluation and auditing professions?

-Which activities have priority in evaluation, under what circumstances, and for what purposes?

-New methodological approaches to doing evaluation.

-The issues of advocacy versus truth in evaluation and between evaluating programs versus empowering people to evaluate their own programs.

Evaluation for the 21st Century features thoughtfully written introductions to each of the main sections that provide a context and synthesis of the various evaluators? chapters. After reading this groundbreaking book, researchers and practitioners will be able to recognize these new developments in evaluation as they encounter them, place them in context, and incorporate them into their own evaluation professions and practices.

A stunning achievement, Evaluation for the 21st Century is for all professionals and practitioners in evaluation, management, public administration, sociology, psychology, education research, public health, and nursing.

A striking exmination of the harsh relities of being human, Robert Frey's Our Future in Light of Twentieth-Century Evil perceptively examines such significant foundations of American culture as religion, science, education and political experession i light fo the European Holocaust. His work offers poignant and collective re-direction for each of these areas of life, in light of the moral and social evil that have stained our century. Non-sectarian and multidisciplinary in its approach, this work offers bridge buidingg solutions of conceptual and practical understanding across epistemic and ideational divides. Historically and scientifically gorunded, Our Future in Light of Twentieth-Century Evil poses and explores difficult, probing questions about our nature, our divisions, our beliefs and our basis for hope. Frey suggests that, "for our collectives future to have meaning beyond privatized economic or religious refuge, talk must cohere into clear-minded visions and pathways illuminated by compassion, informed tolerance, sacrifice, humility and obligation directed toward the Earth, our fellow human beings, and generations unborn." He continues, "Hope, history and human culture emanate from each one of us. The results in our world are our own. Therein is our genuine power." Our Future in Light of Twentieth-Century Evil synthesizes disparate concepts in a manner accessible to all thoughtful people. A definite "must have" for every library.

On 1 July 1997 the red flag with five yellow stars of the People's Republic of China will be hoisted over Government House in Hong Kong, replacing the Union Jack and symbolizing the culmination of a profound political transition. The United Kingdom, which has governed the colony since 1841, will have transferred sovereignty and administrative responsibility over Hong Kong to mainland China's Communist party. Hong Kong is in for a rocky road in the years ahead. Future treatment of Hong Kong will be caught up in the political competition for control of China. Victims of that competition will include the free press, academic freedom, open and fair elections, and some portion of market freedom. Hong Kong will not be as tightly controlled as the rest of China, but neither will it be the free and vivacious place it has been for the past half century. The political and economic landscape will be filled with uncertainty, cronyism, lost freedoms, and more corruption than has been known in the recent past. It is a bleak picture indeed. Such is the dire prophecy of Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, David Newman, and Alvin Rabushka, whose Red Flag over Hong Kong casts a cold eye on the future prospects of "the world's best example of the free-market economy, working as textbooks say it should". Applying to that unknown future a dynamic model of decision making that rests on the collection of data from a wide range of expert observers, the authors boldly seek to quantify human behavior and so derive a precise and reliable early forecast of Hong Kong's destiny at the hands of its communist masters.

Profound ideas from remarkably original couple. --Future Survey Spanning a period of 28 years, this collection of essays by renowned futurist scholars Elise and Kenneth Boulding presents a thoughtful exploration of past, present--and possible--world development. The juxtaposition of works by both authors fosters a deeper understanding of their individual views while allowing the reader to evaluate the element of mutual influence. Offering a wide range of political, economic, and social perspectives on the global future, the volume's overarching theme is clear: The world is in dire need of mending. Conveying the passionate conviction of its contributors, this compelling set of essays stands as a tribute to Kenneth Boulding's life, his work, and his dedication to the study of the future as more than an intellectual curiosity--as something essential to the survival of mankind itself. Students and professors of political science, sociology, and economics will appreciate this thought-provoking volume. "The authors display their passionate concern with the future, a concern shown partly in their joint interest in peace projects. They write lucidly and gracefully making these some of the most attractive and stimulating contributions to our thinking about the future." --Krishan Kumar in Political Studies

Jeanne Feaux de la Croix maps three iconic places as part of Central Asians' 'moral geographies' and examines their role in navigating socialist, neo-liberal and neo-Islamic life models.Dams provide most of Kyrgyzstan's electricity, but are also at the heart of regional water disputes that threaten an already shrinking Aral Sea. Mountain pastures cover much of Central Asia's heartland and offer a livelihood and refuge, even to urban citizens. Pilgrimage sites have recovered from official Soviet oblivion and act as cherished scenes of decision-making. Examining how iconic places, work and well-being can mesh together, this book moves debates about post-Soviet memory, space and property onto fresh terrain.

