The Future
History is not only the study of the past, but also the present and the future. We’ve collected some of the most forward-thinking scholarship on what our history as humans suggests about what is to come. The future is always uncertain—but by helping students understand recurring themes within history, they can be ready for what’s next.
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Lesson 10.0
Looking Back
Our ideas about the future are shaped by our knowledge of the past. The thresholds of increasing complexity provide important clues to what the future might look like—for us, our planet, and the Universe.
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Lesson 10.1
The Biosphere
The global ecosystem—our biosphere—has never been static, but change has accelerated over the last century. The effect of our species on the Earth is unparalleled, and the future will be shaped by the choices we make today.
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Lesson 10.2
Looking Forward
Viewing the past from the points of view of different disciplines gives us a rich, detailed picture of the history of the Universe. We can apply the same technique when we envision the future, both near and far.
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Lesson 10.3
Are We Alone?
Modern science is the key to answering the long-asked questions about whether life exists elsewhere in the Universe. Until science finds the evidence it needs one way or the other, we continue to wonder.
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Featured Materials
Data Exploration: Future Population Growth
Article
Data Exploration: Future Population Growth
There are a lot of us living on this planet. But the rate of population growth has slowed in recent decades. Can data help us predict our population future?
Unit 10 Overview: The Future
Video
Unit 10 Overview: The Future
What will the future hold and what might be our next threshold of increasing complexity? Do some time traveling with present-day and future Rachel to find out!
Jacqueline Howard: A Day on Mars
Video
Jacqueline Howard: A Day on Mars
Could humans relocate to Mars? Is it a potential future home for our species?
Complexity and the Future
Article
Complexity and the Future
What will be the next major threshold? A historian contemplates complexity, fragility, and sustainability.
“Are We Alone? Now Is the Time to Find Out”
Article
“Are We Alone? Now Is the Time to Find Out”
We will never know for sure that extraterrestrial life doesn’t exist, but what will it mean for us as humans if and when we find out that it does?
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: Visions of the Future
Video
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: Visions of the Future
How will resources and opportunity be distributed in the future? American Scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. hopes that the advances of technology will benefit everyone.
How can an understanding of history help us predict the future?
Article
How can an understanding of history help us predict the future?
Our future isn’t a certain conclusion of doom and gloom. It’s a range of possibilities we must assess with the reasoning we develop from studying history.
Eradicating Smallpox
Video
Eradicating Smallpox
In 1980, humanity officially eradicated the dreaded smallpox virus. Dr. Larry Brilliant tells the long history of this unique accomplishment and what it means for the future.
Satyendra Nath Bose – Graphic Biography
Article
Satyendra Nath Bose – Graphic Biography
Satyendra Nath Bose contributed to breakthroughs in quantum physics. His big ideas helped us understand the tiniest scale of our Universe.