Conclusion

Engendering 2052 through Re-imagining the Present: Review of a report to the Club of Rome (Part #15)

Emphasis has been given in this "review" to the role of the Club of Rome in endorsing yet another report by an individual, whilst being seemingly incapable of elaborating the systemic picture emerging from the set of reports it has elicited over forty years. It has been argued that both that failure, and the limited diversity of perspectives represented in the 2052 Report, are cybernetically inadequate -- if the intention is to enable the "take off" and "flying capacity" of what has been termed Spaceship Earth. Given the insights previously offered by the 50 other reports to the Club of Rome into requirements for its "flying capacity", what do their authors now think of each other's reports -- and of the 2052 Report and its future? What insight does this offer into their possible uptake?

It is strange that the 2052 Report avoids offering any imagery or metaphor as a vehicle for the insights it offers -- to enable the advocated strategy to "fly". This is consistent with the "scientific" tradition of the Club of Rome, despite its intimate relationship with the World Academy of Art and Science. As previously argued, there is no recognition of the need to enable imaginative thinking through an integration of the arts and sciences (Designing the 21st Century through integration of the arts and sciences, 1995).

This is an indication of inability to recognize the role of the "imaginatique" as central to the belief systems which variously support or oppose policy proposals. The failure of the report to integrate political dynamics systemically bodes ill, suggesting a failure to consider the much-challenged delivery capacity of governance, both now and in the future. The associated game-playing has been termed the "irresolutique" -- as fundamental to the non-decision-making deprecated by the 2052 Report.

Given the report's mention of values, spirituality and questions, could these dimensions be fruitfully considered in future in terms of an "axiologique", a "noetique" and "quaeretique" -- as variously considered in the Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential (cf. Generating a Million Questions from UIA Databases Problems, Strategies, Values, 2006)? In the light of the first of the Club of Rome's goals (Shaping the future: Six Global Goals), an "axiologique" would seem to be a necessity -- one goal for each "-ique", and one for luck?

The 2052 Report makes no recommendations as such, focusing (in despair) on What Global Society Ideally Should Have Done. In that since it deliberately disassociates itself from action. The author refers readers to the list of actions in the report of the UN Secretary-General's Special Commission on Sustainability (Resilient People, Resilient Planet: a future worth choosing, 2012) -- "if you are irritated by my high-handed description of the situation". These are intended as a supplement to the well-established eight UN Millennium Development Goals agreed in 2000, with their own problematic uptake. As with 2052 Report however, no attention is given to the systemic barriers to their achievement.

The report concludes with a set of 12 "shoulds" indicative of what individuals should do. This contrasts with its recognition of increasing intergenerational tensions -- of which rejection of "shoulds" is liable to be a prime characteristic. The author has explicitly given himself confidence, but now calmly expects to be able to export that confidence to others. Curiously the preferred metaphor of the report for eliciting action is the "kick" -- notably in frustration with stupidity:

I will try to make a forecast of what will happen over the next forty years. This is partly to satisfy my own curiosity and partly an attempt to kick society into action. (p. xv)
Hopefully my global forecast will act as an external enemy and kick humanity -- or at least a few dedicated individuals -- into action. (p. 10)
The agreement to act will arise, sooner or later, but it will come late in the day, and the resulting solution even later.... Forward-looking political leadership could kick-start the societal response but may be kept from doing so by the democratic majority of voters with a short-term perspective. (p. 225)
Will the world really be stupid enough not to do what is perfectly doable...? I am sad to say that my answer is yes, I believe the world will be sufficiently stupid to postpone meaningful action. (p. 236)

There is however a case for exploring whether -- as in the relation between man and woman -- the future will only be fruitfully engendered by new forms of elegant courtship of the "other" (Beyond Harassment of Reality and Grasping Future Possibilities: learnings from sexual harassment as a metaphor, 1996). Kicking and accusations of stupidity are not enough. It is a more sensitive engagement with the present that is required to "engender" a future in 2052. Why were "stupidity" and "intelligence" not a feature of the model used -- notably in relation to the elits?

It is in this context that the Club of Rome acts as a curious interface between another "Moses" -- descending from a mountain of analysis (Mount Analogue) with a set of "commandments" embodying truth -- and worship of the "Golden Calf", which associates of the Club of Rome are so anxious to preserve. Ironically such bull worship, common to many traditions, can now be fruitfully challenged in the light of its recognition in slang (Viable Global Governance through Bullfighting: challenge of transcendence, 2009).

In this context, the major strategic opportunity for individuals is to live imaginatively "between" such worlds, as previously argued (Living as an Imaginal Bridge between Worlds: global implications of "betwixt and between" and liminality, 2011). The moral of the above, as a "story" in its own right, may well be: Don't "believe" a word of it. Feel free to re-imagine your own future (cf Reinventing Your Metaphoric Habitat, 1992). Don't hang about in the "reality-based community" of the neocons -- or else you will be "targetted". Astronomers have discovered that planets hang about predictably; stars have long moved on from where they appear to be. Be a star -- or maybe a stargate (People as Stargates: an alternative perspective on human relationships in space-time, 1996).

In developing the approach of "my story", as applied to the 2052 Report, further indications are offered separately (Alternative Approaches to Security: towards well-being and psychological dimensions of sustainability, 2004; Engaging with the Inexplicable, the Incomprehensible and the Unexpected, 2010; Towards the Dynamic Art of Partial Comprehension, 2012; Relevance of Mythopoeic Insights to Global Challenges: cognitive integration implied by the Lord of the Rings, 2009; A Singable Earth Charter, EU Constitution or Global Ethic? 2006)

Intel Futurist on Why We Should Not Fear the Future
The world's largest computer chipmaker employs a corporate futurist, Brian David Johnson
Interviewed by Larry Greenemeier, Scientific American, May 2012

What is the greates misconception that people have about the future? So many people think the future is something that is set. They say: You're a futurist. Make a prediction. The future is much more complicated than that. The future is completely in motion -- it isn't this fixed point out there that we're all sort of running for and can't do anything about. The future is made every day by the actions of people. Because of that, people need to be active participants in that future. The biggest way you can affect the future is to talk about it with your family, your friends, your government.

This review would not have been possible without the ever-timely information from Heiner Benking and the proactive response of the publishers of the 2052 Report (Chelsea Green, and especially their European distributor Green Books, from whom the book is available in June 2012(. However for the primary stimulus, my deepest gratitude goes to Peter Harper, and his colleagues, for alerting me on their return from the symposium on The Place of Value in a World of Fact (Stockholm, 1969) -- in the formative period of the Club of Rome initiative.

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