On Some Metamorphoses of the 20th Century (1965-66) - Futures of Yesteryear

To mark the centenary, in 2007, of the birth if the famous economist Jean Fourastié, Futuribles is joining with the Comité Jean Fourastié to publish in this issue some extracts from his writings dating back to 1965 and 1966. Written when he was at the height of his powers, these texts illustrate both the main pillars of his thinking – especially on economic and social topics – and the link that he always tried to maintain between personal ethics, social morals and scientific knowledge. We have chosen them partly because they are a synthesis that Jean Fourastié made of his own work and partly because they clearly reflect his ability to project into the future the trends revealed by human history and changing ideas. An example of this is his statement of what he saw as a major change in the 20th century: the shift away from people’s lives being dominated by economic forces (in particular time spent at work) in favour of leisure and individual activities.