The Ethics of Imagining the Future – Who Gets to Decide What the Future Looks Like?

 

When we talk about the future, it can feel like a wide-open space. Technology headlines promise revolutions, governments publish plans, and corporations announce bold visions. Yet beneath these promises lies an important question: who gets to decide what the future looks like? The act of imagining tomorrow is never neutral—it is political, cultural, and deeply ethical.

Futures are not forecasts, they are choices

It is easy to mistake glossy scenarios for destiny. But the truth is, futures are shaped by choices, values, and power. A “smart city” may sound like progress, but whose priorities does it reflect—the citizens who live there, or the tech firms selling solutions? A “green transition” may signal hope, but who pays for it, and who benefits first? Imagining the future without asking these questions risks creating futures for the powerful, not with the people.

Whose voices are heard, and whose are missing?

Every future story has an author. Too often, these stories are dominated by governments, corporations, and elite think tanks. Communities at the margins—indigenous peoples, young people, workers in vulnerable sectors—rarely get to contribute, even though the futures imagined will affect them most. The ethics of futures work demands inclusion: making space for diverse perspectives, especially those historically silenced.

The danger of “single future” thinking

One of the biggest ethical risks is the illusion of inevitability—the sense that there is only one future, and it looks like this. This narrative closes down imagination and silences alternatives. It tells people not to dream differently because “the future has already been decided.” In reality, the future is plural. Recognizing multiple possible futures prevents one worldview from dominating.

Responsibility in imagining

With the power to imagine comes responsibility. Planners, policymakers, educators, and even storytellers must ask:

• Who benefits from this future?
• Who might be harmed?
• Which values are embedded in this vision?
• Whose cultural and spiritual traditions are respected—or erased?

Ethical futures thinking doesn’t mean we avoid making choices. It means we acknowledge the weight of those choices and strive for transparency, inclusivity, and fairness.

Towards democratic futures

Imagining the future should not be a privilege of the few. Schools, community groups, and workplaces can all create spaces where people are encouraged to share their visions of tomorrow. Participatory foresight exercises—scenario building, storytelling workshops, or even simple “what if” games—can democratize the process of future-making. When more people are involved, futures become richer, more resilient, and more just.

The ethics of imagining the future lies in recognizing that tomorrow is not simply waiting to unfold. It is being built, shaped, and narrated today—by those who have the power to imagine, and those who are given the chance to contribute. The key question is not just what will the future be? but whose future is it, and who has a voice in shaping it?