ABSTRACT
Synopsis: in hoping for a just and sustainable future, the planet can best be thought of as a continually changing four-dimensional world in which the human collective mind has accepted responsibility for its own actions. Usual predictions are in the form of a dystopia or a utopia, a hopeless or a hopeful world. Such predictions will always be unrealistic since utopias are models of perfection and dystopias models of disaster. A more practical option is to use the phrase ‘utopian thinking’ for a search for positive and practical ideas on moving towards an unknown future. This means accepting the reality of the dynamic connections between parts and wholes, stable and chaotic systems, individuals and groups, and creative and rational thinking. This continually changing world can best be understood through reflecting on the suite of questions that involve all ways of knowing. Introspective, physical, social, ethical, aesthetic, sympathetic and reflective questions are core to any hopeful and realistic consideration of the future.
