Le Prof Le Prof - TEACH Magazine

A TEACH MAGAZINE PUBLICAT I O N MAR / APR 2001 ISSUE PAGE 1 7
C U R R I C U L A
THIS IS A 6 PAGE REPRODUCIBLE INSERT TO BE USED AS A TEACHING TOOL
W
hen thinking about the future and what sorts of
goods and services will be required and then
developed, it is important to have a clear vision
(or as clear as possible) of the type of society that will
exist. And the time frame is also a key factor. From our
perspective, here and now in the present, how far ahead
should one look? Ten, twenty, fifty or a hundred years?
Designing for the future is always a dicey business
because we won’t really know, will we? There is a great
deal of risk involved. After all, what if we are wrong? It’s
difficult to say, oops, then head in another direction. This
is especially true given that a large number of corporations
and governments are doing exactly that. Wo r k i n g
ahead and planning for the years to come. It makes you
wonder how capable they are and if they are making
good decisions on our behalf. Think of the aerospace
i n d u s t ry designing planes and rocketships or even the car
companies who manufacture vehicles for personal transport.
Will we need them at all if we can be transported in
an instant like we’ve seen and imagined on Star Trek? We