The Arab Futures Lexicon
The Arab Futures Lexicon is the first regional effort to unify and evolve the language of foresight in Arabic.
For decades, futures terminology has been scattered across translations, institutions, and publications, creating fragmentation and barriers for researchers, policymakers, and educators.
This initiative addresses that gap by creating a living, collaborative, and authoritative reference for Arabic foresight terminology. It serves as both a knowledge base and a community platform, where experts and contributors work together to shape the evolving language of Arab futures.
Why It Matters
Language shapes imagination, and imagination shapes the future.
By developing a shared, contextually rooted lexicon, we are:
- Enabling regional foresight capacity: Scholars, practitioners, and institutions gain a unified reference, reducing duplication and confusion.
- Strengthening cultural sovereignty: The Arab world develops its own conceptual vocabulary of futures, independent yet globally connected.
- Democratizing access to foresight: Translators, students, and emerging futurists gain free access to knowledge once locked in academic silos.
- Preserving and evolving the Arabic language: Ensuring Arabic remains a language capable of leading global conversations about the future.
What Makes It Different
- Collaborative design: Experts and contributors across the Arab world can suggest, debate, and refine terminology.
- Rigorous methodology: Every translation is annotated, sourced, and reviewed for contextual precision.
- Open access: The platform will remain free and public, embodying our mission to democratize foresight knowledge.
- Scalable foundation: Future versions will include sectoral lexicons (e.g., climate, AI, governance) and bilingual search capabilities.
Explore the Terms
Search for specific terms, filter by category, and sort by date to find the information you need.
A futures framework by Sohail Inayatullah that explores diverse perspectives to understand complex issues and envision alternative futures.
The process of creating a series of images or visions of the future.
A method to determine the various pathways of actions and decisions that need to be taken to achieve a preferred future.
Predicting or estimating the likelihood of a future event or trend based on quantitative analysis and modelling.
A prediction is a statement about a future event, often based on forecasters’ knowledge or experience.
Scenarios and possibilities that are likely to occur based on current trends, known factors, and other indicators.
The broadest range of scenarios, encompassing all potential outcomes that could arise, regardless of likelihood or feasibility
Scenarios or possibilities that fall within the bounds of what is considered possible, given the current state of knowledge and the level of uncertainty involved.