of 108 futurists found the following shared assumptions: We are in the midst of a historical transformation. Current times are not just part of normal history. Multiple perspectives are at the heart of futures studies, including unconventional thinking, internal critique, and cross-cultural comparison. Consideration of alternatives. Futurists do not see themselves as value-free forecasters, but instead aware of multiple possibilities. Participatory futures. Futurists generally see their role as liberating the future in each person, and creating enhanced public ownership of the future. This is true worldwide. Long-term policy transformation. While some are more policy-oriented than others, almost all believe that the work of futures studies is to shape public policy, so it consciously and explicitly takes into account the long term. Part of the process of creating alternative futures and of influencing public (corporate, or international) policy is internal transformation. At international meetings, structural and individual factors are considered equally important. Complexity. Futurists believe that a simple one-dimensional or single-discipline orientation is not satisfactory. Trans-disciplinary approaches that take complexity seriously are necessary. Systems thinking, particularly in its evolutionary dimension, is also crucial. Futurists are motivated by change. They are not content merely to describe or forecast. They desire an active role in world transformation. They are hopeful for a better future as a "strange attractor". Most believe they are pragmatists in this world, even as they imagine and work for another. Futurists have a long term perspective. Sustainable futures, understood as making decisions that do not reduce future options, that include policies on nature, gender, and other accepted paradigms. This applies to corporate futurists and other non-governmental organizations. Environmental sustainability is reconciled with the technological, spiritual, and post-structural ideals. Sustainability is not a "back to nature" ideal, but rather inclusive of technology and culture. Notable futurists Other uses The term has also been used to refer to popular electronic music acts who emerged in the late 1970s, such as Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and The Human League. See also Association of Professional Futurists Institute for the Future Transhumanism World Future Society World Futures Studies Federation References External links Futurist (ASF definition) Twelve developmental types of futures thinking. THE FUTURIST magazine A magazine published by the World Future Society Association of Professional Futurists Systems thinking