Defining the Future: Concepts and Definitions as Linguistic Fundamentals of Foresight

The future is explored and created through language. Terminology, concepts and definitions form fundamental ingredients for foresight, leading into inferences, conjectures, narratives and stories. Many futures methods rely on a specific lingo, some of which has even been trademarked. Although not always duly recognised, the importance of language as an instrument for foresight cannot be overstated. Or, in the words of Richard Slaughter (1996), introducing his Advanced Futures Glossary: “It’s well known that concepts and words are bearers of thoughts and ideas. What’s less well known is that the language of Futures Studies is a rich and powerful symbolic resource in its own right that opens up new worlds of understanding and possibility”.