01093nam a22001457a 4500020001800000082001300018100002400031245006300055260004400118300003300162490003400195505003300229520066900262650001600931  a9780198735281  a303.4909  aGidley, Jennifer M.  aThe Future : A Very Short IntroductioncJennifer M. Gidley  aNew YorkbOxford University Pressc2017  axiv, 164 Pagesb17x11 cmbPB  aVery Short Introductions, 516  aInclude References and Index  aFrom the beginning of time, humans have been driven by both a fear of the unknown and a curiosity to know. Our forebears tried to create certainty in the unknown, byseeking to influence outcomes with sacrifices to gods, preparing for the unexpected with advice from oracles, and by reading the stars through astrology. As scientific methods improve and computer technology develops we become ever more confident of our capacity to predict and quantify the future by accumulating and interpreting patterns form the past, yet the truth is there is still no certainty to be had. This introduction considers some of our most burning questions about what the future is.  aFuture, The