Have you ever looked at a news headline and felt like you were only seeing the tip of the iceberg? We’re often told that the future is a matter of predicting trends, but what if the most powerful way to change the world is to look beneath the data at the myths and metaphors that hold our current reality in place?

In this episode, we explore Sohail Inayatullah’s foundational work on a vertical research methodology designed to create transformative spaces for alternative futures. Rather than treating the future as something to be forecasted through horizontal trends, this approach "undefines" the present to open up new possibilities. By moving beyond surface-level observations, researchers can deconstruct how certain problems are framed and identify the hidden power structures that benefit from the status quo.

We break down the four distinct layers of this framework—from the data-heavy "litany" of daily news to the deep-seated collective archetypes of "myth and metaphor." Through a series of fascinating case studies, including the future of the United Nations and the shifting role of higher education, we see how changing the story at the deepest level can lead to radically different policy outcomes and more inclusive ways of knowing.

Tune in as we peel back the layers of the present to discover the hidden stories shaping our tomorrow.

Ref:
Sohail Inayatullah. CAUSAL LAYERED ANALYSIS: Poststructuralism as method. Futures, 30, 1998, 815–829. ISSN 0016–3287.