This Handbook presents the state of the art overview of current research on anticipation studies. It develops anticipation from both the theoretical and applied points of view. Via this comprehensive overview of the research on anticipation, this Handbook makes clear that anticipation is a serious topic of research that can and should be connected to Futures Studies research, perspectives and orientation. The Handbook uses the anticipatory viewpoint as a unifying framework able both to stop the progressive fragmentation of the human and social sciences and begin a process aimed at progressively closer integration, mutual knowledge and dialogue among the human and social sciences. It sets the agenda for the field, helps futures studies to come of age, and contributes to changing the orientation of the human and social sciences from their dominant past-orientation to a new future-orientation.
The Handbook presents research from a variety of fields such as: Biology, ecology, psychology, social sciences, humanities, engineering, and computer science. The editorial board consists of scholars from various sciences, such as futurists, sociologists, economists, statisticians, computer scientists, designers and game builders.
About the Author: Roberto Poli (Ph.D. Utrecht) was awarded the first UNESCO Chair in Anticipatory Systems, is fellow of WAAS - World Academy of Art and Science, and STIAS - Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study. Poli is editor-in-chief of Axiomathes (Springer) and editor of the series Categories (De Gruyter) and Anticipation Science (Springer). Poli heads the master's programme in social foresight. Poli's research interests include:
- Anticipatory systems, i.e., systems able to take decisions according to their possible future development (R. Poli, Introduction to Anticipation Studies, Springer 2017).
- Ontology, in both its traditional philosophical understanding and the new, computer-oriented, understanding (Alwis. Ontology for Knowledge Engineers, PhD Thesis, Utrecht, 2001; Theory and Applications of Ontology, 2 vol. Springer 2010).
Poli has published 6 books, edited or co-edited more than 20 books or journal special issues, and published more than 250 scientific papers.
