I recently finished reading James Burke’s excellent book, ”Connections,” in which he explains how a myriad of seemingly unrelated advances in technology help to create new technologies and how these technologies, in turn, often lead to changes in societal behavior. For anyone interested in the future, I highly recommend reading the book because if it teaches us anything it is that the future will unfold in unexpected ways.
At the risk of sounding like a nitpicker, I would like to take objection with just one of Burke’s main points and that is his idea that the only way to look at the future is through the past. To this point, I’d like to offer two quotes from the book. The first is: ”Anyways, there is nowhere else to look for the future but in the past” and the second is: ”Why should we look to the past in order to prepare for the future? Because there is nowhere else to look.”
In a general way, I agree with the sentiment and that is why I dedicated an entire chapter (“Back to the Future”) in my new book to this idea. (In fact, I am now contemplating writing an entire book on this theme). Nevertheless, I don’t agree that the past is the only way to study and understand the future. I also tend to believe that science fiction offers an alternative way to think about the future. I say this because among the best thinkers of how new technologies will transform societal behavior are science fiction writers. This is because they are not merely obsessed with technology for technology’s sake, they seek to understand how it will also influence and change people’s thinking and behavior.
And it is for this reason, as I say in Jump the Curve , that if you are truly interested in understanding the future you must not only study history, you must also add a healthy staple of science fiction reading to your literary diet.
Jack Uldrich is a writer, futurist, public speaker and host of jumpthecurve.net. He is the author of seven books, including Jump the Curve and The Next Big Thing is Really Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business. He is also a frequent speaker on future technology and future trends, nanotechnology, innovation, change management and executive leadership to a variety of businesses, industries and non-profit organizations and trade associations.
