Future Definition and 789 Threads

The future is the time after the present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently exists and will exist can be categorized as either permanent, meaning that it will exist forever, or temporary, meaning that it will end. In the Occidental view, which uses a linear conception of time, the future is the portion of the projected timeline that is anticipated to occur. In special relativity, the future is considered absolute future, or the future light cone.In the philosophy of time, presentism is the belief that only the present exists and the future and the past are unreal. Religions consider the future when they address issues such as karma, life after death, and eschatologies that study what the end of time and the end of the world will be. Religious figures such as prophets and diviners have claimed to see into the future.
Future studies, or futurology, is the science, art, and practice of postulating possible futures. Modern practitioners stress the importance of alternative and plural futures, rather than one monolithic future, and the limitations of prediction and probability, versus the creation of possible and preferable futures. Predeterminism is the belief that the past, present, and future have been already decided.
The concept of the future has been explored extensively in cultural production, including art movements and genres devoted entirely to its elucidation, such as the 20th-century movement futurism.

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  1. bhobba

    Are People Realizing That Science And Math Is Our Future?

    I was watching a panel discussion program about the future of education and shockingly everyone agreed the future lies in studying more math based subjects - its vital. Of course those that frequent here know its true. But now another shock. The Australian, Young Australian and Senior...
  2. Curiose

    A Question: A novel set in the future

    I have been writing this science fiction novel in the form of a blog so that I can get feedback. It's based on the direction that technology is progressing on a whole, but in a "distant" future when we basically Ray Kurzweil got his way, but it didn't turn out exactly how he predicted. Chapter...
  3. anorlunda

    Future Technology: Helpful or Harmful?

    Let me recommend http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/ The Forum on Risks to the Public in Computers and Related Systems, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy, Peter G. Neumann, moderator. I've been following it since 1995. It is not really a forum like PF, but rather a newsletter. It is...
  4. A

    Other Questioning future plans & low grades this semester

    Hello Physics Forums members, I've had a somewhat rough semester. My sister had a lot of medical issues pop up and I wasn't able to pay enough attention to my classes as I'd have liked. I'm actually pre-med, and was enrolled in organic chemistry. Flatly, the current best-case scenario for...
  5. ISamson

    Poll: Will AI mark the end of humans and Earth?

    Do you think AI will lead to the end of humanity, Earth, or help us colonise the Universe and prosper? Will technology and robots kill us all? I found the interest in posting this poll after reading some quotes from Stephen Hawking on the topic. Poll. Thank you.
  6. xkarinax

    Biology High School Biology Difficulties and my Future Career Plans as a Doctor

    Hello. I plan on being a doctor when I finish high school, but I’ve had some trouble with science. My grades aren’t bad or anything but right now, I find biology dull and boring. We’re learning about cells, mitosis, and similar stuff and I just can’t get into it. Does this mean life sciences...
  7. ISamson

    What Are the Future Strategies for Space Exploration and Colonization?

    Hello. As many theories and hypotheses that there are about a secure, reliable and effective future space exploration and colonisation that there are, I would like to dedicate this thread to the discussion of this topic. Some of the suggestions are: Von Neumann probes are an effective strategy...
  8. davidbenari

    Engineering Future of the solid state electronics industry

    I'm finishing my degree in Engineering Physics (really just physics). Without a doubt my favorite area of physics is solid state physics. While I love computational and theoretical work, I don't think making a career out of it is as easy as it is in the experimental or engineering side of it. So...
  9. karush

    MHB T 4–4 Deposits needed to accumulate a future sum

    T 4–4 Deposits needed to accumulate a future sum Judi wishes to accumulate \$8,000 by the end of 5 years by making equal annual end-of-year deposits over the next 5 years. If Judi can earn 7% on her investments, how much must she deposit at the end of each year to meet this goal...
  10. N

    MHB How Much Should Mattos Oil Deposit Semiannually to Pay Off Their Debt?

