ARW Notes for 1/29 Fri - Starting Wagar

Are you a "futurist"? Most students said No. A few said Yes. I said we should ALL be futurists who consider what the future SHOULD be like (not just predict what it WILL be).

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future of the human race? The response was about half/half, but we agreed that responsible futurists should "hope for the best but anticipate the worst."

After a quick introduction to Warren Wagar, the futurist and author of the "The Next Three Futures" text (just the Epilogue, not the whole book) we will read over the next week or so, we read the first page to consider the key words in Wagar's prediction.

The 1st future (our current world system): technoliberalist democratic capitalist hegemony

A definition: "The chief ideological underpinnings of Gray global history are Enlightenment faith in reason and science and liberal political economy. Elsewhere I have dubbed this world-view "technoliberalism."[4] As of the year 2001, this is the reigning ideology throughout the so-called developed world, and its power in the so-called less developed world should never be underestimated." (Source link)

The 2nd future (after a working class uprising): radical socialist democracy, the Worldwide Republic of Workers.

The 3rd future: countercultural, decentralized ecotopian society.

When I asked what images students' had of counterculture movements, one student mentioned the Japanese singer Yutaka Ozaki, and I felt that was a good example considering many of Ozaki's songs deal with the theme of liberation from excessive social restrictions and control.

The 4th future: Not mentioned yet, but look forward to meeting aliens.

I'm looking forward to my students' reactions and discussion questions on Monday!