Future Design for Creating a World Worth Inheriting

by Tatsuyoshi Saijo

Overview

Our world stands at a critical crossroads. While world leaders wage wars and pursue aggression, humanity faces mounting "future failures" - burdens we're leaving for generations yet unborn. Scientists warn that carbon emissions, nitrogen cycles, and biodiversity loss have already reached dangerous tipping points. Yet we possess what we call "futurability" - the capacity to find joy in creating happiness for future generations, even at the expense of immediate gains. However, our current society isn't structured to nurture this vital human trait. Drawing inspiration from the Iroquois' seventh-generation principle, we've developed and tested innovative social mechanisms through rigorous laboratory experiments and real-world applications. This book, "Future Design for Creating a World Worth Inheriting," presents our vision and practical framework for redesigning society to activate our collective futurability. Through years of research and implementation, we've created concrete solutions that can transform how we make decisions about our shared future. Join us in this crucial endeavor to create a world our descendants will thank us for - a world truly worth inheriting.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789819640546
Publisher:	Springer Nature Singapore
Publication date:	04/20/2025
Pages:	342
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Tatsuyoshi Saijo received a master's degree in economics from Hitotsubashi University in 1978 and a PhD from the University of Minnesota in 1985. He was an assistant professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara (1986-1991), professor at the Institute of Social and Economic Research, Osaka University (1995-2013), research associate at the California Institute of Technology (2002-2003), and program director at the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (2017-2022). He has held positions at various institutions including the University of Tsukuba, Washington University at St. Louis, and Duke University. He is currently at the Future Design Research Center, Kyoto University of Advanced Science, developing innovative approaches to intergenerational sustainability.

Table of Contents

Introduction.- What have we done.- What does future design aim for.- Social dilemmas.- Intergenerational sustainability dilemma.- Do imaginary future people really work.- Yahaba town iwate prefecture the first future design practice.- Past design.- Various practices.- Various experiments.- Future design principles of practice.