More Than 20 Papers Will Be Presented
During Nov. 5~7, the anniversary celebrations of TKU, Graduate Institute of Futures Studies (GIFS) will hold international conference entitled“Global Soul, Global Mind and Global Action：Futuring from Survival to Thrival”. On Oct. 27, Pico Iyer, the author of Global Soul, was invited first to join a forum “Talking with Masters of Futurology” with Clement C.P. Chang, Founder of TKU, and Prof. Sohail Inayatullah. Apart from two keynote speeches, round-table discussion, and workshop activities, more than 20 papers will be presented in the conference, whose topics include “Questioning the Future of Global Mind/Soul/Knowledge,” “Identity and the Spirit,” “Questioning the Global,” “Alternative Trajectories,” “Macro and Microfutures and the Global Mind/Soul,” “Social and Technological Futures,” and “Integrating the Soul, Mind and Action.”
30 Globally Known Futurology Scholars Attend the Conference
30 internationally known scholars of futures studies coming from India, Hungary, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, United States, China, Italy, and Sweden will attend the conference, including Prof. Peter Miller of University of Hawaii,
Prof. Linda Groff of California State University,
Prof. Marcus Bussey from University of the Sunshine Coast,
Prof. Jennifer Gidley of Southern Cross University,
Prof. Marcus Anthony from University of the Sunshine Coast,
Prof. Anita Kelleher of Designer Futures,
Prof. Robert Burke of Melbourne Business School,
Prof. Patricia Kelly from University of the Sunshine Coast,
Prof. Sesh Velamoor, Director of Foundation for the Future Studies,
Prof. Dada Shambhushiv-ananda, Vice Chancellor of Gurukul University,
Prof. Christopher Jones, General-Secretary of World Futures Studies Federation,
Prof. Phillip Daffara from University of the Sunshine Coast and Maroochy Shire Council,
Prof. Paul Radde, the author of Thrival,
Prof. Maria Sagi, Psychologist, member of the Budapest Club,
Prof. Peter Hayward from Swinburne University of Technology,
Prof. Jan Lee Martin, Founder of the Futures Foundation;
Prof. Steve Gould, planner/futurist of Maroochy Shire Council;
Prof. Chris Riedy from Institute for Sustainable Development;
and Prof. John Smart, President of Acceleration Studies Foundation.
Chien-Fu Chen, Director of GIFS, Tamkang University, indicates that, “GIFS is the academic institute which promotes futures studies most vigilantly in Asia, even in the world. Holding the international conference of futurology at the 50th school anniversary established TKU as major site for futures studies in Asia-Pacific areas. In the past we sponsored scholars to participate conferences at TKU, but this time many internationally well-known scholars are willing to join the conference at their own cost. This is one of achievements we made.”
In the two keynote speeches of the conference, Prof. Michio Kaku from City University of New York and Prof. Ashis Nandy from Centre for the Study of Developing Societies will have a dialogue between technology and culture, while Ian Lowe of Griffith University and Ervin Laszlo, Founder of the Club of Budapest, will host a dialogue between “the South” and “the North” on environmental issues. The conference provides a dialogue platform and mechanism for the issues of global technology, humanism, and environment, which is rarely seen at other conferences. (~ Shu-chun Yen )
