Why should we assume that world events will move in the direction outlined by these various Utopian considerations? Clearly we can make no such assumption—although all discussions which propose such possible futures, including this one, can by their very nature make some impact. Immanent trends of development are no more than that, and the interim period, should things even proceed in these various ways at all, is large and filled with high-consequence risks. Moreover, what happens along one institutional dimension can adversely affect others. Each could have life-threatening consequences for many millions of human beings.

XREF: Connects to broader debates about speculative futurism and the ethics of utopian planning across disciplines.

Anthony Giddens, The Consequences of Moderni…, loc. 399