ABSTRACT
Foresight involves the study of time, particularly the time ahead of us. The future refers to what has not yet happened (van der Steen, 2009). Futurists formulate knowledge claims about what might happen. 1 The meaning of time is basic to futures studies. Inayatullah (1993), a well-respected Pakistani-born futurist living in Australia, emphasised that ‘[any] adequate theory of the future must be able to problematize time and negotiate the meanings of time’ (cited in Bell, 2000, p251). Bell (2000), a prominent US futurist, stated that ‘a conception of time is itself among the most basic assumptions of futurist thought’ (Bell, 2000, p116). Or as van der Steen (2009, p31) phrased it: ‘perception and conceptualization of time are critical for conceptions of the future. Assessment of the future is assessment of “time”’ (our translation). However, the meaning of time in foresight is usually not explicitly reflected upon. 2
