Participatory Backcasting from Principles
Too many articles to read… this is the first reflection draft in using backcasting from principles… conclusion section down here:
2011-01-19 Not reading that many articles on this anymore, but the draft has become sort of popular on the web, so it will become a permanent draft. ;)
Conclusion section:
The process of planning in a complex system such as sustainability has to take into account both natural and social aspects. Both aspects are considered by creating principles, or boundary conditions, within which a backcasting approach is possible.
Approaches that only rely on natural sciences fail to acknowledge the emergence of social systems as learning organisms.
Approaches that only rely on natural sciences fail to acknowledge the emergence of social systems as learning organisms and usually consider social issues generically or secondary compared to expert top-down determinations.
On the other hand, approaches that focus on complete unbounded scenarios do not recognize the inherent natural laws that encompasses sustainability and fails to define and understand the system in place: in the case of sustainability, our society within the biosphere.
Natural principles are taken from scientific-based studies rooted on the law of thermodynamics while social principles are based on stakeholder engagement and a social consensus on common ground for the envisioned future. Scenarios, when within those boundaries, can be creatively designed by the whole system or smaller focus groups and allows flexibility for decision-makers to take mid-course correction actions without constant consultation.