ABSTRACT
The anticipation of futures is a necessary part of all social actions, and particularly so in the world of modern organisations. If social sciences are to be relevant, they should also be able to say something about possible and likely futures.12 The future, which is real but not yet determined and therefore consists of a multiplicity of different possibilities, unfolds through various transforming events and nodal points.3 Future possibilities are based on the already existing geo-historical social structures. However, since history unfolds in relatively open systems, forecasts are contingent on a number of uncertain conditions: multifarious geo-historical processes and mechanisms (including homeostatic causal loops), and the modes of responsiveness of actors, which are linked to layered systems of collective learning and selfregulation.
