Futurology – Worldview of the future

Religions, Cults & Worldviews: Valuable Answers for Valid Questions.

Future - Where is all of life and existence heading, and why?

The future and what it holds for humanity is of great concern to the vast majority of people around the globe. This philosophical study of the future is known as futurology. Every single sentient human being has a view of the future, whether right or wrong. That is to say we all have a futurology. The question is, what is your futurology? 

The importance of your futurology

Our futurology is a major element that drives our actions today, whether we prepare for a good or bad future or whether we see no need for preparation of any kind, se all have an idea of where we think the world and everyone in it is heading and even an idea of where we are heading. This affects how we see the world and ourselves interacting within it.

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Much like world views on the whole, our futurology will mostly be determined by either our own theistic or atheistic framework of beliefs which underpin our view of the future. There really is no middle ground for the most part as this element of a worldview doesn’t cross over or “mix and match” with a partial theist or partial atheist position.

Futurology of the individual

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For example – for a futurology of the individual i.e. what happens when we die, those who might have a non-theist fatalistic futurology may fear the future and especially the inevitable: death, because from their non-theistic underpinning, death is unknown, uncontrollable, and the final end for them. The Bible tells us that God has put that fear of death in the heart of mankind for our own good so that we will seek His forgiveness and escape His judgement and wrath which are the wages that all mankind will receive from a life of sin and willful ignorance toward Him (God).

Contrasted to this is the Biblical Christian futurology worldview which directs us to no longer fear death whatsoever. This is because all judgement has been passed down to the Son of God, Jesus, who being eternal, paid to satisfy the eternal wrath and judgement on our behalf. We believe that all will stand before their Maker in judgment but since the Christian has trusted in the Jesus, the Judge and Maker Himself for “salvation” fear is no longer necessary because it is by grace we are saved through faith (in Christ) – The Biblical futurology of the Christian is simple: “absent from the body, present with the Lord from whom all good things flow (James 1:17)

A classic philosophical position for a Christian futurology is known as “Pascal’s Wager” and it goes as follows:

1. God is, or God is not. Reason cannot decide between the two alternatives.

2. A Game is being played… where heads or tails will turn up. You must wager (not optional).

3. Let us weigh the gain and the loss in wagering that God is. Let us estimate these two chances. If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing.

4. Wager, then, without hesitation that He is. (…) There is here an infinity of an infinitely happy life to gain, a chance of gain against a finite number of chances of loss, and what you stake is finite.

5. And so our proposition is of infinite force, when there is the finite to stake in a game where there are equal risks of gain and of loss, and the infinite to gain.

In summary, if the Christian future worldview is wrong, the Christian stands to lose nothing. If they are right (and the Bible says they are) they stand to gain everything by risking nothing. In contrast to this, if the non-theist future world view is wrong the non-theist stands to lose everything for eternity and if the non-theist is right, they stand to gain nothing – simple empty nothingness after death, an end which the Bible clearly refutes in Hebrews 9:27 – “As it appointed once for man to die, after that is the judgment.”

Futurology of humanity on the whole

In addition to our view of the future for ourselves is our view of the entirety of humanity. Again the fatalist non-theistic view is typically that mankind overpopulate so we need to find ways to reduce the population e.g. abortion, homosexuality, euthenasia etc. This belief system claims that due to overpopulation we will run out of resources and therefore must change our energy and food consumption habits to “conserve” these resources e.g. limiting air travel for the many on commercial jets while allowing unfettered travel for the few via private jets or limiting availability of cattle products while steering the population toward plant and insect consumption.

Contrasted to this is the Biblical Christian futurology worldview which directs us to have peace with God and the knowledge that He is not only Creator but also the sustainer of the universe. There will be no “over” population as you could fit all 8 billion inhabitants of the earth into the tiny pan handle of Florida! He commanded us to be fruitful and multiply. It was God’s plan to fill the earth and provide for all those He brings into existence (including unborn children!)

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There aren’t a great number of specific futurolgy variants as it isn’t really a formal school of thought or branch of philosophy. However, below I’ve listed the key question “Where am I going as an individual and where are we going as humanity?” to determine one’s futurology and how some of the various philosophical positions might answer that question:

Fatalism

Fatalist – All events that are going to happen have been predetermined ahead of time so we should all just resign ourselves to our fate. “Everything happens for a reason!”

This is based on the philosophical doctrine that all events are fated to happen and that human beings cannot therefore change their destinies: e.g. Someone might feel that the Earth is dying, mankind is growing more self-destructive, the future looks bleak and there is little or nothing we can do about it is “fate” and we should just accept it

Environmentalism

Environmentalist – Mankind is raping his environment and is killing off his habitat, unless the government steps in and saves man from himself. We will all be destroyed with no future.

