Orienting toward better
Prosocial Futures
A philosophy and praxis that elevate equity, human flourishing, and the repair of the world.
The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear.
Antonio Gramsci, Prison Notebooks
Gramsci wrote about the pathology of the interregnum from prison in fascist Italy and his framing resonates with our present moment. Systems are failing, society is flailing, and from the muck, monsters are emerging.
The dying hegemony still firmly attempts to set the parameters of what we believe is possible. It proclaims a “common sense” that this is just how things are and will always be.
now is the
time of
monsters.
This dewdrop world—
Kobayashi Issa · translated by Lewis Mackenzie
is a dewdrop world,
and yet, and yet . . .
And yet…. writers, artists, activists, soccer moms, teachers, pastors, visionaries, and workers have been planting seeds of hope, are planting them, and will keep planting and tending them.
Their work signals a widening of the aperture of our collective imagination. By orienting and reorienting toward these visions of better futures with an intentional, ongoing, iterative praxis; by rooting out used and undead futures; by developing a search image for signals of hope and amplifying them; and by practicing what it looks like to be our best selves in imagined better futures, we can actualize both a better present and better futures.
Prosocial futures is an active living-out of the belief that better is possible, that humans are amazing, actually, and that we have the capacity to bring better futures into the present moment.
The praxis
Showing Up on the Mat
The Prosocial Futures Praxis is a practice of postures where arriving with intention is the practice. Sometimes just lying there in corpse pose absorbing the understanding that there is a practice and I’m practicing and I will practice, that practicing makes a difference even if I don’t feel it every day or every time is the whole practice. Showing up is the practice, practicing is the practice, acting on the practice is the practice.
Orientation
The commitment to activating better futures gives us a direction rather than a concrete destination. Using a compass requires frequent checks to make sure we’re on the right path. We move forward, check the compass, and reorient. At the moment, my true north is equity, human flourishing, and care for living systems, but it’s held in an open hand. Acknowledging the evolution is the praxis.
Authenticity
Looking in
- Closing the gap between professed values and actual behavior
- Rooting out the thoughtless futures that misalign our subconscious and conscious selves
- Bringing our whole selves to our work and our homes
Hope
Looking out
- Evidence-based trust in human cooperative capacity
- Searching for prosocial signals of change, weak and strong
- Remembering that humans are amazing, actually
Agency
Finding where we fit
- The willingness to show up and fill the gap
- Making the self-shaped hole in any future legible: who needs help, and how can I meet that need?
- Bringing that activated self back into the present
Hi, I’m Nicci
Helping people imagine bigger.
I’m the Research Director at the University of Houston’s graduate program in Foresight, where I earned my MS in Foresight. I pivoted after a decade working with nonprofit service providers to a career as a futurist working to catalyze systems change.
Prosocial futures gives me a way to align my work with my passion for justice and equity and my hope that humans discover how amazing they are. It gives me permission to be my whole, integrated self everywhere, and empowers me to use the incredible power and gift of foresight to democratize futures, and to help others imagine bigger.
Let’s talk
If prosocial futures resonates, please reach out.
I love talking about foresight and prosocial futures, and welcome chats and ideas for collaboration! I’m also happy to talk to your organization or facilitate workshops. Fees are flexible, and community groups should always ask.
Recent thoughts
- Integrating authenticity and hope to activate agentic change through immersive futures.
- Integrating authenticity and hope to activate agentic change through immersive futures.
- Some thoughts on weaving prosocial futures in an antisocial dystopic present
Resources
A reading list to restore hope for prosocial futures
Books, articles, and other resources to incorporate into your prosocial futures practice.
Dr. McGonigal’s concept of Urgent Optimism inspired the idea of a posture toward better. Accessible and inspiring.
How to Fall in Love with the Future
Provides tangible presentations of ways that things might look in a world transformed for the better.
A Field Guide to the Apocalypse
Dr. Aktipis uses a darkly playful framing to present her work on cooperation as a biological and sociological imperative.
Dr. Zaki provides evidence from neuroscience and psychology that humans are kinder than the overarching narrative gives us credit for.
Bringing Futures to Life Through Design
Dr. Cowart provides the theory and practice of crafting encounters with possible futures.