Futurist Thinking

Since the 1990s, my lectures and publications on the digital society and the information society have focused on my belief that a new era is approaching. My work in the last decade has posed the question of whether this new era could be a major step toward a new and compelling age of enlightenment.

Link to presentation: A Trip into the Future. I am currently writing a book (tentatively titled A Memoir in Search of Meaning), which promotes ten revolutionary opportunities for action toward enlightenment in the new digital age.

01. Managing Intelligence and Privacy in the Digital World

What information can we trust? We need new guidelines for information distribution and new skills to enable us to distinguish false information from trustworthy information. We need to understand the role of ideologies in disseminating information and how to maintain freedom of information without manipulating it. We need a revolutionary approach that addresses these issues of the information age.

02. Improving People’s Lives with Smart Living Sciences

It is time for resources to be directed toward improving people’s lives on this planet. Governments and countries must seek new approaches that prioritize the well-being of people over wealth creation.

03. Creating Different Organizations and Procedures for a Smart Democracy

Democracy, with all its faults, is still the best form of governing, but its current forms of representation are inadequate in the information age. Improved information systems can enable citizens to express their opinions and votes directly to governments.

04. Taming Capitalism: Smart Capital and Better Industrial Systems

We need to improve capitalism by developing systems that encourage investors and employers to address how their employees are treated, how eco-friendly their company is, and how their company can benefit the planet at large.

05. Better Healthcare with Smart Life Sciences

A smart healthcare system is needed that moves away from crisis management toward data-driven healthcare that benefits the patient in both sickness and health.

06. Smart Food and Sustenance Systems

Smart food systems will involve a slow departure from meat to new food systems that will sustain the human population of the planet.

07. Smart Educational Systems in the Digital World

Educational systems should be adjusted to benefit from the ever-expanding range of information and knowledge that the Internet makes accessible to all. New paradigms must be established to teach base knowledge, which in turn will enable any person to reach their full knowledge potential and its benefits.

08. A Shift in the Focus of Life

In the new era, machines will replace workers, and intelligent devices may replace managers. What are the consequences of human life when many tasks are performed by combinations of devices, machines, and artificial intelligence? We need to identify creative alternative roles for humans to maximize their potential and to avoid their preoccupation with virtual movies or games.

09. Intelligent Planet Protection Systems

Worries about our future on this planet should go beyond the concerns of humans. We must also extend our concern to other living beings, namely plants, animals, protists, fungi, and bacteria, that share the planet with us. New strategies for co-habitation should replace outdated selfish human behavior, creating a huge new field for research and change in order to protect the planet and its inhabitants.

10. A World Without Violence

Can we imagine a world without violence? Perhaps the new era of enlightenment will bring insights into how we can avoid demonizing perceived enemies and engaging in physical, mental, and other forms of violence.