This volume deals with a key concept concerning the future: change. It is omnipresent and yet is often only perceived in retrospect. The book's editor and founder of Psychological Future Management argues that we are currently experiencing the beginning of the most radical and profound change in human history. This is the right moment to analyze people's ability to change more precisely. In this first, representative study, Germany was chosen as an example. The results serve as a basis for further psychological, sociological and prospective considerations. The Germans obviously have great resilience and problem-solving competence. At the same time, however, they are one-sidedly fixated on maintaining the economic status quo and fear negative changes in the future. Their social milieus are permeated by contradictions. The wealthy, in particular, are tied to security concerns and are therefore unwilling to experiment and take risks, two qualities without which a future in times of exponential change can hardly be managed. What could other countries and societies learn from these descriptions of the current state of one of the world's leading countries? The entire subject revolves around this question. The psychological effects of digitization and artificial intelligence also play a role, as they put our neuronal and emotional habits under enormous pressure. How can we improve our future competence and learn to adapt new knowledge more quickly and continuously? Against this background, the phenomenon of change will be examined and discussed from various national and international perspectives.

Society is fuelled by anger; dissatisfaction shapes Twitter feeds, online petitions and protest marches. But is that enough to bring about change? Alejandra and Marcela are female anarchists, nervously planning to plant bombs in the middle of the night. They don't want violence. They just want to be heard. Prison's not much of a threat when most of your friends are inside. Then they meet Jose Miguel. He is from a different generation, a time when revolution was ripe and activism alive, and he's committed to change by any means possible.

By 2050 the world will be faced with the enormous challenge of feeding 9 billion people despite being affected by climate change, rising energy costs and pressure on food growing land and other major resources. How will the world produce 70% more food by 2050 to feed a projected extra 2.3 billion people? What will be the impact of food shortages and high prices on areas in crisis such as sub-Sahara Africa? Where will future production growth come from? And how do we balance the need for environmental protection with sustainable agricultural production methods? This is the first text to present a scholarly, balanced approach to the contentious area of food production and supply up to 2050 - offering a readable and well-informed account which tackles the global food situation in all its totality, from agricultural production, technological advance, dietary concerns, population changes, income trends, environmental issues, government food and agriculture policy, trade, financial markets, macroeconomics and food security. Highly accessible and written by a specialist author with experience as an agricultural analyst, policy advisor and researcher, "Global Food Futures" synthesises the key issues in one volume.

This book debates the universe, the development of new technologies in the 21st century and the future of the human race. Dr Bolonkin shows that a human soul is only the information in a person s head. He offers a new unique method for re-writing the main brain information in chips without any damage to the human brain.

This is the scientific prediction of the non-biological (electronic) civilization and immortality of the human being. Such a prognosis is predicated upon a new law, discovered by the author, for the development of complex systems. According to this law, every self-copying system tends to be more complex than the previous system, provided that all external conditions remain the same. The consequences are disastrous: humanity will be replaced by a new civilization created by intellectual robots (which Dr Bolonkin refers to as "E-humans" and "E-beings"). These creatures, whose intellectual and mechanical abilities will far exceed those of man, will require neither food nor oxygen to sustain their existence. They may have the emotion. Capable of developing science, technology and their own intellectual abilities thousands of times faster than humans can, they will, in essence, be eternal.
Demonstrates that the problem of immortality can only be solved by changing the biological human into an artificial formDiscusses progress in robotics and other techologies"

For centuries, scientists have strived to predict the future. But to what extent have they succeeded? Can past events-Hurricane Katrina, the Internet stock bubble, the SARS outbreak-help us understand what will happen next? Will scientists ever really be able to forecast catastrophes, or will we always be at the mercy of Mother Nature, waiting for the next storm, epidemic, or economic crash to thunder through our lives? In "The Future of Everything," David Orrell looks back at the history of forecasting, from the time of the oracle at Delphi to the rise of astrology to the advent of the TV weather report, showing us how scientists (and some charlatans) predicted the future. How can today's scientists claim to anticipate future weather events when even thee-day forecasts prove a serious challenge? How can we predict and control epidemics? Can we accurately foresee our financial future? Or will we only find out about tomorrow when tomorrow arrives?

