Democracy, religion, migration, identity — the human systems that bind us together.
History Future Now has been considering the historical and future implications of the NSA files that have been leaked bit by bit by Edward Snowden over the past few months. History Future Now is very
The history of Western civilization is often told as a grand narrative of progress, a triumphant march from ancient wisdom to modern enlightenment. But beneath this conventional story lies a deeper an
Ever since our ancient ancestors walked out of Africa between 125,000 and 60,000 years ago humans have pushed themselves to explore and to emigrate to territories that would have been almost impossibl
There are a lot of people to whom the quote "history is written by the winners" is attributed to. Winston Churchill frequently pops up in the context of a discussion that he had with Stalin on how the
Winston Churchill famously quipped that “Democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others that have been tried.” With this statement he was expressing a view that many share: yes, d
Everybody knows that the world’s population has increased dramatically since 1930 – population 2 billion – to today – population 7.7. Most people also know that the fertility rate of women in most of
Prisons as we know them are relatively new and we can thank Jeremy Bentham’s philosophy of utilitarianism in the 19th century for the first modern prisons. Previously people had been locked up, in jai
Switzerland has a unique form of democracy which allows for referendums to be held on any issue so long as the proponents gather a minimum of 100,000 certified signatures supporting the referendum. Th
Most people think of themselves as being “law abiding” citizens. People admonish those that break the law and feel that it is reasonable that transgressors should pay the consequences of crime. Broadl
The concept of a nuclear family is relatively recent – it is first mentioned in The Oxford English Dictionary in 1925 – and refers to a household that consists of a mother, father and their children.
In the quest for immortality, humanity has long dreamed of extending the boundaries of life beyond the confines of our current existence. The tantalizing prospect of living to 150 years or more has ca
On February 4th 2026, a Washington Post reporter in a warzone in Ukraine learned by text message that she had been laid off. Nearly half the newsroom was gone in a single day. This is not just a story
In a small town in southern Italy, a school closed last year. Not because of budget cuts. Because there were no children left. That empty classroom is the future of the developed world. No country in
The Covid 19 pandemic is a genuinely historical event. Future historians will analyse the period leading up to the outbreak, searching for clues about why it got so bad so quickly, will then investiga
Throughout history, war has left an indelible mark on society, transforming the lives of those who survive and reshaping the roles of both men and women. While the devastating impact of conflict on th
In an online article about the youth unemployment crisis in Europe and Africa HFN asked a question: “What are all these people going to do?” to which a reader responded:
Immigration is a political hot potato. It is hard to talk about it in the West without appearing to be uncaring at best or racist at worst. That is a problem as it is an important subject which doesn'
Cable television and satellite radio stations have been praised for providing greater choice and criticised for the fragmentation of our societies. New social media apps and websites allow this choice
HFN looks at the worship of Aton, the first monotheistic religion over 3,350 years ago. We examine how changes in European attitudes towards Christianity today may make Islam more rigid in the future.
Grey’s Anatomy, a TV series set in a Seattle hospital, has a senior female surgeon hopping into bed with a male colleague and then hopping into bed with a female colleague, whom she eventually marries