The History of the Future

How Power Always Predicts What Comes Next

Adrian Vellum

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Paperback

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English

Vij Books
20 October 2025

Social forecasting, future studies; Political control & freedoms; Technology: general issues

What if the future you believe in was never truly yours to imagine? From ancient empires to Silicon Valley, those in power have always used the illusion of ""what comes next"" to shape belief, behavior, and control. This book uncovers the untold history of how governments, corporations, and ideologues have scripted the future-not as prediction, but as propaganda.

Blending cultural analysis, political theory, and media insight, it explores how predictive power and politics go hand in hand. From empires and imagination to Silicon Valley techno-utopias, the most influential actors don't just adapt to the future-they manufacture it. You'll see how narrative control and society are deeply entangled, how future forecasting can justify inequality, and why today's innovations often mask old agendas.

This is a book for the deeply curious-the readers who question the news cycle, who sense that every optimistic launch pitch or global trend report comes with hidden motives. For policy watchers, tech skeptics, cultural critics, and anyone grappling with the ethics of tomorrow, it delivers sharp, evidence-backed revelations.

By the final page, you won't just think differently about the future-you'll see it differently. You'll know how to recognize when a future as propaganda is being sold to you. You'll reclaim the tools to ask: who controls the future, and who gets left out when that future is built.

A vital read for those seeking clarity in an age of cultural manipulation through futurism, this is your lens to pierce the narratives and reclaim the horizon.

By: Adrian Vellum
Imprint: Vij Books
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 11mm
Weight: 268g
ISBN: 9788199242470
ISBN 10: 8199242477
Pages: 194
Publication Date: 20 October 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Adrian Vellum is a writer and systems thinker whose work explores the hidden architectures of influence that shape our collective future. With a background in narrative strategy and a lifelong curiosity for the mechanics of power, Vellum writes at the intersection of culture, technology, and political imagination. Drawing from history, media, and philosophy, his work unpacks how the future has become one of the most contested terrains of control in the modern era. He believes that reclaiming our agency begins with asking better questions about the futures we're sold-and who benefits when we stop questioning them.