Cultural practices of describing the future

The object of the study is the future as a cultural space. The subject is cultural practices of describing the future. The aim of the study is the analytical review of the literature, presented on the basis of thematic sampling, confirming the typological perspective outlined by the author. One of the discussed topics in cultural studies in recent decades is the future as a cultural phenomenon reflecting the values and hopes of society. In this context, cultural practices are considered as a method of collective comprehension of the present and a tool for designing the future. In this case, the study of these practices allows for a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of constructing images of the future by different cultures, as well as the impact of these images on real behavioral strategies and sociocultural dynamics. The study used the methods of theoretical analysis, comparison of different approaches and judgments, systematization and generalization of the collected data. The author systematizes cultural practices of describing the future, first of all, in terms of rationality and irrationality. Forecasting and scientific foresight are considered as rational practices based on practical experience and empirical data. Among irrational practices, based more on intuition, mysticism, imagination, prophecies, divination, fortune-telling, illusions, fantasies, utopias are singled out and analyzed. Particular attention is paid to the study of the vector of historical development of cultural practices of describing the future, which is directed from millennia-old prophecies and divinations to modern foresight studies that emerged in the era of digital transformations. The analysis shows that many cultural practices of describing the future have a dual character and include figurative-intuitive and logical-analytical aspects as components. From the historical point of view, cultural practices evolve from irrationality to rationality, from the observational position of prophecy to effective positions of modeling the future.