From the perspective of sublating Eastern and Western cultures and civilizations, this approach argues for the urgency of industrial civilization’s transformation; based on the dimension of civilization, it explores the future trajectories of humanity, the world, and human civilization; it puts forward for the first time the concepts of ‘global civilization’ and ‘great civilization’ as two forms of advanced future civilizations for humanity, elucidating their core significance and practical approaches; it advocates integrating the values of global civilization into the practice of sustainable development and has devised futures research methodologies such as ‘China 2050 and Early Warning Systems.’ This very significantly revised new edition includes approximately 30% new or updated content. A substantially expanded chapter addresses major contemporary topics in artificial intelligence and the role of AI in education, referencing current data and theories. A new 40,000-word appendix outlines the ‘six waves of futures studies’, bringing together contributions from 100 thinkers and futurists from thirty-five institutions, across different periods and regions. The book retains its 26 illustrations, with 8 updated, resulting in a more comprehensive and current edition.
