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But what if we're wrong? : thinking about the present as if it were the past / by Klosterman, Chuck,1972-author.;
Explores the idea that today's mainstream beliefs about the world are fundamentally incorrect, drawing on original interviews with intellectuals and experts to consider how music, sports, literature, and other present-day conventions may be perceived in future centuries.
Subjects: Forecasting.; Social prediction.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Do humankind's best days lie ahead? : Pinker and Ridley vs. de Botton and Gladwell : the Munk debates / by De Botton, Alain,panelist.; Pinker, Steven,1954-panelist.; Ridley, Matt,panelist.; Griffiths, Rudyard,editor.; Gladwell, Malcolm,1963-panelist.;
Subjects: Progress.; Civilization.; Forecasting.; Social prediction.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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What should we be worried about? : real scenarios that keep scientists up at night / by Brockman, John,1941-; Edge Foundation Inc.;
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Subjects: Science and the humanities.; Science; Social prediction.; Social science;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Inspiring Canadians : forty brilliant Canadians & their visions for the nation / by Bulgutch, Mark,author.; Mansbridge, Peter,writer of foreword.;
Forty influential and diverse Canadians with expertise in subjects such as Indigenous rights, climate change, social justice and race, gun control, higher education and poetry reflect on everything Canada is getting right--and what still needs to change to make the country even better. Acclaimed journalist Mark Bulgutch collects inspiring stories and ideas from multifaceted Canadians whose love for Canada compels them to make this country a better place for all--ultimately revealing that equal parts critique and celebration is the key to a thriving nation. These chapters spotlight visions of a more sustainable, equitable, welcoming--and fun!--country from Canadians who believe in the possibility of an even better future. Including: Perry Bellegarde on upholding the rights of Indigenous people; Adam Fenech on adapting to climate change; Najma Ahmed on ending the contagion of gun violence; Mack Rogers on how literacy solves problems; Laura Tamblyn Watts on securing the future for seniors; Katie Ward on the innovations of Canadian agriculture; Santa Ono on how higher education keeps Canada competitive; Michael Levitt on the value of an MP; Paulette Senior on equal opportunity for women; Kenneth Sherman on poetry and the human spirit; Michael Prince on ensuring dignity for people with disabilities; Donald MacPherson on how drug overdoses can be dramatically reduced; Kwame McKenzie on mental health and happiness; Duff Conacher on improving Canadian democracy; and many more. This dynamic collection is sure to spark debate and showcase how the fabric of a country is defined by its multiplicity of voices, cultures, stories and ideas. Weaving together these diverse viewpoints, Bulgutch leads us into the future--compelling us to do the most Canadian of things: change the world, and our nation, for the better.
Subjects: Social prediction;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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A map of the new normal : how inflation, war, and sanctions will change your world forever / by Rubin, Jeff,1954-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Bestselling author and economist Jeff Rubin looks ahead and warns that the inflation that took the world by surprise in 2021 is in fact the front of a perfect storm of war, supply-chain disruption, geopolitical realignment, domestic upheaval, and energy scarcity that will change everything. During the pandemic, the borrowing patterns of the Canadian government inflated a national deficit by a factor of ten in just two years -- and the time has come to pay for it. The ramifications of international COVID-19 spending could potentially last for decades, and inevitably one of the first manifestations of these consequences will be an unhooking of private lenders' interest rates from central banks. That is just the first symptom of a series of cascading upheavals. Supply-chain disruptions have already shown the vulnerability of the globalism model that has fueled growth for the past decades. War has not only shown the fragility of the status quo, but has revealed diplomatic and economic rifts that promise to shift trading patterns, which means access to markets and to resources. At the same time, the precarity of the US dollar underlines the life-or-death importance of those resources, energy in particular. And consolidation of a Eurasian bloc, from Russia to China, and encompassing old enemies like Iran and former US ally Saudi Arabia, hint that the upheaval of Covid was just the beginning. Tracking trade wars and kinetic wars, central banks and run on banks, pipelines blown up and startups knocked down, The New World Order gives us a glimpse of a near future that will look very different from the recent past. It reminds us that our mortgage rates and job security, our grocery bills and investments, are all tied to events set in motion by governments, corporations, and black swans around the world."--
