The history of futures studies: A note on Gilfillan’s early work

Matthieu Ballandonne

Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2020, vol. 157, issue C

Abstract: Seabury Colum Gilfillan (1889–1987), an American sociologist who received his MA and PhD from Columbia University, is considered as a seminal author in futures studies. The aim of this note is to contribute to the history of futures studies through a study of Gilfillan’s early work on prediction and prophecy. We focus on Gilfillan’s contributions in the 1910s and on his 1920 master’s thesis in which he studied four eighteenth-century French authors. We identify Gilfillan’s main methodological principles and, using some of his later contributions, show their relevance for some of the methodological debates in the field.

Keywords: Gilfillan; History; Mellontology; Prediction; Utopy; Extrapolation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:157:y:2020:i:c:s0040162519304937

DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2020.119983

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