25 Number 2 Labeling the Future Michael Quinn Patton Futures Editor Minnesota Extension Service St. Paul , MN Walter A. Hahn recently reflected on what he has learned from thinking about the future over the last 30 years. Hahn has applied his futures thinking for the National Academy of Sciences, General Electric, Presidential Commissions, and the Congressional Research Service.
Labels are important.
Few major decisions are made solely in the public or private sector. Beyond analysis and forecasting, good futures thinking requires synthesis, alternatives, and choice. Parties in power should never announce national goals, because those not in power demand instant fulfillment. Technology assessment is not a discipline or profession. Labels are veryimportant.