Academic Writing

Teaching China’s First Critical Futures Studies Courses: Insights and Issues

World Futures Review, 2022

This article explores the perception of Chinese students as proficient test takers but lacking critical thinking skills. It traces the historical development of critical and independent thinking in China and assesses the current situation in Chinese education. The author recounts personal experiences of fostering critical thinking in a Chinese tertiary education environment, specifically through China’s inaugural extended Critical Futures Studies courses. The criticality component is tailored for the Chinese context. Ethnographic insights into the curriculum, successes, and shortcomings are shared to aid educators in implementing similar courses in China and comparable educational settings. Recommendations on developing programs and enhancing critical thinking in broader school curricula are posited, alongside reflections on the author’s role as a critical futurist in China.

Proceedings of International Conference on Learning and Teaching for Future Readiness. Education University of Hong Kong. 17 - 19 May,

The crisis in sensemaking that has emerged as our information systems have gone increasingly online, and as traditional media systems have declined in relative size and in perceived trustworthiness. As means of addressing this crisis, Anthony makes a case for the retention of embodied presence in future metaverse/virtual reality learning environments, and how this might help facilitate digital wisdom. Technology, including virtual and metaverse-like spaces, can be employed to cultivate such wisdom, but we need to honour our authentic selves as means towards that end. Finally, an argument is made for the concept of pervasive learning, which incorporates multiple online and offline formal and informal learning contexts. The probable driver for that shift in education and learning will be rapid changes in societies, technologies, economies, work and education. Anthony’s conceptual and philosophical arguments emerge from the discipline of Critical Futures Studies.

Journal of Futures Studies. 2021,Vol. 26(1) 33–48. DOI: 10.6531/JFS.202109_26(1).0003

This article is the second part of an exploration into online expressions of the culture wars, encompassing both the “blue tribe” and “red tribe.” It emphasizes the need for honest introspection to address the broader problems of tribalism, suggesting that solutions require looking beyond technological and behavioral interventions. The article proposes integrating “shadow” work rooted in the perspectives of introspective psychologists and mindfulness practitioners, such as Carl Jung, Leonard Jacobson, and Eckhart Tolle. The Harmonic Circles process is highlighted as a specific healing method. Facilitating effective dialogue with opposing tribes involves neutralizing judgmental projections and addressing internal sources of conflict. The article advocates fostering a strong motivation to transcend tribal divisions.

Journal of Nonlocality: Special Issue on Psi and Nonlocal Mind, 2017 ISSN: 2167-6283

Inspiration and insight in the sciences, education, business and arts are typically assumed to be founded upon neuro-centric cognitive processes. Personal experience and sensory data are often believed to be all that an individual may draw upon in the creative process. Yet the idea of non-local mind invites us to consider the possibility that inspiration and insight may utilize information and experience beyond that of the individual, and beyond the present moment, drawing upon past, present and future information fields. This paper highlights reports and deliberate invocations of non-local mind, including several current applications in the field of Critical Futures Studies. Some of the common tools and applications are briefly described. Finally, this paper identifies some of the typical problems that may arise from deliberate activation of the extended mind. The argument is situated within Anthony’s theory of integrated intelligence.

Journal of Cultural Studies, May 2024Associate Professor, Foresight and Strategy

The central focus of this paper is on the concept of Digital Wisdom, which is defined as the degree to which a person is in conscious relationship with digital environments and technologies. The author identifies and discusses the three domains of Digital Wisdom: “know thyself,” “know the humans,” and “know the machines.” Through a comprehensive analysis of literature, tools, and processes, the author provides insights into how netizens—individuals in online environments—can develop Digital Wisdom within each of these domains. The article also explores the interplay between the three domains and highlights the potential consequences of AI advancements on human cognition and mental well-being. By offering a detailed framework for cultivating Digital Wisdom, this paper contributes to the ongoing discourse on fostering a more balanced and holistic approach to understanding and engaging with the digital world amidst the rapidly advancing AI landscape, and in doing so create a Deep Future.

Chapter in: -"Crisis Management - Principles, Roles and Applications.” IntechOpen. November 2022. DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.107776

The increasing confusion around understanding the digital world in the 21st century impacts online media, social media, institutions, and governance. This chapter, within the framework of Critical Futures Studies, studies embodiment’s significance in the evolving digital society, particularly in addressing the crisis in sensemaking. The analysis focuses on the next decade, anticipating the development of an all-immersive web 3.0 and the “metaverse.” The chapter contends that a stronger sense of embodiment can mitigate the crisis by promoting internal control and enhancing somatic and intuitive awareness. Additionally, the author’s dichotomous model of Deep Futures/Money and Machines Futures is applied to frame the discussion, while the chapter concludes with an exploration of a possible future alternative, the Mindful Metaverse.

Technology, Digital Wisdom and the Futures of Mind