The World Future Society is an association of people interested in how social and technological developments are shaping the future. It endeavors to help individuals, organizations, and communities see, understand, and respond appropriately and effectively to change. Through media, meetings, and dialogue among its members, it raises awareness of change and encourages development of creative solutions. The Society takes no official position on what the future will or should be like. Instead it acts as a neutral forum for exploring possible, probable, and preferable futures.
Founded in 1966 as a nonprofit educational and scientific organization in Washington, D.C., the Society has some 25,000 members in more than eighty countries around the world. Individuals and groups from all nations are eligible to join the Society and participate in its programs and activities.
The Society holds a two-day, international conference once a year where participants discuss foresight techniques and global trends that are influencing the future. Previous conference attendees have included future U.S. President Gerald Ford (1974), Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy (1975), behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner (1984), age-wave expert Ken Dychtwald (2005), U.S. Comptroller General David M. Walker (2006), and scientist and inventor Ray Kurzweil (2006).
Chapters of the World Future Society are active in cities around the globe. Chapters offer speakers, educational courses, seminars, and other opportunities for members in local areas to meet and work together. These local chapters give members a chance to meet other forward-looking people and to discuss various topics of the future.
Who belongs to the Society? Membership is open to anyone who would like to know more about what the future will hold. Members come from all walks of life. They include sociologists, scientists, corporate planners, educators, students, and retirees. They are thinking people who seek a better future for themselves and society.
The Society’s Web site (www.wfs.org) features unique resources such as the online Futurist Bookshelf—brief summaries of new and noteworthy books, reviews, and links to order—and Web Forums on a variety of areas of interest to members. Also included are links to a range of resources such as futures blogs, educational programs and related organizations.
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The World Future Society is an association of people interested in how social and technological developments are shaping the future. It endeavors to help individuals, organizations, and communities see, understand, and respond appropriately and effectively to change. Through media, meetings, and dialogue among its members, it raises awareness of change and encourages development of creative solutions. The Society takes no official position on what the future will or should be like. Instead it ac... (read more)