by Darrell Kicker
ABSTRACT
William Bell (Professor Emeritus of Sociology, Yale University) and Oliver W. Markley (Emeritus Professor of Human Sciences and Studies of the Future, University of Houston-Clear Lake) are two of the great thinkers and practitioners in the discipline of Futures Studies. In this essay, these two eminent futurists are introduced and their works summarized in terms of their images of the future, theories of social change, methods of forecasting, and preferred futures. Although differences are evident in both the theoretical and practical aspects of their work and contributions, both offer an optimistic view of the potential for Futures Studies to bring about positive social change.(continue…)