In "Profiles of the Future: An Inquiry into the Limits of the Possible", Arthur C. Clarke describes these 3 laws that are relevant wrt foresight research:
"
- When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
- The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.
- Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
(...) As three laws were good enough for Newton, I have modestly decided to stop there."
Why do I blog this? these very basic laws are interesting to understand Clarke's approach to writing science-fiction and what are the underlying traits of his prognostications. Although, it's sci-fi, there is a lot to learn from his novels and these quotes act as valuables rules for foresight research; the implications of each of them would be good to discuss.