We are all witnesses that many a 1._ about the brave new world scheduled for the 21st century simply did not come 2._ – both predictions of 3._ and 4._ advancements alike. We do not (yet!) live in the world of the day after or wars over drinking water, nor do we fly around in cars, dwell in undersea cities or are teleported to work in paperless offices.
However, a lot of the previously 5._ is here: despite a deeply 6._ scepticism, telecommuting and e-commerce are taking off everywhere. In business, experts try to 7._ both what will happen and how, in order to turn any potential 8._ into a profit-making opportunity. They also take into account the possibility of things unexpectedly going right, such as the US technology boom and the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe in the 1990s. In these two cases forecasters were blamed for the missed opportunities and loss of revenue.
There is also a market for analyses that look further into the future and offer pie-in-the-9._ ideas that might eventually become everyday phenomena. The 10._ Internet once used to be just somebody’s 11._ idea. On the other hand, it might be just 12._ thinking that many of your belongings should soon have 13.___ information which could, for instance, enable our various pieces of clothing to communicate with each other.
Experts who make a living out of 14._ future often hold a degree in Futures Studies, Foresight, or Futurology, described as ‘the science, art and practice of 15._ possible, probable, and preferable futures and the worldviews and myths that underlie them’. They employ various scientific methods such as mathematic modelling and statistics in developing scenarios of different futures. The reason they use the plural form is to reflect the notion that their scenarios are just one of many alternatives. At the same time, they show awareness of limitations 16.___ in predicting something with absolute certainty.
Foresight professionals often take into account the effect of so called wildcards, which are low probability but high 17._ events (positive or negative). One of beauties of life has always been the fact that it 18._ predictions and is full of surprises. However, it is human nature to try to minimise the 19.___ of uncertainty and therefore many corporations use futurists as part of their risk management strategy.
What does the future hold for ordinary people? More challenges in every aspect of our lives and the 20._ of life-long learning are our safest 21._. And if you are wondering whether your job will still exist in a few years’ time or what investments to make, you might be advised to stay away from bookstores, record stores, newspapers and camera film manufacturing – their 22.___ of survival seem to be rather low.
