Can you briefly describe your relevant background?
I am working as a researcher at Finland Futures Research Centre. I have a background in Political Science, but I joined the FFRC in 2017 and have been working with foresight and futures studies since, often with European or EU-related projects.
What is your role in the Eye of Europe Project and what are you currently working on?
I am leading Work Package 4 on Futures Literacy, and the target for our work is to expand futures thinking among non-experts. A key part of this, as we see it, is to move foresight ‘beyond text’ – that is, foresight not just as long text-based reports, but also something accessible through other mediums. One thing we are working on in that regard is a set of videos that introduce foresight and futures thinking, for example to those about to participate in a foresight workshop, but with little prior experience with that particular foresight method.
What will in, your view, be the relevance of foresight methodologies for European innovation in light of recent geopolitical and economic developments worldwide?
I think foresight underlines participative aspects, the negotiation between different interests and perspectives, and the importance of viewing issues from multiple sides. In that, it has a democratising element. In times where democracy and understanding of others seem to come under increasing pressure, I think the values implicitly inscribed in foresight methodologies become ever more important. Perhaps they can also become something like Europe’s secret weapon in comparison with world regions rather less interested in participation, democracy, etc.
What is a piece of foresight-related work or publication that you would recommend to read, either in academia or in popular culture?
If it was up to me, every politician in Europe would be forced to read Jonathan White’s recent book on The Future as a Political Idea. At least, if some foundation out there is reading this and is interested in investments safeguarding democracy, please start by sending a copy of this book to every member of the European Parliament and the European Commission.
Imagine you’re living in 2050. What’s one groundbreaking innovation or societal shift you think might define that world?
I was recently part of facilitating a workshop, where participants were asked during an icebreaker exercise to invent a new emotion. Someone came up with combining empathy with something more action-oriented and coined it ‘actionpathy’. It was not my invention, but I haven’t stopped thinking about it, and I hope it defines the world we live in in 2050. At least, I hope it defines who I will be in this 2050 world.
