The purpose of unicist future scenario building is to anticipate changes in the functionality of a specific environment. It involves forecasting the concepts of the binary actions that will occur in a specific environment. This is based on understanding the changes introduced by external influences, such as technologies, and the internal changes generated by the satisfaction of latent needs.
Scenario Building
The objective of unicist scenario building is to find new possibilities to develop activities and minimize risks. A future scenario describes the future functionality of a function. Unicist future research focuses on forecasting the possible functionality of entities in the fields of country, technological, and business scenarios. This includes the development of social, economic, and political future scenarios.
It must be considered that any specific scenario in a country is necessarily influenced by the country’s archetype, which defines the gravitational force of all activities, the lifestyle that works as a catalyst, and the evolution of technologies that, on one hand, change ideologies and, on the other hand, influence the change of ethics in the environment.
The output of future research is the alteration of the ontogenetic maps of the functions being researched and the consequent changes in binary actions. A future scenario describes the binary actions that define future trends. Trends are based on the concepts of the binary actions that define the changes in the categories of actions that will prevail.
The Future Research Process
The first step is discovering or rediscovering the functionalist principles that regulate the functions being researched. The objective is to define these principles by their purposes, active functions, and energy conservation functions, knowing that the active functions are the “change agents” in adaptive systems of any kind. It also requires defining the restricted and broad contexts that influence the functions being researched.
The research of the functionalist principles is based on approaching the actions occurring in the system and its context using unicist ontological reverse engineering to infer the underlying principles. Research on the consequences of these actions provides information on their true purposes and allows inferring the purpose of the functionalist principles involved.
There are complementary actions that sustain the establishment and define the stability of a system, and supplementary actions that need to be considered as the change agents of the functions involved. The active functions define the changes produced in the binary actions. This evaluation must involve an “alien” to avoid being affected by cultural blindness.
The timing of the actions of an individual, group, or society defines the functionality. The functionality of timing allows determining that an individual, group, or society is evolving, and a lack of timing is a sign of stagnation or involution. Declining environments do not manage the timing of actions.
About Evolution and Involution
Evolution implies that the actions of the active functions precede the actions of the energy conservation function. A culture is declining when the actions of the energy conservation function precede the actions of the active functions. This is the case in power-driven environments, which, paradoxically, can produce apparent results by avoiding the costs implicit in the active function but generate a decline through the avoidance of value generation.
Evolution works through a pendulum between freedom orientation and security orientation and between an orientation towards expansion and an orientation towards contraction. This is researched based on consequences. This double pendulum defines the latent needs of an individual, group, or society and establishes the drivers of the next stage of their evolution.
It must be considered that the trends toward freedom, security, expansion, and contraction of the elite of a group or society matter. When a higher level of freedom is gained, it is naturally followed by the need to establish this freedom, driving towards security. When security is the dominant value, freedom becomes the latent need that drives the next stage. These pendular actions occur within an environment of evolution. In an involutionary environment, security is the dominant value, and the concept of freedom is replaced by free will.
Evolution needs to be Catalyzed
Evolution is based on the role of active functions as change agents. Evolution implies that the binary action of the active function is the first to be done, and the second binary action, based on the energy conservation function, is done afterward. When the first action installed drives energy conservation, the functionality becomes degraded.
Evolution is fostered based on the functionality of catalysts. Catalysts are external entities that open possibilities and accelerate processes by satisfying latent needs sustained by the values of the archetype of a culture. Catalysts are based on changing the lifestyle of an individual, group, or society.
Synthesizing the Unicist Future Research Approach
- Functionality of Adaptive Systems:
- Adaptive systems, which can be businesses, technologies, or even entire countries, are at the core of unicist future research. These systems continuously evolve based on the interaction between their active functions (agents of change) and energy conservation functions (stability maintainers).
- The functionality of these systems is not static but dynamically evolves through binary actions, which are essentially two-part actions where one part opens possibilities and the second ensures results.
- Role of External and Internal Influences:
- External influences such as technological advancements and global economic shifts can fundamentally alter the trajectory of adaptive systems by introducing new paradigms and possibilities.
- Internal changes are often driven by the satisfaction of latent needs within a system, such as the need for more efficient processes or enhanced user experiences.
Catalyzing Evolution
- Evolution in unicist terms is catalyzed through interactions that enhance the role of active functions. Catalysts, such as new technologies or policies, can accelerate processes by addressing latent needs that are supported by the cultural archetype.
By applying these principles, businesses and policymakers can anticipate future scenarios more effectively, minimizing risks and identifying new opportunities. This method allows for a proactive approach to change, rather than a reactive one, by forecasting the functionality of adaptive systems in various scenarios, considering both internal dynamics and external influences.
