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Utopia Revisited

Tim Mack

Tim Mack

Book review by Timothy C. Mack. When Verso Books in London released a new edition of More’s Utopia nearly 500 years after its first publication, it produced a bit of cultural shock. For many, the term utopia has come into some disrepute as a reactionary or even a delusional social goal, while among others, especially the technocracy of Silicon Valley, it is viewed as just another easily achieved social building project—all it would take is their unlimited funds.

European Union Versus the United States: Common Values Fade Out of Sight

By Joergen Oerstroem Moeller
The European Union (EU) is in much better shape than is normally portrayed, with a strong economy and initiatives introducing new common policies or strengthening existing ones. In due course, a stronger EU may emerge, setting a course distinctly different from that of the United States. This analysis discloses how the EU and the United States choose a different approach on almost all major issues. Common and shared values once kept the Atlantic Alliance together, but divergent values will split the alliance. Brexit aggravates this somber outlook, as Britain in many ways acted as an interlocutor that understood both the United States and Continental Europe. The geopolitical consequences will be huge.

Minding the Millennials, Austin's Problem Solvers, Futurists' Blind Spot, and more

The Millennials at 65

The millennial generation of consumers and constituents will one day turn 65. (It happens to the best of generational cohorts.) To anticipate their future needs and influence, market researchers The Shelton Group identified two groups of millennials—Traditionals and Engageds—based on a variety of surveys. (One lesson for futurists is to remember no demographic group is monolithic in its values and lifestyles.)

Trusting the Internet, Hiring Futurists, and Remembering Graham Molitor

Hot Topic: Online Trust

In its latest report on the Internet and Technology, the Pew Research Center examined trends in the public’s trust of the Internet. According to the experts participating in the research, the public will continue to rely on the Internet despite skepticism about its reliability and concerns for privacy and security.

Editing Our Genetic Futures, Paramount Pictures Hires a Futurist, and More

Hot Topic: Is the Future Now for Designer Babies and Human GMOs?

An August 2 New York Times headline—“In Breakthrough, Scientists Edit a Dangerous Mutation From Genes in Human Embryos” —triggered one of those “the future is now” moments, when we recognize a present that has seemingly caught up with futures once only imagined.

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