We must learn from past experiences to build Trust in the future. I mean, we have to learn more and learn and learn what is good and useful to achieve a great future

There are probable, possible, preferable, and prospective futures. These four futures are all subject to cultural, psychological, and sociological influences but cannot be explored in the same way:

• The first (one future) entails trend analysis;
• The second (many futures) calls for imagination and flexibility;
• The third (an "other" future) springs from value positions, both critical and ideological; and
• The fourth (futuring) hinges on preparedness to act, rooted in self-reliance and solidarity.

The research methods associated with each orientation differ too.

In my opinion we can't learn from the future because we don't know it.

What we should do is to prepare ourselves for that future, based in our present and studying the past. What we have to do, is, according to our present knowledge, to define that path that our inventions and methodogy will probably follow.

A good excercise would be try to locate ourselves 100 year ago and observe how people lived, which inventions appeared such as the airplane, the telephone, the television, and think which could be the future when making develop thos inventions

Think that in 1890 a prominent banker was asket what he thought about a new inventions called a horseless vehicle ( the car) and how good it will be purchasing shares of new companies being formed to build those 'ridiculous, noise and dangerous mchines'

The banker's answer was 'Forget that; cars are a passing fashion, and they will fade,and horses are here to stay'

We have to follow the path of those giants such as Leonardo da Vinci, the genial Julius Verne and the visionary Steve Jobs.

They saw the future and as somebody said 'they saw further the rainbow'

To learn from the future as it emerges instead of from the past is difficult, because there should be an implementation and assessment.

Dear Colleagues

No decision maker can predict the future without relying on past statements, whether the decision is about people or institutions

I believe that the Orientalism of the future depends heavily on analyzing the past for any phenomenon.

Regards.

Past experience always act as a base on which decision taken in present considering the probable effects of future.

No grandson can born in 2025 whose grandfather is yet to born today.

It is necessary to recall the past to look into the future

As the world will be remaining unpredictable delivering all kinds of unexpected opportunities and situations, leaders and leadership have to keep up with that. That means that opportinities and situations have to be tackled as they develop. This will require leaders and professionals who can deal with this.

I have enjoyed reading the different perspectives offered so far. I suggest the answer is both. You need the past to identify trends (Serrat). Using trends helps identify what is coming but not when, where, or by whom. No individual action can be accurately predicted, but general social movements can. Consider putting women to work in the factories during the world war. One could have predicted women’s liberation. There are computer programs today that analyze numerous kinds of data to generate predictions (many futures – Serrat) of possible futures. So the past is necessary to sculpt predictions of the future, with respect to social movements.

When it comes to technological innovations, that is more difficult, though futurists often identify many of the inventions to come. Still, much of what is written is science fiction. There is a tremendous amount of science that goes along with the fiction. While people thought Dick Tracy’s watch was pure fantasy, there was plenty of science behind it. There just were no transistors to make it possible. There was radio and there were chronographs. Putting them together was just a matter of technologies that could not be predicted. So the past is necessary to predict the future with respect to science as well.

Finally, any organization not forecasting the future is doomed be passed by companies that have prepared for the future. Look at the all brick and mortar companies that scoffed at Amazon.

Dear Chandana,

To learn is to change positively through the acquisition of right knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Based on past and present contents of knowledge, skills and attitudes of an object of learning we have to learn. We can learn from the estimated contents of knowledge, skills and attitudes (which yet to come about an object of learning-learning from the future). In order to generate the estimated contents about an object of learning we have to use past and current/present data and information. Learning from the past and learning from the future are essential. However, learning from the future depends on learning from the past. Though both are essential, learning from the past is more important as it is a prerequisite for learning from the future and it gives lessons of successes and failures for us to be better. Example, consider giving promotions to employees in an organization (object of learning). Assume that the past and present practice of the organization is to give promotions based on seniority and loyalty to the superior. By using past and present information about thoughts and behaviours of young professionals, assume that the Human Resource Director estimates “future young professionals will be more ambitious, short-termed oriented and loyal to the profession rather than to one particular organization and one particular superior.” Thus, the HR Director formulates a new promotion scheme that considers both seniority and merit (qualifications and excellent job performance).

Best wishes!

Many thanks Henarath and all for the contributions.

Regards

Chandana

In reply to the question, I quote the sixth stanza of my favorite poem of school days

A Psalm of Life

-By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant!

Let the dead Past bury its dead!

Act,— act in the living Present!

Heart within, and God o’erhead!”

I feel, this is true in case of learning as well.

In my opinion we can't learn from the future because we don't know it.

We must learn from past experiences to build Trust in the future. I mean, we have to learn more and learn and learn what is good and useful to achieve a great future

Dear Maher

I agree with you, however nobody knows the future and what will be needed, therefore I find difficult to achieve that feature

For instance, in middle XIX century somebody could think about how to improve the horse carriages for long distances travel, because it was the only transportation means known, and for him the future. The railway was in its very early stages and then probably nobody thought that it can compete with horses.

Nobody is able to know what the future will bring. There were notable exceptions such as Jules Verne and Leonardo Da Vinci centuries before, and recently Steve Jobs, but perhaps without the means or the inclination to develop what they envisioned, except Jobs

Remember that in the late XIX Century a prominent and very well known scientist affirmed that flying objects to transprt people were impossible, because they were heavier than air