Foundations of Futures Studies: Volume 1: History, Purposes, and Knowledge (Human Science for a New Era Series)

I would not call this book "Foundations of Futures Studies'. Rather," History of Futures Studies "stripped down to sociology and political science. The author points to the interdisciplinary nature of future studies, but he did not apply to this rule. In the book there is no reference to military strategy, and above all to economic science. The author devotes too little attention to methods of future studies. However, the book deserves the highest rating, due to the monumental, pioneering work on future studies.

Bell does a great job explaining the philosophy underpinning futures studies. For those who are not as well versed in this area, he gets into arguments on terminology, which to me was often unnecessary and verbose. I personally disagree with some of his assessments of terminology. Still that does not take away from the fact this is an excellent reference which anyone engaging in futures studies should read.

The book begins by giving an extensive background about the subject on future studies. The author introduces such founders to the subject like Lasswell, Kahn, and RAND. Originally futures study/forecasting was primarily used by the military. The author writes, "purpose of future studies are to discover or invent, examine & evaluate, and propose possible, probable and preferable future." Looking to alternative futures and furthering that discussion the author mentions Alvin Toffler. Case studies are then offered to illustrate either how forecasting can predict possible disasters and/or show how alternative futures can shape the future. Re-iterating that point, the author presents nine "key assumptions" and three "general assumptions." Last sections in the book the author looks to the discussion of whether future studies is "science or an art." Followed by a proposal for epistemology for future studies. Lastly, the author reviews methods and describes the methods thoroughly to capture their diversity and ingenuity. Concluding remarks on the book: A person who looks to learn/discover the subject on future studies should begin with this book. As a reader, you will begin to discover the introduction of the subject, where it is today, and how people who actively pursue the subject combine/implement the study to everyday use. One important key to future study/alternative futures is the application of forecasting. The author offers a good overview on the subject. Today, forecasting is applied by many companies, corporations, and other institutions.

With the preface to the 2003 edition, Bell begins this book again with the same purpose for his readers. In volume one alone, Bell distinguishes six main subjects about future studies and how one is to look at alternative futures. In the beginning, Bell goes into great detail about the topic of future studies and examines the roots and development of this new field of inquiry. He searches within theory, and past futurist researchers to find future research efforts so that its topics in each section are clearly to the point. This book summarizes and also enlarges notable contributions from other futurists to help validate Bell's own opinions about the purpose, assumptions, and methods of futures studies as well as questioning it as an art or science. Bell is continually trying to expose the future and asks readers to think about alternative futures or scenarios with the understanding of its possibilities based on methods, theory and nature. Someone who is unsure of what future studies is or wants to learn more about the topic should begin with this novel because it gives a precise encounter of how these applications are based, used and how forecasting plays an impacting role. Bell does an excellent job at maneuvering scholarly tools to describe the "foundations of futures studies" giving its "history, purpose and knowledge".