The critical futurist: Richard Slaughter's foresight practice
- Publisher:
- Elsevier BV
- Publication Type:
- Journal Article
- Citation:
- Futures, 2021, 132, pp. 102789-102789
- Issue Date:
- 2021-09-01
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This short commentary explores Richard Slaughter's foresight practice – his strategies and methods for approaching futures thinking and futures doing. I concentrate on three areas where Richard has made significant strategic and methodological innovations that have carried the futures field forward. First, I discuss his foundational work to give futures studies genuine disciplinary status through the development of critical futures studies. I explore his use of critique, his advocacy of dissent and his expansion of the methodological repertoire of the field. Second, I note his valiant attempts to emancipate foresight practice through the concept of social foresight. Richard's vision of the routine application of foresight across society, supported by institutions of foresight and a thriving critical discipline is a compelling one. While social foresight remains a vision, Richard provided guidance on how to get there that remains highly relevant. Finally, I outline Richard's pioneering translation of Ken Wilber's philosophy into an integral futures practice. While there have been controversies along the way, the development of Wilberian integral futures has undoubtedly supported more comprehensive futures thinking that gives due attention to interiors as well as exteriors.
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