An Index of Articles on the Future


155: The History and Future of World Energy, by Loren Cobb

"The media these days are flooded with stories about energy: hybrid cars, renewable energy, peak oil, fossil fuels and global warming, progress in wind power, biofuels, population pressures... it goes on and on. Unfortunately, no story that I have yet seen places all of these dramatic changes in historical perspective. This letter attempts to fill this gap..." [27 Mar 07]

149: Population Implosion, by Loren Cobb

"Many of the arguments over the shape of the future turn on the central question of population growth. Over the past ten thousand years the world population has been increasing at an accelerating rate, with only a few fluctuations. How then will it be possible to advance civilization in the face of the depletion of finite resources? To find an answer to this question for, say, the rest of this century..." [30 Oct 06]

148: Energy Apocalypse? by Loren Cobb

"Peak Oil is the theory that world oil production will hit an all-time maximum within the next few years, if it hasn't already done so. The significance of Peak Oil lies not in its precise timing, but rather in our possibly violent and dysfunctional response to the growing scarcity of inexpensive energy during the decades that follow..." [8 Sep 06]

146: Ghosts of the Future, by Loren Cobb

"The news these days is filled with intimations of catastrophe. Will the approaching decline in worldwide petroleum reserves cause wars and famine? Have we caused global warming, and if so, will we suffer unimaginable climate change? These are just two of the ghosts that haunt our misty visions of the future..." [11 May 06]

139: Hope and Light for the Winter Solstice, by Loren Cobb

"Where I live, in the snowy mountains of the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice is a time of gathering darkness and freezing temperatures. Arctic blasts of wind deliver ever-deeper piles of snow and ice to our doorsteps, and the weakening sun seems to be losing its battle against the forces of the night... Perhaps it is time for an antidote! Herewith, a warming blast of hope and light delivered to you by The Quaker Economist, just in time to join the season's festivals of lights and song." [15-Dec-05]

131: Preparing for Disaster: The Use of Exercises in the Aftermath of Katrina, by Loren Cobb

"How does a nation prepare for disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes? I have some experience in this, which I would like to share. Between 1997 and 2002, I had the pleasure of participating in four international civil/military exercises in disaster relief..." [4-Sep-05]

120: Military Futures in Latin America, by Loren Cobb

"There is no 'typical' Latin American military, but it is quite clear that none of them resemble the US military. Let me try to paint a picture...." [2-May-05]

117: The Royal Mail Coach: Metaphor for a Changing World, by Loren Cobb

"In the year 1800, the Royal Mail Coach could achieve an average speed of eleven miles per hour between cities. These magnificent machines were the ultimate refinement of the stage coach, itself only invented some seventy years before..."

114: Who is Human? by Loren Cobb

"Let us take a hard look at this emerging future, setting quick moral judgements aside for the moment in order to remain clear and dispassionate about what is likely to happen..." [5-Jan-05]

110: The Path to a Sustainable Peace, by Loren Cobb

"In my experience with the Third World, which began as a young boy living near a refugee camp in Lahore, Pakistan, peace is seldom threatened by military war between nations, even though these wars receive the most attention in history. The absence of peace is, instead, ..." [20-Oct-04]

95: Culture Change, by Jack Powelson

"The biggest error of the more developed governments is to believe we can impose our culture on the less developed instead of leaving them to build up slowly what is "right." Iraq is a current case..." [29-Jan-04]

36: What is a Classic Liberal? Part 2, by Jack Powelson

"In the classic liberal society, power is distributed among "low-level" people and groups. It is not concentrated in king, shogun, emperor, or democratic government..." [12-Feb-02]

30: Global Warming, by Jack Powelson

"Of all the topics in The Quaker Economist, global warming has confounded me most..." [9-Dec-01]

28: The Disintegrating Corporation, by Jack Powelson

"Peter Drucker tells us that the corporation is disintegrating. Drucker is a widely-consulted management expert, possibly the brainiest in the world..." [19-Nov-01]

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