This annual volume provides concise, graphic interpretations of key trends that often escape the attention of the news media, economic experts and world leaders. As a comprehensive digest of available environment information, it is intended for students, researchers, activists and general readers.

For Akiva Jaap Vroman "a day in the infinite past" is nonsense. All the days that have elapsed belong to a past of countable days; they started on a first day a finite number of days ago. Time began this first day. It follows that an eternal past does not exist. Vroman bases his reasoning on a simple mathematical law: an infinite quantity remains the same infinite quantity if a finite quantity, however large, is subtracted from it. "On God, Space, and Time" devotes itself to this proof. "On God, Space, and Time" is rooted in the epistemological thinking of Immanuel Kant and Jean Piaget and the law of Leucippus, and draws from the somewhat disparate fields of psychology, physiology, mathematics, and physics. Vroman discusses the modern vindication of the existence of the Creator using ontological arguments, which observe the cosmos solely through our sense-perceptions and the world of space and matter. He balances this worldview with a discussion of brain chemistry and physiology in "God, Mind, and Body" showing that the world of space and matter is nothing but an interpretation made by our working mind. Vroman also describes the Spanish-based Jewish philosophers of the Middle Ages who came close to solving the Genesis-Creation contradiction, which cannot be reconciled through the external world of Greek philosophy. As we travel through time with Vroman, who ranges easily and poetically over important concepts and influential thinkers, we encounter a variety of subjects: Spinoza's new definition of God and the authority of reason in the age of Descartes, Leibniz, and Newton; Jewish idealists, such as Nachman Krochmal, Solomon L. Steinman, Solomon Formstecher, and Samuel Hirsch; the concept of space-time; and Johann Gottlieb Fichte, Arthur Schopenhauer, Max Wentscher, and Charles Darwin. He presents engaging, worthwhile discussions of futurology; the astrological world of sub-lunar events; religious eschatology, specifically the Jewish and Christian Messiah; apocalyptic revelation in psychological science, the future of the universe, God and moral virtue, the medical approach to the question of life and death, and finally, personal thoughts on religious worship and service based on reason and moral sense. "On God, Space, and Time"a valuable historical synthesis of Western thought on man's vision of God, and consequently reality. This volume will interest many, particularly those intrigued by philosophy, religion, and futurology.

In an accessible and droll style, best-selling author Joel Best shines a light on how we navigate these anxious, insecure social times. While most of us still strive for the American Dream-to graduate from college, own a home, work toward early retirement-recent generations have been told that the next generation will not be able to achieve these goals, that things are getting-or are on the verge of getting-worse. In American Nightmares, Best addresses the apprehension that we face every day as we are bombarded with threats that the social institutions we count on are imperiled. Our schools are failing to teach our kids. Healthcare may soon be harder to obtain. We can't bank on our retirement plans. And our homes-still the largest chunk of most people's net worth-may lose much of their value. Our very way of life is being threatened! Or is it? With a steady voice and keen focus, Best examines how a culture develops fears and fantasies and how these visions are created and recreated in every generation. By dismantling current ideas about the future, collective memory, and sociology's marginalization in the public square, Best sheds light on how social problems-and our anxiety about them-are socially constructed.

For Marc Auge, best-selling author of Non-Places, the prevailing idea of "the Future" rests on our present fears of the contemporary world. It is to the future that we look for redemption and progress; but it is also where we project our personal and apocalyptic anxieties. By questioning notions of certainty, truth, and totality, Auge finds ways to separate the future from our eternal, terrified present and liberates the mind to allow it to conceptualize our possible futures afresh.

