The Future: A Very Short Introduction
Jennifer M. Gidley
Oxford University Press
From the beginning of time, humans have been driven by both a fear of 
the unknown and a curiosity to know. We have always yearned to know what
 lies ahead, whether threat or safety, scarcity or abundance. Throughout
 human history, our forebears tried to create certainty in the unknown, 
by seeking to influence outcomes with sacrifices to gods, preparing for 
the unexpected with advice from oracles, and by reading the<span> stars 
through astrology. As scientific methods improve and computer technology
 develops we become ever more confident of our capacity to predict and 
quantify the future by accumulating and interpreting patterns form the 
past, yet the truth is there is still no certainty to be had. In this 
Very Short Introduction Jennifer Gidley considers some of our most 
burning questions: What is "the future"?; Is the future a time yet to 
come?; Or is it a utopian place?; Does the future have a history?; Is 
there only one future or are there many possible futures? She asks if 
the future can ever be truly predicted or if we create our own 
futures--both hoped for and feared--by our thoughts, feelings, and 
actions, and concludes by analysing how we can learn to study the 
future.About the Series: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford
 University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject 
area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new
 subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, 
perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and 
challenging topics highly readable.</span>