We live in an age of impotence. Stuck between global war and global finance, between identity and capital, we seem to be incapable of producing that radical change that is so desperately needed. Is there still a way to disentangle ourselves from a global order that shapes our politics as well as our imagination? In his most systematic book to date, renowned Italian theorist Franco Berardi Bifo tackles this question through a solid yet visionary analysis of the three fundamental concepts of Possibility, Potency, and Power. Overcoming any temptation of giving in to despair or nostalgia, Berardi proposes the notion of Futurability as a way to remind us that even within the darkness of our current crisis, still lies dormant the horizon of possibility.

Humanity will have to cope with many problems in the coming decades: for instance, the world population is likely grow to to 8,8 billion people by 2035. Also, changing climate conditions are negatively affecting the livelihoods of millions of people. In particular, environmental disasters are causing substantial damages to properties. From a social perspective, the inequalities between rich and poor nations are becoming even deeper, and in many countries, conflicts between national and international interest groups are intensifying.The above state of affairs suggest that a broader understanding of the trends which may lead to a more sustainable world is needed, especially those which may pave the way for future developments. In other words, we need to pave the way for sustainable futures.Consistent with this reality, the proposed Encyclopedia of Sustainability Futures aims to identify, document and disseminate ideas, experiences and visions from scientists, member of nongovernmental organisations, decision-makers industry representatives and citizens, on themes and issues which will be important in pursuing sustainable future scenarios. In particular, the publication will focus on scientific aspects, as well as on social and economic ones, also considering matters related to financing and infra-structures, which are important in pursuing a sustainable future.The Encyclopedia of Sustainability Futures will involve the contributing authors in line with theprinciple of co-generation, from across a wide range of disciplines, e.g. education and social sciences, natural sciences, engineering, the arts, languages etc, with papers adopting a long-term sustainability perspective, with a time horizon until 2050. The focus will be on themes which are felt as important in the future, and the chapters are expected to interest and motivate a world audience.This book is part of the "100 papers to accelerate the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals initiative"!

The more complex a human action is, the greater the need to formulate a plan of action, devise a method of implementation, and evaluate its execution. Such preparation is called design or planning, and can be defined as a conceptual preparation for action. Design and planning by themselves are so complex and important that they need informed preparation, which calls for systematic designological studies. This volume brings together original contributions of researchers and practitioners in design theory, design research, and design studies. Its main purpose is to highlight the possibilities of the discipline of designology. Doing and thinking, or thinking and doing, whatever the order, are intertwined. That is why praxiology, the science of action, defines design as a conceptual preparation of action. Included here are contributions from Jack Brzezinski, Eduardo Corte-Real, Nigel Cross, Michel Faucheux, Joelle Forest, Wojciech W. Gasparski, Ioannes B. Kapelouzos, Thorbjoern Mann, Tom Maver, Tarkko Oksala, Tufan Orel, Sevil Saryldz, and Ladislav Tondl. Designology is the latest volume in Transaction's highly regarded Praxiology series.

This collection of essays represents responses by over eighty scholars to an unusual request: give your high level assessment of the field of economic design, as broadly construed. Where do we come from? Where do we go from here? The book editors invited short, informal reflections expressing deeply felt but hard to demonstrate opinions, unsupported speculation, and controversial views of a kind one might not normally risk submitting for review. The contributors – both senior researchers who have shaped the field and promising, younger researchers – responded with a diverse collection of provocative pieces, including: retrospective assessments or surveys of the field; opinion papers; reflections on critical points for the development of the discipline; proposals for the immediate future; "science fiction"; and many more. The readers should have fun reading these unusual pieces – as much as the contributors enjoyed writing them.

This book examines the current and future state of rural education in North America through the lens of Franco Berardi’s Futurability. Through critical examination of examples and current trends toward corporatization and privatization of rural education, the volume highlights how future possibilities and social imagination in rural spaces have been limited by neoliberal forces, capitalist interests, and workforce education. Cervone demonstrates how Berardi’s concept of creating future can be embraced to foster critical thought, challenge injustices, and open opportunity. With this line of analysis, the book ultimately supports an ethos of a return to education for the common good. Bringing an important perspective to the field of rural education scholarship, this work will be of interest to scholars and researchers in sociology of education and education policy.

In a world in which political opportunity and liberation seem far away, the genre of science fiction grows in cultural importance and popularity. The contributors to this collection are political and social theorists from a range of disciplines who use science fiction as inspiration for new theories and examples of speculative politics. In dystopian governments, they find locations and forms of resistance. Representations of Political Resistance and Emancipation in Science Fiction explores a range of political and social theoretical concerns for the twenty-first century. Contributors analyze themes of post-humanism, resistance, agency, political community making, and ethics and politics during the Anthropocene.