Futurism (Judaism)

Jewish Futurism is used in three different contexts: religious, artistic and futures studies (foresight, futurology etc.)

Religious context

Jewish Futurism is encapsulated in the expectation of the messiah in the future rather than "recognizing him in the presence of Christ".^[1]

For the prophets the future is an "open field of human hope and responsibility.... the future [is] not predetermined ... human beings shape it". According to the Protestant theologian Harvey Cox "Prophecy insists that the future will be shaped not by ... irresistible inherent tendencies but by what men decide to do...."^[2]

Jews who are futurists

• Alvin Toffler
• Fred Polak
• Herman Kahn
• Ray Kurzweil
• Dennis Gabor
• Faith Popcorn
• Robert Jungk
• Jeremy Rifkin
• Arthur Shostak

Israeli futurists

• Moshe Dror, president of the World Network of Religious Futurists
• Tsvi Bisk, director of the Center for Strategic Futurist Thinking
• Yehezkel Dror, founder of the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute
• David Passig, head of the Virtual Reality Lab at Bar-Ilan University

A particular place on this list should be reserved for the practitioners of foresight. Foresight is a tool for developing visions, understood as possible future states of affairs that actions today can help bring about (or avoid). The practice of foresight is widespread in European strategic thinking, and to a much lesser level in Canada or United States. In Israel, foresight projects are developed at the Interdisciplinary Center for Technology Assessment and Forecasting from Tel Aviv University.

See also

• Futures studies
• Jewish eschatology

References

1. Körtner U. H. J. The End of the World: a Theological Interpretation, 1995, John Knox Press, Louisville Kentucky, p. 41
2. Cornish E., The Study of the Future, 1977, World Future Society, Washington, D.C., pp. 53–54