Arthur Clarke

-- a university of arizona course on methods and approaches for studying the future

Biography: Chancellor of the University of Moratuwa and is primarily known as a science fiction writer. Lives in Sri Lanka and commutes electronically with his publishers. Major work is 2001 (book/film). Born Minehead, United Kingdom, 1917. B.Sc. Physics.

Comments by rlc: well known and respected science fiction writer as well as non-fiction topics on future uses of technology.

Worldview: Three Clarke's rules of thumb: 1) when a distinguished and elderly scientist says something is possible, he is almost certainly correct; when he says something is impossible he is very probably wrong; 2) the only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little past them; 3) any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Driving force views
Compare with others on views:
Time horizon and relative optimism
Global and sociotechnical orientation

Thinkers Index

Note: a primary reference for much of this material is Coates, Joseph and Jennifer Jarratt. What Futurists Believe, A World Future Society Book, Published by Lamond in 1989. 340 pages.