Book contents
4 - World System Futures
Scenarios for the Twenty-First Century
from Part II - Past and Future as Methodological Approaches
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 October 2026
Summary
The chapter shows how the future can likewise be used as methodological perspective. It starts from existing literatures that offer histories of the future and lines up their predictions against what we now know of the future they were anticipating. These predictions often hold up quite well against the reality, which gives them some force as a method. They can help us to think about how the anthroposphere works, how it might be derailed by the Anthropocene crisis, and how it might be steered towards better outcomes.
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- The Anthropocene CrisisA World System Science Approach, pp. 81 - 108Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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