Capturing the expanding research areas of the future of humanity within the field of futures studies: The case for a transcendental futures subdiscipline

Abstract

Over the past two decades, there has been an increase in the volume of research on topics that cover the futures of humanity and life on Earth. This paper makes a case for the establishment of a new subdiscipline to capture research under the field of futures studies called Transcendental Futures. We believe that this is necessary for two main reasons: 1) to consolidate, weave together and expand on this ongoing futures research across areas such as human extinction, global catastrophic risk, collapse, and obligations to future generations, which we believe would add to the richness and robustness of the field of futures; and 2) to better articulate and communicate the existence of such research to stakeholders outside of the world of academia that are involved in the delivery of important cross-sectoral socioeconomic and environmental initiatives, such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UN Pact for the Future, and who would benefit from having access to more synthesized knowledge that comes out of our field of futures studies. We also believe that the establishment of this new subdiscipline will help to illuminate and help answer vital research questions that are essential for accelerating progress towards safeguarding the survival of life on Earth.