Opinion: The Disease of the Future

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That, he argues, will no longer do. What is needed is a new kind of institution, formed for a specific purpose and enduring only so long as it is needed; punningly, Toffler calls this organization of the future "ad-hocracy." He envisions "social future assemblies" within nations, cities and even neighborhoods that would convene to establish an order of priorities for dealing with present and prospective social problems. These "town halls of the future" would constitute not only participatory but also "anticipatory democracy." Toffler's ad-hocracies would thus serve a twin purpose: they would permit men to anticipate change and therefore control it at least in part, and they would restore to an ever more anonymous citizenry a sense of taking part in the shaping of the future. Change is not bad; it is necessary, but it must be used constructively rather than responded to only passively by a supine citizenry. Concludes Toffler: "We have taught ourselves to create and combine the most powerful of technologies. We have not taken pains to learn about their consequences. Today these consequences threaten to destroy us. We must learn, and learn fast."