Concepts as Futures | Nele Fischer & Sascha Dannenberg, Futures Studies, Freie Universität Berlin

Concepts as FuturesA proposal for a continuation of conceptual history in Futures Studies

Constructing Social Futures | Turku, June 2019

Concepts as Futures | Nele Fischer & Sascha Dannenberg, Futures Studies, Freie Universität Berlin

Concepts as Futures ?!Continuity and change .... can be explored looking at the concepts used to make

meaning of ‚the future‘.

[Premise: meaning (language, actions, ...) constitutes andconstructs social reality, (extended) post-structuralist andconstructivist approach]

Concepts as Futures | Nele Fischer & Sascha Dannenberg, Futures Studies, Freie Universität Berlin

The Image of a Timeline

present futurepast

Concepts as Futures | Nele Fischer & Sascha Dannenberg, Futures Studies, Freie Universität Berlin

presentpast future

Contemporality

present present

Concepts as Futures | Nele Fischer & Sascha Dannenberg, Futures Studies, Freie Universität Berlin

present

Contemporality

present past(space of

experience)

present future(horizon of

expectation)

Concepts as Futures | Nele Fischer & Sascha Dannenberg, Futures Studies, Freie Universität Berlin

(Re)Production of Meaning

Dialectic process of creatingmeaning

SystemConventional rules

based on difference, not reference>> Enables and prefigures acts

ActIndividual realization

>> Institutionalises and (re)produces system

meaning constructs and constitutes reality, it is conventional and not neutral.

Concepts as Futures | Nele Fischer & Sascha Dannenberg, Futures Studies, Freie Universität Berlin

presentpresent past present future

Concepts as Futures

ActsConventionalmeaning

(re)producedmeaning

Concepts as Futures | Nele Fischer & Sascha Dannenberg, Futures Studies, Freie Universität Berlin

Concepts as Futures

Concepts as Futures | Nele Fischer & Sascha Dannenberg, Futures Studies, Freie Universität Berlin

Continuing Conceptual History – ConceptualFutures

Conceptual History

Concepts as Futures | Nele Fischer & Sascha Dannenberg, Futures Studies, Freie Universität Berlin

Conceptual History

„Historische Grundbegriffe“ Otto Brunner, Werner Conze, Reinhart Koselleck (eds.)Published from 1972 to 1977

• Investigating historical change via the (diachrone and synchrone) change of meaning

• critical historical heuristic, asking for:• Who/What is included and excluded?• Who is (not) adressed? • Are there any specific use-contexts?• What driving forces led to new

meanings/interpretations?

Concepts as Futures | Nele Fischer & Sascha Dannenberg, Futures Studies, Freie Universität Berlin

Continuing Conceptual History – ConceptualFutures

Conceptual History Conceptual Futures

Concepts as Futures | Nele Fischer & Sascha Dannenberg, Futures Studies, Freie Universität Berlin

Proposed Task: Conceptual Futures Studies

Concepts as Futures | Nele Fischer & Sascha Dannenberg, Futures Studies, Freie Universität Berlin

Proposed Task: Conceptual Futures Studies

Let‘s continue this conceptual work with regard to ‚the future‘:

https://wikis.fu-berlin.de/display/confu/Conceptual+Futures+StartseitePlease approach Daina for access to the wiki: koerting@institutfutur.de

Contact me if you want to discuss the idea: fischer@institutfutur.de