What do variables really tell us? When exactly do inventions occur? Why do we always miss turning points as they transpire? When does what doesn't happen mean as much, if not more, than what does? Andrew Abbott considers these fascinating questions in "Time Matters," a diverse series of essays that constitutes the most extensive analysis of temporality in social science today. Ranging from abstract theoretical reflection to pointed methodological critique, Abbott demonstrates the inevitably theoretical character of any methodology.
"Time Matters" focuses particularly on questions of time, events, and causality. Abbott grounds each essay in straightforward examinations of actual social scientific analyses. Throughout, he demonstrates the crucial assumptions we make about causes and events, about actors and interaction and about time and meaning every time we employ methods of social analysis, whether in academic disciplines, market research, public opinion polling, or even evaluation research. Turning current assumptions on their heads, Abbott not only outlines the theoretical orthodoxies of empirical social science, he sketches new alternatives, laying down foundations for a new body of social theory.

Trends have become a commodity-an element of culture in their own right and the very currency of our cultural life. Consumer culture relies on a new class of professionals who explain trends, predict trends, and in profound ways even manufacture trends. On Trend delves into one of the most powerful forces in global consumer culture. From forecasting to cool hunting to design thinking, the work done by trend professionals influences how we live, work, play, shop, and learn. Devon Powers's provocative insights open up how the business of the future kindles exciting opportunity even as its practices raise questions about an economy increasingly built on nonstop disruption and innovation. Merging industry history with vivid portraits of today's trend visionaries, Powers reveals how trends took over, what it means for cultural change, and the price all of us pay to see-and live-the future.

What are the jobs of the future? How many will there be? And who will have them? We might imagine—and hope—that today's industrial revolution will unfold like the last: even as some jobs are eliminated, more will be created to deal with the new innovations of a new era. In Rise of the Robots, Silicon Valley entrepreneur Martin Ford argues that this is absolutely not the case.

As technology continues to accelerate and machines begin taking care of themselves, fewer people will be necessary. Artificial intelligence is already well on its way to making “good jobs” obsolete: many paralegals, journalists, office workers, and even computer programmers are poised to be replaced by robots and smart software. As progress continues, blue and white collar jobs alike will evaporate, squeezing working- and middle-class families ever further. At the same time, households are under assault from exploding costs, especially from the two major industries—education and health care—that, so far, have not been transformed by information technology. The result could well be massive unemployment and inequality as well as the implosion of the consumer economy itself.

In Rise of the Robots, Ford details what machine intelligence and robotics can accomplish, and implores employers, scholars, and policy makers alike to face the implications. The past solutions to technological disruption, especially more training and education, aren't going to work, and we must decide, now, whether the future will see broad-based prosperity or catastrophic levels of inequality and economic insecurity. Rise of the Robots is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand what accelerating technology means for their own economic prospects—not to mention those of their children—as well as for society as a whole.

This collection is a critical reflection of the evolution of Caribbean countries since the demise of the West Indies Federation in 1962. At this historical juncture, some territories opted for independence while others remained dependent territories. The volume examines Caribbean societies in comparative and general ways, covering aspects of their ongoing development and challenges. It covers such areas as Caribbean integration, the state of human capital and social policy in the region, the education sector, Caribbean economic sustainability, and, significantly, the physical environment of the Caribbean. A central question has always been: should these territories have gone independent or stayed under some British tutelage? The book addresses this question, illustrating that these island states have made considerable progress, especially in the maintenance and deepening of democratic practices.

Humankind has always striven to catch a glimpse of the future. Egyptian priests, Babylonian astrologers, Greek oracles and medieval magicians stared at the sky and tried to foresee the coming catastrophes, relying on certain distributions of the stars. Contemporary fantasists construct models of the future through the pages of their novels and astonish readers with unbelievable pictures of a technocratic society where the very human personality has transformed under the influence of technological advance. However, most of all the previous attempts to foresee the future has remained in the framework of banal superstition or ordinary creative writing. At the same time, the principal question does not cease to be of current interest. Is scientific forecasting of the near and distant future possible? The authors of this book are convinced that it is. On the basis of rigorous methodology, mathematicians, physicians, philosophers and historians demonstrate how the world will look in coming decades and centuries and try to find out if the future can be determined. Along with general philosophical analysis, mathematical modeling is used in order to give the reader a clear and objective vision of the future. The book will be useful for everyone who takes care of his own destiny and the destiny of the next generations.