Progressivism

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-16444966

John Elfreth Watkins wrote an article in an  Americans women's magazine with many predictions. He predicted that there would be digital color photography, Americans height would rise, there would be mobile phones, pre- pared meals, population growth would slow, there would be tv's and tanks, there would no longer be the letters C, Q, or X, everyone would walk 10 miles a day, and that there would be no mosquitos or flies. Many of what he predicted did come to fruition, but there were some that seem unattainable or even ridiculous still to us today. A lot of these predictions seem like "wish- list" items, but others like slowing population growth can be seen as a warning. 


http://www.urbanghostsmedia.com/2014/12/10-predictions-of-21st-century-life-from-50-years-ago/

Arthur Clarke prediction that dolphins and apes would be "engineered to become more useful, the next generation of domestic servants." He also predicted that humans would bring birth to a new generation for tech and mechanical evolution.In the 1930s fashion designers made predictions about fashion trends. Some said skirts "were a trend of the past and women will wear trousers." Isaac Asimov predicted that students would be able to be educated through televisions and pre- recorded tapes. The Associated Press published a list of predictions for 2000. This list included the adaption of work intensive jobs and that the work force would be better run, and there would be less class struggle. President Harry S. Truman predicted that there would be world peace and that there would be a mutual agreement on atomic an nuclear weapons. Many of these predictions did come true, and for the most part it was the people looking at the future as a better place. Arthur Clarke's predictions did appear as a warning because he talks about the technological uprising. 


http://www.upworthy.com/11-ridiculous-future-predictions-from-the-1900-worlds-fair-and-3-that-came-true


Homework: 
 How much control over the future do we have?  What role do you see for individuals, governments, institutions, or other kinds of groups, or other factors, in shaping what happens in the future?



I believe we have more control over the future then in previous years. We have such an abundance and variety of materials that are so easily accessed, that we can easily control how the future could potentially end up. We can choose to make more technically advanced machines and potentially have a better material life, but with the risk of having a robotic world. Because of this possible future, I do think that people are really putting in as much thought and work as we could in fear of this. Instead everyones just going through the motions from the direction of "the boss."I think overall, there will continue to be more and more groups of people focusing on something and breaking off until the world is essentially just a bunch of small groups keeping to themselves, but opposing each other at the same time.