[ExI] What's Wrong With Academic Futurists?

[Robin D Hanson]

I'm most interested in what the actual future will be like. Much less interested
in inspiring imaginative stories and scenarios one could paint. The real people
I'd want to help will live in the real future, not in inspiring imaginative scenarios.

On Jan 25, 2014, at 3:06 AM, Giulio Prisco wrote:
> Concerning academic futurism, I have the highest respect for the many
> great people who practice it, but I am not very much interested
> myself. I am more interested in inspiring, highly imaginative ideas
> than in trying to predict detailed outcomes. Some of what we imagine
> here will come true, or things even more wonderful.
> 
> On Wed, Jan 22, 2014 at 11:41 PM, Robin D Hanson <rhanson at gmu.edu> wrote:
>> 
>> There is an academic specialty of futurism. That is, there are professors,
>> journals, and even some departments which specialize in that topic. Do
>> people here often read or cite such folks? It seems not, but then the
>> question is why not. What is the problem with academic futurists such that
>> people on a future oriented list like this aren't much interested in them?

Robin Hanson  http://hanson.gmu.edu
Res. Assoc., Future of Humanity Inst., Oxford Univ.
Assoc. Professor, George Mason University
Chief Scientist, Consensus Point
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