    In 6 years, Mattos Oil Refining Company wants to pay off a $50,000 debt in one lump sum amount. They must set up an account to accumulate the necessary funds to pay off their debt. If the payments are made every 6 months and the fund earns 9.6% compounded semiannually, what is the amount of each...
  11. P

    On why the safest form of AI is a simulation of the brain

    I have read differing arguments about the potential utility or negative issues arising due to AI. There are many concerns about the 'control problem' of AI or how to 'sandbox' AI so it can serve our interests and not let a fast takeoff of AI lead to a situation where AI is the sole power around...
  12. jim mcnamara

    Mass extinctions past and future

    http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/9/e1700906 Abstract: Discussion article from phys.org: https://phys.org/news/2017-09-mathematics-sixth-mass-extinction.html An irreversible change in the carbon cycle will start to occur sometime at or after the year 2100. The changes will not play...
  13. K

    I Beyond LHC, future particle colliders and lasers

    With LHC currently at 13TEV design energy, and a planned higher luminosity upgrade, is the current plan to double the magnet strength for the current existing LHC to arrive at a 28-33TEV collider, or is it building a completely new future 100 TEV collider near Geneva where LHC is housed but in...
  14. C

    Is modern physics as a course necessary for all future physicists?

    So I'm about to start my second year of college soon, I'm majoring in physics. I've noticed that some universities (places like Princeton, MIT, etc) don't have a course on modern physics, where a more superficial treatment is given to things like special relativity, quantum mechanics...
  15. FallenApple

    Future market restructuring needs to be taken seriously

    Well, some research shows that a large portion of jobs will not exist in the future. The estimate for the proportion of jobs at risk is 47%. Pdf linked at bottom. This really leads to the question? What type of jobs will remain? Just jobs that require higher abstractions? Any opinions...
  16. T

    How does this experiment show that the future affects the past

    https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150209083011.htm All I got out of the experiment is that the future measurements makes the measurements in the past more accurate. The future does not affect the past. Please correct my errors if any.
  17. J

    Programs Guidance on Future of Physics Degree

    Hey guys, new to the forums and wanted some advice from users in the field. Currently just got accepted to Leipzig for the physics program and am having second thoughts due to reading multiple articles online about the job market post degree for physics graduates. To give back ground...
  18. deuce123

    Courses Confused about Future: Seeking Advice

    I'm currently at war with myself. I'm pursuing chemical engineering as of now, mainly because of two reasons. The two reasons consisting of me wanting too have some knowledge in mathematics, physics, and chemistry. The other of course is money. Money because of me needing too support my family...
  19. R

    Engineering Thinking about my future job prospects in Nuclear Engineering (not a US citizen)

    I've mentioned my admission to MS Nuclear Engineering in the University of Florida earlier. Thing is I am a foreigner. What with all the security most countries have surrounding nuclear technology, would I be limiting myself in the number of parties I can work with? I am aware I have other...
  20. GoldenBear

    Schools What kind of grades would a future physicist tend to have in high school?

    I am aware that the grades would vary from country to country and school to school, but what kind of grades (particularly in physics and mathematics) do people who go on to become physicists (experimental or theoretical) generally tend to have in their last year of high school?
  21. pairofstrings

    Job Skills Becoming Part of the AI Revolution: Skilling Up for the Future

    Hello. I am looking for guidance. I have been working in software industry for about eight years now. I see that the trend is moving towards making a machine intelligent. I want to be part of this trend and move forward. My questions is: What skills do I need to become part of this era of...
  22. upigdir

    29 years old, undergraduate student, anxious about future

    Greetings, I am an undergraduate student, just finished my third year in physics. I began studying physics in my early 20's and had to drop out and work. 3 years ago, I decided to go back to school and build up a career in Physics. however, I am running out of options and not sure what to do...
  23. Felix Gonzales

    Tattoos & Physics: Will Visible Ink Affect My Career?

