Richard Slaughter is a scholar and writer in the field of
futures studies
Futures studies, futures research, futurism or futurology is the systematic, interdisciplinary and holistic study of social and technological advancement, and other environmental trends, often for the purpose of exploring how people will li ...
, applied foresight and social innovation. He is the co-director of Foresight International, and has guest edited the journals ''
Futures
Futures may mean:
Finance
*Futures contract, a tradable financial derivatives contract
*Futures exchange, a financial market where futures contracts are traded
* ''Futures'' (magazine), an American finance magazine
Music
* ''Futures'' (album), a ...
''
and ''
foresight''. His work has centred on developing the theory and practice of futures in education; the transition from empirical to critical futures work; bringing
Integral theory
Integral theory is a synthetic metatheory developed by Ken Wilber. It attempts to place a wide diversity of theories and models into one single framework. The basis is a "spectrum of consciousness," from archaic consciousness to ultimate spiri ...
into futures, and working with others to stimulate effective responses to what he regards as a "global emergency" created, in part, by the confluence of
peak oil
Peak oil is the hypothetical point in time when the maximum rate of global oil production is reached, after which it is argued that production will begin an irreversible decline. It is related to the distinct concept of oil depletion; while ...
and
global warming
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
.
In 2009 the special issue of ''Futures'' on Integral Futures that was edited by Slaughter was voted one of the "most important futures works of 2008" by the
Association of Professional Futurists
The Association of Professional Futurists (APF) was founded in 2002 to validate the competencies of emerging futurists. As analysts, speakers, managers or consultants, APF's credentialed members cultivate strategic foresight for their organizations ...
.
[
Founded in 1999 at the ]Swinburne University of Technology
Swinburne University of Technology (often simply called Swinburne) is a public research university based in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1908 as the Eastern Suburbs Technical College by George Swinburne to serve those without access ...
, the Australian Foresight Institute was designed as a specialized research and post-graduate teaching unit. A research program on Creating and Sustaining Social Foresight was funded and supported by the Pratt Foundation
The Pratt Foundation is an Australian philanthropic organisation based in Melbourne and established in 1978 by Jeanne and Richard Pratt.
According to its Values Statement, it has "the shared vision of supporting charitable enterprises and adding ...
and produced a series of monographs.
Selected works
*''Birds in Bermuda''. Bermuda Bookstores Ltd., Hamilton, Bermuda: ix + 158pp (1975) With photographs by the author.
*''Recovering the Future''. Grad. School of Environ. Science, Monash University
Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...
, Melbourne: iv + 189 pp (1988)
*''Studying the Future'', Bicentennial Futures Education Project. Commission For the Future, Melbourne: xiv + 82 pp (1989)
References
External links
Foresight International
* Jose Ramos
AFI, 2003.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slaughter, Richard A.
Living people
Swinburne University of Technology faculty
Futurologists
British emigrants to Australia
Alumni of Lancaster University
1945 births