Biblical Futurology

Biblical – Mankind grows more corrupt every day and is storing up wrath for himself the longer he refuses to repent and return to his Creator. There will be Divine judgment on the earth.

Atheism

Atheist – Life on earth is all there is, so we should re-educate ourselves to live better and more productive lives & take care of the earth around us until the day of death where it all ends.

Scientism

Scientism – Through reason and logic based on faith in the unproven evolutionary model, and use of scientific technology the world will be made a better place and will only be made better over time and evolution as science solves the problems of overpopulation and global cooling, global warming, hole in the ozone layer, climate change.

Post-Modernism

Post-Modernism – Science and technology have been abused in the past and blindly following them will lead to a dysfunctional, unhappy, dystopian future

Utopianism

Utopianism – The utopian hopes/has faith that a perfect society is possible and achievable if all political obstacles are removed. This is primarily based on the philosophical   view of the futre that a “perfect” society must be actively pursued by way of faith, hope and action. It seeks to build a world filled with happiness (as defined by whom we do not know) and freed from all pain. (even if it takes pain to remove pain). Many experiments of utopian pursuit have failed as the goal is flawed in a definitional sense. “Perfect” has been discovered to be a subjective and not objective term and the practical building blocks for piecing together a “utopian society” come at the expense of those who must endure pain and hardship to build and maintain it and of those who disagree with the definition of “perfection”. Utopianism seeks to re-educate, suppress, and/or oppress those who would disagree with the utopian vision e.g. secret societies and cult-like religious groups etc. nevertheless, despite the glaring contradictory methodology to pursue the ideology, the ends justifies the means to the utopian-minded individual. Contrary to this view would be a “dystopian” society, whereby disorder and hopelessness rule the day. i.e. Mad Max, Matrix, etc. this is usually portrayed as the end view of anarchism – the utter absence of the rule of law.

Solipsist Futurology

Solipsist – The future doesn’t exist at all as it is a construct of someone that doesn’t really exist in a world that doesn’t really exist.

Hedonism

This futurology reigns supreme among young adults in their twenties. Unfortunately, many adults in their fifties and sixties are also existing as if hedonism is a true description of the future: Hedonism is based on the primary philosophy that “Tomorrow we die” so therefore a hedonist lives every day as if it were their last – living for the here and now of self-gratification “eat, drink, and be merry” c.f. This futurology is glorified in most Hollywood movies and pop songs which is what is largely driving this deterioration in western culture.

Optimism

Optimism – Believes, expects, or hopes that things will turn out well Dumb and Dumber scene – “You have one in a million chance with me.” – “So you are saying there IS a chance!” – the ultimate optimist.

Pessimism / Defeatism

Pessimism / Defeatism – “Expect the worst that you might be “pleasantly surprised”

The similar but not identical idea that life has a negative value, or that this world is as bad as it could possibly be. It has also been noted by many philosophers that pessimism is not a disposition as the term commonly connotes. Instead, it is a cogent philosophy that directly challenges the notion of progress and what may be considered the faith-based claims of optimism.

”But against the palpably sophistical proofs of Leibniz that this is the best of all possible worlds, we may even oppose seriously and honestly the proof that it is the worst of all possible worlds. For possible means not what we may picture in our imagination, but what can actually exist and last. Now this world is arranged as it had to be if it were to be capable of continuing with great difficulty to exist; if it were a little worse, it would be no longer capable of continuing to exist. Consequently, since a worse world could not continue to exist, it is absolutely impossible; and so this world itself is the worst of all possible worlds.” – Schopenhauer, The World as Will and Representation, Vol. II, Ch. 46.

Existentialism

Existentialists believe that the future is what you make it. That is, if one applies themselves to achieve a particular thing then they will most definitely achieve it. Therefore the future is going to be only as bright as we visualize and make it. This is a philosophy built on runaway optimism. It does not take into consideration all of the extenuating factors and obstacles which prevent the individual or community from achieving and shaping “its own” destiny. For instance, a community might want to shape its future by investing heavily in agriculture, but it has no control over the weather in the area nor the changing demands of other humans and the workforce etc. Ultimately the existensialist exists in an imaginary world that neither has fallen broken humans nor a God who is Maker and sustainer and who is sovereign in the plans of mankind. Existentialism is involved in or vital to the shaping of an individual’s self-chosen mode of existence and moral stance with respect to the rest of the world

20th-century philosophical movement that denies that the universe has any intrinsic meaning or purpose and requires individuals to take responsibility for their own actions and shape their own destinies

What is your future? Where are you going when you die? Would you like to know? Visit the following link to know for sure.

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