What Do People Say When They Become “Future People”?―Positioning Imaginary Future Generations (IFGs) in General Rules for Good Decision-Making

Abstract

In public decisions with long-term implications, decisions of the present generation will affect long-term welfare, including future generations. However, only the present generation is able to participate in such decision-making processes. In this study, we invited “Imaginary Future Generations” (IFGs), as participants in a discussion who take on the role of members of future generations to argue on behalf of their future interests to engage in present-day deliberations among residents of a Japanese town. Through analysis, it was seen that the deliberations among IFGs rose interest in issues that are related to common fundamental needs across generations. While the cognitive aspects of interpersonal reactivity, which measure the reactions of one individual to the observed experiences of another, were seen as useful in arguing for the interests of future generations, it was suggested that the environment for deliberation had a significant impact on the ability to effectively take on the role of members of future generations. Finally, this paper positioned IFGs within the broad context of general rules for good decision-making, based on an analysis of these deliberations and in light of philosophical arguments such as the veil of ignorance by John Rawls.

Designing research strategy and technology innovation for sustainability by adopting “imaginary future generations”—A case study using metallurgy

“…It could also increase the sensitivity to the likely changes of technology in the future (Hara et al, 2019), which has to do with the second point. Furthermore, it could also lead to an awareness of eternal values, regardless of time and generations (Hiromitsu et al, 2021), which is related to the fourth point.…”

“…In particular, the IFG groups demonstrated more creativity in their vision design and in identifying policy measures. The values and normativity that these IFGs emphasized differed from current generations groups in that they placed greater emphasis on values unique to the town, such as local resources (Hara et al, 2019; Hiromitsu et al, 2021). It was also found that IFGs developed more holistic and overarching views of current and future generations (Hara et al, 2021; Nakagawa et al, 2017), which we argue might have to do with the activation of futurability.…”

“…The methodology of IFGs has been applied to a variety of fields, including urban planning, environmental planning, and water environmental management (Hara et al, 2021(Hara et al, , 2019Hiromitsu et al, 2021;Kuroda et al, 2021). Recently, it has also been applied to backcasting methods (Kishita et al, 2023;Uwasu et al, 2020).…”

“…Furthermore, it could also lead to an awareness of eternal values, regardless of time and generations (Hiromitsu et al, 2021), which is related to the fourth point.…”