The word "future" necessarily implies a temporal dimension. This colloquium aims to analyze this, adopting the form of interdisciplinary dialogue that characterizes the Collège de France's Avenir Commun Durable initiative.
Two angles will be explored: forecasts and visions.
1) Reflection on "forecasts" will focus on social expectations regarding the main elements of climate change
Each of us is accustomed to following an agenda in order to take action, but in the climate emergency we will be increasingly obliged to respect several agendas (from the short to the long term) which we will need to order. The aim of this symposium is to provide the public with accurate information, as far removed as possible from both catastrophism and false optimism. It will also be an opportunity to question the very meaning of forecasting: how reliable are forecasts, and how different are they from "prophecy"? And how can we decide when all forecasts are uncertain?
2) The second section, "visions", will look at the notion of time in different types of knowledge
From Aristotle to 21st-century philosophers, the question has been disputed: does time exist? Philosophy has its time, physics another. According to the theory of relativity, time is no longer absolute. An event that takes place at a given point in space is not perceived in the same way by an observer in a different Galilean frame of reference.
The observer who conditions the observed phenomena is also a crucial issue in the social sciences. The colloquium will thus move on from metaphysics and physics to historical time, which each civilization has conceived differently. Finally, the law - which concerns each and every one of us, as well as future generations - also lives in close contact with time. It must fight two opposing battles: that of those who call for continuous adaptation to changing times, and that of those who demand stability. Can standards adapt quickly enough to meet the challenges of transition?
Each session will conclude with a round-table discussion: diverse knowledge and expertise in dialogue around a shared demand for a common, sustainable future.