    I couldn't find an appropriate area for this so I figured general was my best bet. My question, to be more specific than my header, is will visible tattoos affect me if I choose to pursue some type of research job in physics? I love tattoos and Physics but I don't want to ruin my chances of my...
  24. gleem

    Westinghouse Bankruptcy and the Future of Nuclear Power

    Are anti-nucs dancing in the streets? Westinghouse the nuclear power branch of Toshiba has filed for bankruptcy leaving two unfinished power plants in the US and propose projects in the UK and India in limbo...
  25. Steven Hansel

    I Will interstellar travel become more possible in future

    Let's say we already colonized some of the planets and moons in our solar system. Mars,Moon, Europa and etc. Planets like Mars and other has less gravity than earth, so the resource needed for space travel in our solar system will reduce by a lot if we launch spaceships there. Say, that we...
  26. O

    Meissner effect and future application to the hoverboard -- Ideas?

    I'm working on a project of magnetic levitation of the lexus hoverboard Which is based on Meissner effect and suprconductivity and I have to look for contraint, probability, choice, and optimization in this project, i really find a little bit tough where to start this, so if anyone have any...
  27. M

    I How Would Future Species Understand a Dynamic Universe?

    OK, let's imagine that in a few billion years time, when our local group of galaxies have merged, our Sun has reached and surpassed it's giant red phase stage and has become a White Dwarf, and we as a species are extinct. At the same time the distant galaxies will have moved beyond our...
  28. UsableThought

    Computers & interfaces of the future - what REALLY would happen?

    Not the best thread title; improvements welcome. Let me give an example of what I mean. In the original "Star Trek," all the consoles had raised buttons, so operating the ship was kind of like using one of the old IBM Selectric typewriters, or an early PC keyboard like the one on the IBM PC/AT...
  29. A

    Future of Analog in Amateur Radio

    I know that the trend in commercial radio is towards digital. Suppose we go to all digital radio. My question is specifically about amateur radio. Will it still be legally possible for HAMs to operate analog radio systems? Any indications at all from the FCC or similar bodies outside the USA on...
  30. D

    Job Skills Can a bad reference affect my future?

    I work part time at my school. I just asked to change my schedule at work because it was affecting my school stuff, and my boss kinda freaked out. He is the type that takes things very personally and was extremely offended when I requested to change my schedule. I have been a very good employee...
  31. fissifizz

    Physics Should I reconsider my future major and career?

    Hey everyone! So the advice I've received over the past two years on what to major in has overwhelmingly been in favor of some engineering discipline rather than physics, even though my genuine interests lie in physics and astrophysics. Main reasons seem to be salary and ability to find work...
  32. durant35

    I Possible Endings for the Expanding Universe: Exploring Alternative Theories

    Are there any plausible models based on current evidence about the universe which ends in some way and doesn't last forever? I am aware that the accelerated expansion leads to eventual heat death for eternity, but are there any other plausible ideas what can happen?
  33. TJung

    B Double slit and DCQE with future prediction

    Tom Campbell posted a series of videos in youtube where he proposes a few variation of double slit and DCQE experiments that might support his theories. He claims that would be possible to predict a future atom decay or a beam splitter behavior that way. I am very interested about experiments...
  34. E

    I A question about the delayed choice quantum eraser experiment

    This delayed choice quantum eraser experiment captured my attention and after deep thought about it, I find it really startling and totally punishing to my common sense. My question is: Can you predict the future, say, a human's mind, using the quantum eraser? I imagine a modified version of the...
  35. Christofferk

    Having trouble deciding my masters (and by extension, my future)

    Hey there, i guess i just need to ventilate some and see what people think about my situation and about the choices i have. First of all i must say that i am from Sweden and therefore i have conditions that few other people have. I get my education for free and i am free to chose whatever field...
  36. evanatch

    Physics Is there a non-academic future in Quantum computing?

    (tl;dr: Interested in the hardware side of quantum computing, but don't want to commit to staying in academia. Is getting an industry job in quantum computing going to be realistic in 6-8 years? Are there other viable engineering-type jobs available if I end up getting a PhD in this field?) Hi...
  37. Hercuflea

    Revolutionary Changes in Programming: Past, Present and Future

    I'm just a casual/academic programmer. The last major revolution in programming (that I know of) was object oriented programming. But some of the latest developments (in C++) that can actually be used by everyday programmers that I can think of are things like smart pointers which were only...
  38. E

    Free for All: A Future Without Work?

