Futures Exchange: the Panel

In his book “Imagined Futures” Jens Beckert argues that “fictional expectations” are a fundamental force fueling the dynamism of modern capitalist economies. The language of economics is firmly focussed on the ‘not yet’ with terms like options markets, speculation, economic forecasts, risk management, business plans, and return on investment. The processes that underpin this forward-looking approach are infused with exchange and trade as the core function of market economics. So what “fictional expectations” have a market? Who gets to imagine them? Whose futures are being traded? Under what conditions? What are the relationships of exchange? And what is their role in shaping how we use the future today? The three speakers on this panel, historian Orit Halpern and futurists Johannes Kleske and John Sweeney explore how economic thinking and language affects our perspectives on tomorrow and how we can rethink our future destinations. The design and futures perspectives of moderators Mushon Zer-Aviv and Maya Van Leemput will guide a discussion, ignited by purposeful provocation and impromptu interventions meant to draw and welcome you, the audience into this exchange. This panel conversation sits in the middle of the Futures Exchange track that starts with a workshop and ends with a meet for remixing our words for tomorrow again.