Research Futures

Exploring the role and nature of future-orientation in influencing socio-technical change is more urgent than ever, as our collective ability to shape futures is increasingly outstripped by our capacity to make sense of our innovations. CSPO is investigating questions central to this dynamic and examining ways to improve outcomes for communities. How can foresight trigger alternative imaginations of the evolution of science, technology and society? How do projections of the future involving science and technology—be they optimistic or pessimistic, rigorous or casual, quantitative or qualitative—influence political framings and decision-making processes? This exploration involves nurturing a sense of the future that is as rich and pluralistic as our growing sense of the past. Amplifying and mobilizing future-oriented research and practice, CSPO designs and experiments with novel foresight methods; inquires into the epistemological and pragmatic workings of the future; and conducts interdisciplinary studies of anticipation in society.