    Do you think in the future we might reach a point where the production's cost would be dropped near zero because of the automation and abundance of everything, and thus people wouldn't have to work? Everyone would have access to the same benefits and have the same quality of life, and social...
  39. M

    Programs SULI Argonne Internship - Things It Can Lead To

    Hi there PF, Say I get into SULI at Argonne (a current researcher there wants me to be in their group next summer and says it'll be pretty likely I'll get in). The work I do will of course be important, but does the brand name mean anything (to grad schools, employers like Intel/IBM, etc)...
  40. raphampm

    I Role of entanglement in general purpose quantum computing

    I've been doing a course on Quantum Computing and I haven't managed to figure out so far how entanglement would be a useful resource on a general purpose quantum computer. By general purpose quantum computer I mean some theoretical device that could possibly replace current classical computers...
  41. G

    I Does the wavefunction evolve only to the future?

    Layman here. It is often said that the pure fundamental theories do not contain any arrow of time, they are fully reversible in time. But regarding Shrodinger's equation, it describes the evolution of the wavefunction in time. As I understand it, if we consider a static particle after a...
  42. Chronos

    B Nobel laureate perspective on the history, status and future of GR

    This paper offers a Nobel laureate perspective on the history, status and future of GR in the astrophysical regime - https://arxiv.org/abs/1609.09781, General Relativity and Cosmology: Unsolved Questions and Future Directions.
  43. axiom

    What Did 137 Years of PopSci Predict for the Future?

    Who remembers the future...? Flying cars/The Car of Tomorrow...Cheap Energy...Unlimited Free/Leisure Time...Space Travel...Robots...Computers that's do everything for us
  44. Dragul

    Will we live in and wear graphene in the near future?

    From what I'm hearing, graphene will change the way we live, work and play. Everything from cars and clothing to workplaces and weaponry will incorporate the stuff. Is this true, the hype of stock promoters or something in between? Which aspects of life will be the most affected by the use of...
  45. wolram

    Will we be eating CRISPy food in the future

    https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160905114756.htm For (probably) the first time ever, plants modified with the "genetic scissors" CRISPR-Cas9 has been cultivated, harvested and cooked. D professor in Plant Cell and Molecular Biology served pasta with "CRISPRy" vegetable fry to a...
  46. CactusLand

    B Free Will & Relativity: A Thought Experiment

    I watched a documentary by Brian Greene, "The Illusion of Time" a few weeks ago, and a question has been bothering me ever since. In the documentary he explains that an alien, traveling toward the earth, would see into our future. So here is my question. The second half of a college football...
  47. hsdrop

    The future of technology in Sci Fi

    I would really like to hear from everyone about their favorite sci fi gadget or tech. That could or has become a real life gadget or tech. For example the star trek communicator was the base idea for the flip cell phone. Also if the gadget or tech had not been invented yet you can share any...
  48. The GodWhiz

    Physics Research in wireless energy transfer or Future space engines

    Hi, i am a 2nd year B.E student in India,and a new user to this site(sorry for any mistakes :) ) .My question is i want to do research that primarily concerns these 2 areas viz.Wireless energy transfer, and future space engines(starwhisps,solar sails,etc),is there any way to achieve my dream,i...
  49. wolram

    Will Solar Power Outshine Oil in the Near Future?

    If you can spare the time to listen to this ADVERT, do you believe solar power will over take oil? http://pro.moneyweekresearch.com/FTI-launch-29AIMAD/PFTIS7A1/Full?h=true
  50. R

    B Quantum communication will allow view the future and past?

    If a quantum communication device based in interlakced particles equipped with powerful telescope and radio receiver is placed far away some millions is years light. Then the images and radio signals detected, could belong to the future or past. And this info from the future or past can be...
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