The Politics of the Future

Module title	The Politics of the Future
Module code	POLM246
Academic year	2025/6
Credits	30
Module staff	Dr Alex McLaughlin (Convenor)

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks		11

Number students taking module (anticipated)	30

Module description

In some ways, the future looms large in our politics. Those engaged in political competition attempt to win our allegiance to some as-yet unrealised vision for society. The idea of ‘progress’ that is so central to the liberal tradition invokes a transhistorical community in constant pursuit of moral and technological advancement. In other respects, however, the future is absent from our politics. Future generations cannot participate in institutions to represent their interests, and those interests are increasingly vulnerable in the face of threats like climate change and biodiversity loss.

This module in political theory addresses fundamental questions about future politics. What is owed to future generations? How might visions of the future legitimise injustice? Would it matter if there were no future at all?

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to reveal the significance of the future for our political thought and action. By the end of the course, you will have a critical understanding of some of the different ways in which the future is relevant for political theory. You will be familiar with concepts like intergenerational justice, existential risk and transhumanism and will be able to assess the plausibility of arguments that make use of these ideas. You will also be able to critically engage with the way dominant theoretical traditions imagine the future, particularly through thinking about how a conception of the future as progress is entwined with European imperial projects. Finally, you will be able to apply the insights from the course to pressing issues of intergenerational justice, including climate change and emergent Artificial Intelligence.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

1. Demonstrate an understanding of key political concepts for thinking about the future.
2. Critically evaluate the implications of different concepts for contemporary political issues.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

3. Perform close readings of key theoretical texts.
4. Apply complex ideas to practical cases.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

5. Study independently and manage time and assessment deadlines effectively.
6. Communicate effectively in speech and writing.

Syllabus plan

While the module’s precise content will vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following themes.

• What’s Wrong with Human Extinction?

• Existential Risk and the Politics of Longtermism

• Liberal Progress and the Future

• Utopia

• Climate Change and Intergenerational Justice

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
22	278

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled learning and teaching activity	22	11 x 2 hour seminars
Guided independent study	158	Research for, planning and writing of essay
Guided independent study	120	Reading and preparation for seminars

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Oral presentation in response to a seminar reading	10 minutes	1-6	Written

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
100	0	0

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Essay	100	5000 words	1-6	Written

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Essay	100	1-6

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Samuel Scheffler, Death & the Afterlife (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016)

Elizabeth Finneron-Burns, ‘What’s Wrong with Human Extinction?’, Canadian Journal of Philosophy, 47:2 (2017), 327-343

Catriona McKinnon, ‘Endangering Humanity: An International Crime?’ Canadian Journal of Philosophy, 47:2 (2017), 395-415

William MacAskill, What We Owe the Future (Oneworld Publications: London, 2022)

Duncan Bell and Apolline Taillandier, ‘Cosmos-politanism: Transhumanist Visions of World Order from the First World War to the Digital Age,’ Perspectives on Politics, online first (2024), 1-18

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE –

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

Émile Torres, ‘Against Longtermism’, AEON, online: https://aeon.co/essays/why-longtermism-is-the-worlds-most-dangerous-secular-credo

Key words search

Intergenerational Justice, Existential Risk, Climate Change, The Future

Credit value	30
Module ECTS	15
Module pre-requisites	N/A
Module co-requisites	N/A
NQF level (module)	7
Available as distance learning?	No
Origin date	03/04/2025
Last revision date	03/04/2025