Subjects: Economic forecasting.; Social prediction.; Twenty-first century;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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Could it happen here? : Canada in the age of Trump and Brexit / by Adams, Michael,1946 Sept. 29-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."From award-winning author Michael Adams, Could It Happen Here? draws on groundbreaking new social research to show whether Canadian society is at risk of the populist forces afflicting the rest of the world. In vote after shocking vote, Western publics have pushed their anger to the top of their countries' political agendas. The votes have varied in their particulars, but their unifying feature has been rejection of moderation, incrementalism, and the status quo. Britons opted to leave the European Union. Americans elected Donald Trump. Far-right, populist politicians channeling anger at out-of-touch "elites" are gaining ground across Europe. Amid this roiling international scene, Canada appears placid, at least on its surface. As other societies retrench, the international media have taken notice of Canada's welcome of Syrian refugees, its half-female federal cabinet, its acceptance of climate science and mixed efforts to limit its emissions, the absence of a prominent hard-right ethno-nationalist movement. After a year in power, the centrist federal government continues to enjoy majority approval, suggesting an electorate not as bitterly split as the ones to the south or in Europe. As sceptics point out, however, Brexit and a Trump presidency were unthinkable until they happened. Could it be that Canada is not immune to the same forces of populism, social fracture, and backlash that have afflicted other parts? Our largest and most cosmopolitan city elected Rob Ford. Conservative Party leadership hopeful Kellie Leitch proposes a Canadian test for immigrants and has called the Trump victory "exciting." Anti-tax demonstrators in Alberta chanted "lock her up" in reference to Premier Rachel Notley, an elected leader accused of no wrongdoing, only policy positions the protesters disliked. In Could It Happen Here?, pollster and social values researcher Michael Adams takes Canadians into the examining room to see whether we are at risk of coming down with the malaise affecting other Western democracies. Drawing on major social values surveys of Canadians and Americans in 2016--as well as decades of tracking data in both countries--Adams examines our economy, institutions, and demographics to answer the question: could it happen here?"--
Subjects: Demographic surveys; Populism; Social prediction; Social surveys; Social values;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Next : where to live, what to buy, and who will lead Canada's future / by Bricker, Darrell,1961-author.;
"Follow a link to an ad in a sponsored email and, no matter your age or stage of life, you will likely be directed to a product that marketers believe is right for you. More often than not, the ad will target those with a younger, trendier, hipper lifestyle, offering you products you never knew you needed or wanted. Companies market to a younger audience because they believe that's where the money and the excitement are. But are they wrong? Perhaps very wrong? This is only one of the counterintuitive arguments that Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs, a world leader in opinion polling, tackles in his groundbreaking new book, Next. Not since Boom, Bust & Echo has a Canadian expert in what Canadians will want and need distilled the growing trends based on real and extensive demographic data and dared to forecast what will come next in a major publication. Why is Harley-Davidson making smaller motorcycles and changing the way they sell their bikes? Should restaurateurs be focusing on vibrant, frenetic restaurants offering the latest food fashion or on open, quieter restaurants that focus on tasty standard fare? What's the fastest-growing sector in the housing market? Where should companies plan on setting up shop? Why do we face a population crisis? Which provinces will become the haves and which the have-nots? Where will Canadians be emigrating from, and where will they live? Should we be building more hockey arenas or basketball courts, or even cricket pitches? Next is the first book in decades that offers an honest, often provocative prescription for where we will live, what we'll be buying and who our leaders will be in the decades to come. Filled with stories of Canadians making critical decisions for their businesses and their personal lives, Next will appeal to a wide audience: anyone who is wondering where they should look for their next job or where they might plan on living in retirement--even how they will live in Canada's ever-changing future."--
Subjects: Social prediction; Economic forecasting; Political leadership;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The empathic civilization : the race to global consciousness in a world in crisis / by Rifkin, Jeremy.;
Subjects: Civilization, Modern; Conduct of life.; Empathy.; Social prediction.; Twenty-first century;
© c2009., J.P. Tarcher/Penguin,
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Flashpoints : the emerging crisis in Europe / by Friedman, George.;
Subjects: Culture conflict; Geopolitics; Politics and culture; Social prediction;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The algorithm : how AI decides who gets hired, monitored, promoted, and fired and why we need to fight back now / by Schellmann, Hilke,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Hilke Schellmann is an Emmy award-winning investigative reporter, Wall Street Journal and Guardian contributor, and journalism professor at NYU. In "The Algorithm," she investigates the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the world of work. AI is now being used to decide who has access to an education, who gets hired, who gets fired, and who receives a promotion. Drawing on exclusive information from whistleblowers, internal documents, and real-world tests, Schellmann discovers that many of the algorithms making high-stakes decisions are biased, racist, and do more harm than good. Algorithms are on the brink of dominating our lives and threaten our human future if we don't fight back. Schellmann takes readers on a journalistic detective story, testing algorithms that have secretly analyzed job candidates' facial expressions and tone of voice. She investigates algorithms that scan our online activity, including Twitter and LinkedIn, to construct personality profiles a la Cambridge Analytica. Her reporting reveals how employers track the location of their employees, the keystrokes they make, access everything on their screens, and, during meetings, analyze group discussions to diagnose problems in a team. Even universities are now using predictive analytics for admission offers and financial aid"--
Subjects: Algorithms; Artificial intelligence; Information society.; Artificial intelligence; Big data;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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