International Future Research
| Author | Erik Moberg |
| DOI | 10.1177/001083676900400305 |
| Published date | 01 November 1969 |
| Date | 01 November 1969 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Erik Moberg
International Future
Research
(Robert Jungk and Johan Galtung, ed.,
There are primitive societies which
Mankind 2000, Universitetsforlaget, Oslo,
could be called societies in this sense,
and Allen &
Unwin, London: 1969.)
for example the Aborigines of Aus-
tralia. But are there any such obvious
In the autumn of 1967 the First Inter-
cases in the more developed part of
national Future Research conference
the world? I have difficulty thinking
was held in Oslo. From this conference
of any. One could possibly consider the
comes a collection of papers which are
world as a whole excluding these prim-
published under the ambitious but
itive cultures to make up a single
somewhat misleading title Mankind
’society’, but Galtung clearly does not
2000.
mean that. His choice of words in
The title is misleading because the
places implies that a good many ’so-
book can in no way be said to give a
cieties’ can be found within the devel-
broad description of the possibilities
oped world. If that is true then, at
and situation of mankind near the year
least to me, it is not completely clear,
2000. Moreover, such problems as the
what a society is.
’role of future research’ are taken up,
According to Galtung’s assumptions,
and these indeed have nothing directly
relations between ’nations’ and ’so-
to do with the year 2000. The papers
cieties’ can exist approximately as be-
in the volume are arranged in the fol-
tween mathematical quantities. It is
lowing main sections: I. International
thus possible to say that a ’nation’ is
Futures; II. Material and Technological
contained within a ’society’, that a
Development; III. Goals and Human
’society’ is contained within a ’nation’,
Implications; IV. The Role of Future
or that a ’society’ has elements from
Research; V. Introductory Remarks and
several ’nations’ without completely
Discussion; and Appendix.
containing any one of them, and so on.
The first paper, ’On the Future of
It is further assumed that the struc-
the Future of the International System’,
ture of nations during the period of
is written by Johan Galtung. Galtung
time to which the essay refers remains
concerns himself for the most part with
on the whole constant, that is to say,
the risks of war and conflicts in dif-
on the whole, the same nations exist
ferent parts of the world and with what
the whole time while the structure of
affects these risks. He presents his
societies changes. The point is, that
argument as a model in which the
if development or modernization takes
concepts ’nation’ and ’society’ are basic.
place in some part of the world, the
By ’nation’ is meant, quite simply,
’societies’
located there will grow
a country or state with its geographic
larger.
boundaries. Venezuela and Czecho-
Since the structure of nations is a
slovakia are examples.
constant while the social order under-
The concept ’society’ is not as clear.
goes change, the relations between
An attempt at a definition is made by
nations and societies also change. It
saying that a ’society’ is ’a self-suf-
is the consequences of this change which
ficient social structure in the sense
...
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